Honor Societies Can Unlock Scholarship Opportunities

Not all honor societies are worth your or your student's time or resources. However, some honor societies are truly prestigious and provide legitimate scholarship opportunities. Here is a list of some of the honor societies that your student should seriously consider joining, if they are invited:

National Honor Society (NHS): Over 100 years old, and possibly the most well-known honor society, NHS is for students in grades 10-12. NHS emphasizes four pillars: Scholarship (Academics), Service (Volunteering), Leadership, and Character. (Notice that 3 of these pillars align with the 5 pillars of a student's Personal Narrative.) Each year, the NHS awards $2,000,000 in scholarships.

Phi Theta Kappa: The official honor society for two-year colleges. The society is built on four "hallmarks" that guide its activities and member development: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Fellowship. Members gain access to over $246 million in exclusive transfer scholarships to four-year universities.

Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society: The only national organization for high school juniors and seniors that recognizes excellence in the field of Social Studies. High school seniors may apply for Rho Kappa's $1500 scholarship.

The Science National Honor Society (SNHS): A prominent organization for high schoolers, founded in 2000 to recognize excellence in science, encourage research, and provide scholarships. SNHS offers two different scholarships for its members.

Tri-M Music Honor Society (formerly known as Modern Music Masters): Tri-M is the only national music honor society for students in grades 6–12 and is a program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Tri-M offers multiple scholarships.

This is not a comprehensive list of reputable honor societies. Comment below if I missed one of your favorites.