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Can I list the National Honor Society as an award on my college applications?

I was recently inducted into the NHS and was wondering if it's appropriate to list it as an award in my college application, or if it's strictly viewed as an extracurricular activity?

9 months ago

Congratulations on your induction into the National Honor Society (NHS)! It's a nice acknowledgment of your academic achievements and commitment to community service. To answer your question, when you're filling out your college application, you can list NHS as either an honor or extracurricular, or both.

NHS speaks to both your academic success and character, and is widely recognized. So, it's appropriate to list it under awards. It's also something you've invested real time in, unlike a one-off award like being named a National Merit Semifinalist, so you can use your activities list to describe what your broader involvement has looked like.

Just make sure to avoid redundancy. If you elaborate on your involvement with NHS in the extracurricular section, there's no need to repeat that information when you list it as an honor. Instead, use each section to show a different facet of your contribution to the NHS. Maybe in the honors section, emphasize the recognition, while in extracurriculars, highlight your specific involvement or projects undertaken through the society.

Best of luck with your applications!

9 months ago

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