It is early spring and you are waiting outside of room 27. A group of students form a line behind you, muttering amongst themselves. You grow stiff and begin to fidget with your nails until you see a figure approaching. It is Dr. Tamburro, ready to give you your decision letter for the National Honor Society.

The recently revised application process for NHS has caused some concern for students. 

Sofia Greco, a senior, applied for NHS last year and was rejected for her lack of leadership. She describes the application process as stressful and specific, and was given a month to complete it. 

Sofia did not include any leadership positions since at the time, she had none. Since then, she has been given the title of band lieutenant.

“How do they expect you to get leadership positions as a junior?” questions Kate Bernard, a current junior. “They only give those positions to seniors.” Kate received an email early this school year, informing her of her eligibility.

“It was really vague and really weird,” she said, referring to the basic outline she was given, including activities, leadership positions, community service hours, tutoring hours, and work experience. When she applies, a faculty council will discuss her application in February.

“The format and submission of the application is confusing,” says Amelia Niziolek, a senior member of NHS. “Thankfully I’m tech savvy so I was able to figure it out.” 

Kara Dunphy, also a senior and member of NHS, was rejected her junior year because she did not include a thorough description of the activities she was involved in. She also did not fill in leadership positions because like Sofia, she had none. Fortunately, she reapplied senior year and was accepted due to her newly acquired leadership positions. She received the title of captain on the Cross Country team this year, and was a Girls on the Run coach last year.

Sofia considered reapplying for NHS as a senior, but chose not to because she thought the required tutoring and community service hours all had to be done senior year, despite the fact that there had only been one month of school.

“It wasn’t specific enough” she said, after finding out that the required hours could have been from previous high school years. 

“NHS is a good thing to have on your resume, however it’s not going to make or break your college applications” advises Amelia. Whether you are accepted or denied will not define who you are.