Honors Societies are a constant theme in high schools, apparently recognizing the best and the brightest students in a particular school, and highlighting their accomplishments. But what are these really? Are they worth joining or spending significant time on? Do colleges even care about honors societies?
In this article, we’re going to examine the answers to these questions, and look at some of the country’s most popular honors societies. We’ll look at what they really offer, and how much they can impact your college admissions process. Let’s get started!
What are Honors Societies?
Honors Societies are private organizations which work with and within schools to recognize students who meet the qualifications of the society. In some ways, they are much like any other school club or organization of this type. A key difference is that honors societies have some degree of selective membership, only admitting new members who meet the standards of the organization.
As these organizations are administered at a school-level, what the actual requirements are can vary greatly between different schools. There are overall standards set by the parent organization, but schools generally have broad leeway over who gets into the society, in large part because most of these societies require a student to be nominated by a teacher.
These societies have varying activity levels depending on the school you are in. Some are fairly active communally and organize activities for and by members, others are far more low-key. These societies do tend to have requirements for members, generally maintaining their academic prowess and completing some number of volunteering hours over the course of a school year.
Credible and Non-Credible Honors Societies
We will go through a number of honors societies later in this article, but we won’t be able to cover all of them. There are a large number of purported honors organizations, which offer varying degrees of benefits. Not all of these are credible organizations however, and some exist to take advantage of students and their parents.
Generally, if an organization is asking you for money in order to join an Honors Society, it is not a legitimate organization. We recommend not joining these organizations or giving them any of your money; membership in them will not aid your college applications, and will not afford you any notable opportunities.
How Colleges View Honors Societies
Each college is of course different, but there are broad trends in how they view honors societies. In general, they are viewed as acceptable, normal, or in some cases even expected.
There is a phrase “familiarity breeds contempt.” This means that the more you are exposed to something, the less it begins to shock you. A person seeing the ocean for the first time is blown away; someone who has lived by the beach for their whole life barely registers the same sight.
Honors societies have become so ubiquitous among top performing high school students, that participating in them is no longer exceptional. If you have top grades, then being part of one is almost expected, especially if the school you attend has an active branch.
For most students, simply listing your inclusion in an honors society among your honors and awards is all that is needed, especially if your involvement was limited to getting inducted and completing any requisite volunteering hours. If you actually attained an officer position, and were active in the running and administration of the honors society at your school, then it can serve as an activity.
In some cases, not getting inducted into an honors society can be a minor concern for schools, but even there they rarely note it. So long as your academic prowess is clearly established through grades and your community involvement is shown through your extracurriculars, most won’t notice a missing honors society berth.
So why join an honors society? Why not? These are a low commitment way to receive a third party approval of your academic excellence, and showcase that you are an engaged member of your school’s community, especially since candidates generally need to be nominated by a teacher. Joining an honors society is not going to be your crowning achievement in high school, but it is an appreciable badge of honor, and worth doing if you have the chance to join a legitimate one.
An Introduction to Honors Societies
There are in fact several different honors societies available to high school students, most of which aren’t related to each other, despite similar naming conventions. We’ll go through each of these in turn, to let you know of any potential benefits, and what the society will expect from you.
National Honor Society
This is the oldest, largest, and most well-known of the high school honors societies, having been founded back in 1921, and currently boasting 1.4 million members. There are branches of this organization in schools through all 50 US states, and in several other countries around the world.
The requirements to join the society are set at the school level, but generally require some level of academic accomplishment and community involvement. Most chapters also require members to complete a certain number of volunteering hours each year. The exact requirements are set by the chapter.
The organization also awards several scholarships each year to seniors who are members of the society. The application for these scholarships opens in September, and is due in November. There are varying levels of scholarship awarded; with 600 total prizes offered.
Sociedad Honoria Hispanica
More commonly referred to as the Spanish National Honors Society, this is specifically for students of Spanish (and also Portuguese). In order to join, you must have taken at least three semesters of either Spanish or Portuguese while maintaining an honors average as defined by your local chapter. You must remain enrolled in the language and maintain an honors grade to continue your membership.
The society has a publication for student works, which members of the society may submit to. This publishes both essays and short articles, along with creative works. These works should be related to the culture and languages that the society represents. The society also funds a number of scholarships, with up to 60 scholarships awarded to graduating seniors each year.
Société Honoraire de Français
More commonly referred to as the French Honor Society, this organization seeks to recognize outstanding students of French language and culture. In order to be inducted, students must maintain excellent grades (as defined by their local chapter) for at least three semesters of French language study. Students must maintain at least a B GPA overall and engage actively in community service to remain a member of the organization.
This is a less widespread honors society than some of its peers, as French is less widespread and less studied than Spanish. It does still offer a scholarship however, aimed at students who intend to study the French language in college.
Mu Alpha Theta
This is a math honor society, established for both high school students and students at two-year colleges. It has chapters both across the US and internationally, and has over 100,000 members. Membership is determined at the school level, but generally requires excellent academic performance in math specifically. This is one of the more impressive honors societies if you intend to go into a STEM field.
Mu Alpha Theta sponsors a number of math contests nationally, which are a great way to demonstrate your own level of prowess. These are offered in numerous categories and levels through high school, allowing students to compete at a level that matches their skills. They also have a small number of scholarships available to promising students.
Quill and Scroll
This is a journalism honor society, and membership is open to any high school which publishes its own news, or which has a collaboration program with a local news organization. Students must be a junior or senior, in the upper third of their class, be involved with journalism through their school, and must be nominated by a faculty member in order to join Quill & Scroll. There are no ongoing requirements to remain a member, but it is expected you will continue your academic excellence and remain involved in journalism.
Quill & Scroll runs a number of contests for students engaged in journalism and other school writing. Winners of these contests are then eligible to apply for the organization’s scholarships; three of these are awarded each year, and they are intended to help students interested in pursuing a degree in journalism.
Final Thoughts
Honors societies have long been a part of high school life, and we hope that this article has given you a better understanding of what they are, and what they can offer you. While we weren’t able to go through every single honors society, we have covered some of the most prominent, which many of our past and current students have been members of.
It is often hard for high school students to judge how colleges will view their activities, and what admissions officers expect them to be involved with. This article has covered one aspect of many, and we are very familiar with how the opaque system of evaluations used by colleges can cause headaches for students. If you want to learn more about how to convey your accomplishments to admissions officers, or have any other questions about the best activities in high school to impress them, schedule a free consultation with us today. We have a long history of advising students during the often daunting application process, and are always happy to hear from you.
