Didn't Make It Into NHS? Don't Worry - It's Not The End Just Yet.

This post is to all high schoolers in America who didn't make it in the highly "prestigious" National Honor Society - and yes, that now includes me. This post may sound pretentious, but that is why it's focused on people who tried their best and according to their school, still wasn't the best. So here we go.

Some of you may be wondering, what is the National Honor Society? The National Honor Society, or NHS, is a program based for all high school juniors and seniors around the United States. You are chosen for this organization through four "pillars": academics, leadership, community service, and character. These factors are then used by selected teachers to determine whether or not you deserve a spot. 

The application itself can vary from school to school. For instance, some schools may have you submit your transcript and have you write an essay or two and weigh it off of that, while others (like mine) send you physical letters if your grades are high enough, and then ask you to list out your leadership roles, services, clubs, etc. My school, in particular, had a "fifty point system" to determine whether you passed or not, and once again, that depends from school to school. 

If you "pass", then you are invited to a large "induction ceremony", and you may even return home with a small certificate and a flower in your hand, not to mention Instagram-worthy photos. NHS makes you stand out by a small margin on your college application, gives you an opportunity to spend fifteen more hours of your hard-earned time to volunteer, and makes you pay a surprise fee, so they can take your money and pay for more flowers and certificates next year. 

But wait, we're not here to talk about the benefits of joining NHS, are we? No, because every year, there are thousands of students who apply and still don't make it in, despite having all the right prerequisites. Some students may not actually deserve to make it in, usually because they're missing one of NHS's "prized pillars". But there is a tiny margin of students who may be truly capable of getting accepted, but are then left with the disappointing shock of rejection. Of course, I personally faced this as well - the burden presented itself in my inbox, with a plain "We're sorry that you're stupid" while naming me "Dear prospective student". 

Failure hits you like a brick. It's hard to get through, especially as you watch others rise above you while you crouch there, still bleeding. It was personally tough for me to get through the day without wreaking emotional havoc. I'd felt like I'd been working on making it into NHS for the past two years, with all my leadership positions, clubs, and volunteering - all of which I loved, but which still made me take out so much time out of my day that it made me lose sight of my friends and family more and more. But now it all tumbled onto me, and I'd felt like I had to start all over again. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who felt this overwhelming ache when they too realized their failures - it may not necessarily be NHS, but it has happened to everyone at least once. 

The pain only gets worse when you're with other students. It's tough to hear that someone who you may have felt didn't deserve something still got what you wanted. It makes you questions what you're doing wrong in your life, as well as the choices that you've made. Not to mention your social media exploding with success photos that so many high schoolers take with their friends. It's nice to see them standing around with four other people who wear the same broad grin on their faces while holding a smug certificate that represents all of their accomplishments, but oftentimes it may make you look envious of them, causing you to down on yourself. 

I'm here to tell you that feeling like this as high school student is a completely normal reaction and that you are in no way alone. To high achieving students, not making it to NHS can seem like a huge burden - "How am I going to get into a good college now?" That is why I'm here to say: It's not over. It's not the end just yet. NHS is not your life, and it never should be. Sure, it holds "prestige" and whatnot, but these are just overinflated comments made by the organization and many high schools. In reality, it barely bumps you up in college applications, if it does at all. According to one article by the Odyssey, "NHS states that they have about one million students as part of their organization. In total, there are roughly about seven million juniors and seniors in the US. That means every one in every seven juniors or seniors is part of NHS. Is that recognizing the best in the nation, or just adding numbers to the organization?" NHS is merely another club trying to self promote so they can not only make money but also spread their prestige. Of course, their purpose as a whole is whole-hearted and kind (getting kids to be successful, kind leaders in the future!), but the way they're trying to achieve it isn't.

I first thought that without this, there would be no way to get into a good college. But I decided to dig a little deeper and see how NHS would actually affect your college application. In reality, it plays only a minor role in your application overall and has very little significance. Think about it - if one in every seven students have that on their application, then what sort of boost do they get from it? It doesn't make them stand out any more than it does with qualified students who don't participate in NHS. If anything, you should focus less on clubs like these and instead look towards other opportunities that will really make you stick out, such as scholarships, internships, or simply doing what you love (like writing!) This can give you a bigger boost than NHS ever could.

Edit: this post was from months ago, and I have completely forgotten where I was going with it. So I'll just save you time and end it here.