Are High School Honor Societies Worth Joining? Their Purpose on Your College Applications (2024)

If you’re an academically gifted student, you’ve likely thought about joining an honor society. After all, honor societies can be great additions to your resume. They can also provide you with valuable personal connections and scholarship opportunities.

That said, honor society applications can be time-consuming and rigorous. It can feel like a lot of work to apply, let alone to join. This leads us to the following questions: Is National Honor Society worth it? Is National Honor Society important to include on your college applications? And how many honor societies should I join?

In this article, we will address these questions by examining the potential benefits of joining an honor society, as well as discussing what your membership might actually entail. Many students join honor societies in order to bolster their college applications. This is why it’s important to understand what college admissions officers look for in an applicant and how participating in an honor society could potentially help you.

Most academic societies have a minimum GPA requirement. Gaining and maintaining membership can be a great way to keep yourself accountable and maintain your high school GPA. For many students, being admitted to an honor society, such as the National Honor Society, can be a great form of motivation!

You may be wondering, is National Honor Society hard to get into? The answer is yes. While the application process varies a bit from school to school, NHS is known for its thorough application process. In addition to having a qualifying GPA (determined by your specific chapter), students are evaluated according to their commitment to service and leadership.

How many honor societies are there? And how many honor societies can you join?

While there is no limit to how many honor societies you can join, you want to be mindful of your time and your ability to commit to an organization. While some honor societies function as a formality, others require a large time commitment. This is why it’s important to know how much time and energy each organization requires before you apply.

You also want to be aware of any potential scams. In general, be wary of organizations with large membership fees. Research each honor society thoroughly before applying. After all, you only want to belong to reputable organizations that will enhance your college applications.

The following list includes some of the most well-known high school honor societies. Visit each organization’s website for a more thorough understanding of how each organization is structured.

• The National Honor Society (NHS)
  • Founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the National Honor Society is based on the four pillars of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. NHS has chapters in all 50 states, as well as in many schools around the world, and serves more than one million students. National Honor Society is a well-respected organization with valuable student resources.

• The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS)
  • Many people confuse NSHSS with NHS. It’s important, however, to understand the differences between these two organizations. Founded in 2002, NSHSS is not as reputable or as well-established as the NHS. Its membership fees are also a bit higher ($75 vs. a maximum of $20). Although the organization provides students with lots of college preparation resources, the organization, in general is less selective than NHS and thus less respected by college admissions officers.
• Cum Laude Society
  • Founded in 1906, the Cum Laude Society has 382 chapters, predominantly located in the United States, and admits 4,000 new members each year. Most organization members attend private schools.
• Tri-M Music Honor Society
  • Founded in 1936, the Tri-M Music Honor Society has 2,100 chapters across 50 states and 15 countries. The organization recognizes students who’ve demonstrated musical and academic excellence. According to its website: “Each year, student members contribute more than 750,000 service hours to their school and local communities and raise nearly $1 million for causes they care about.”
• National Spanish Honor Society
  • The National Spanish Honor Society, also known as Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH), was founded in 1953 and currently has 2,900 national and international chapters. Members are recognized for their academic excellence and commitment to learning Spanish.
• French Language Honor Society
  • The French Language Honor Society, also known as Société Honoraire de Français (SHF), recognizes students for their academic excellence and commitment to learning French. According to its website: “The local high school chapter provides a vehicle to focus activities around French language and Francophone literatures and cultures and to encourage participation in the annual writing contest and travel grant competition. In addition, students can acquire leadership skills by serving as officers, directing the initiation ceremony, or leading other chapter events.”
• Mu Alpha Theta
  • Founded in 1957, Mu Alpha Theta is the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society. The society has over 100,000 members, with chapters in over 2,420 U.S. schools. It is also established in 23 foreign countries.

Applications for NHS can be very involved, which can lead students to wonder, is national honors society worth it? Like with all things, it depends. While including an honor society on your college application, especially one like the National Honor Society, can feel like a good touch, highly-selective colleges will not necessarily be impressed unless you are actively involved within these organizations.

Basically, you should think of an honor society like any other extracurricular activity. Unless you’ve performed meaningful work within the organization, your membership won’t help you stand out from other applicants. As is the case with other extracurricular activities, you should reflect on what you really want to get out of your involvement before joining.