How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example
What’s Covered:
- National Honor Society: Four Pillars and Essay
- Five Tips for Writing Your NHS Essay
- NHS Essay Example
- Time Well Spent
What do former First Lady Michelle Obama, actor Tina Fey, singer-songwriters Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. have in common? They were all members of the National Honor Society (NHS).
National Honor Society: Four Pillars and Essay
As you apply for membership in this national organization, remember that NHS membership is based on meeting certain criteria that the NHS calls its four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character.
Scholarship
The first pillar, scholarship, requires that a student earn a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent. Many high schools set a higher GPA bar for their school’s chapter. If you meet your school’s academic requirements, congratulations, you’ve passed the first hurdle.
Now it’s important that you carefully complete the application and write a compelling essay. Most high schools require students to write a 300- to 500-word essay that showcases their commitment and accomplishments in the other three pillars.
Service
Service refers to the contributions you make to your school and/or community on a volunteer basis, without receiving any compensation. For your most significant service activities, be sure to explain why you chose to support certain organizations and why you selected specific roles.
Leadership
Showcase your leadership in your school and/or community while working with or for others. Remember, stating that you are the captain of a team, president of a club, or supervisor of a shift does not prove that you are a leader.
Leaders make things happen, set a good example, and inspire others to give their personal best. Clearly state why you were selected to hold a leadership position and how you effectively lead. There are many successful leadership styles—be sure to communicate your unique brand of leadership.
Character
Character is how you conduct yourself with high standards of honesty, reliability, and respect for others. Many attributes define good character, and they all reflect a personal commitment to ethical and compassionate interactions with others as well as how you treat yourself. Results are only part of the story; how you achieve them is critically important to communicate.
Five Tips for Writing Your NHS Essay
Think about how many NHS applications your school counselor reviews each year. Not every student who completes an application is selected for the honor. So, how do you make your essay stand out? Here are five strategies:
1. Make it Personal and Individual
Your application form provides the facts about the scope and range of your involvement and contributions to your communities. Be sure that you write your essay in a way that brings this data to life.
A compelling essay enables the reader to feel a strong connection to you. Express your unique values, aspirations, and priorities. State the motivation behind your choices and the trade-offs you’ve made. Be honest about challenges and what you have learned through your mistakes. And make sure the tone of the essay sounds like you and nobody else.
2. Share Your Stories
People love to hear and remember stories, not just facts and figures. Express the themes and points you want to share by relaying stories that bring these concepts to life. Stories can be poignant, funny, suspenseful, or surprising. Any approach that makes a reader want to continue reading is a great one.
3. Be Humble and Bold
Many students find it hard to express their hard-earned accomplishments without sounding boastful. Proudly stating your achievements without sounding brash is possible and important. Clearly state your motivations, your challenges, your vulnerabilities, and your mistakes to mitigate any concerns.
4. Follow Tried and True Essay Guidelines
Channel all the advice you’ve received over the years about how to write a great essay.
- Do you have a clear thesis around which you have organized your thoughts?
- Are there compelling topic sentences to hook your reader?
- Have you used strong supporting sentences to back up your reasoning?
- Are you avoiding clichés?
- Do you vary your sentence structure and word choice?
- Does the text flow and keep the reader engaged?
Last, but not least, check and double-check your grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
5. Draft, Edit, Edit, Edit, Polish
Writing is an iterative process, so give yourself the time necessary to land on the best approach to explain why you are deserving of the NHS honor. There are many ways to tackle an essay. Try a few to determine which is the most effective. Then, when you identify the best approach and are satisfied with your latest draft, share it with someone whose opinion you value.
Do you want free, nearly-instantaneous feedback on your essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. So meet Sage, our AI tutor and advisor, who will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what your readers would take away from your writing.
NHS Essay Example
While there isn’t a single template for a strong essay, here is an example of an NHS essay written by an 11th-grade student who was accepted into NHS.
Success is not only about improving yourself, but also about improving life for others. While my GPA shows my commitment to academics, how I spend my time and conduct myself outside of school reveal my commitment to making the world a better place, consistent with the values of the National Honor Society.
For the two years my grandfather lived in a nursing home, each weekend I took my dog EJ to visit him. I witnessed first-hand the healing power of animals as EJ lifted his and the other residents’ spirits. Because of this experience and because monkeys are my favorite animal, when I heard about Helping Hands (HH), the only organization in the world that raises capuchin monkeys to be live-in assistants to people with spinal cord injuries, I reached out to volunteer.
Both in the summer and during the school year, I assist the trainers. Monkeys begin training when they are teenagers. It typically takes three to five years until they are ready to be placed with a person. My first job is to clean the cages of 60 monkeys. (Not my favorite responsibility.) I also prepare meals and construct and distribute dexterity “toys.”
While not glamorous, my work is critical to the success of the initiative. The physical support the monkeys provide is unbelievable. They turn pages of books, scratch itches, pour water, and retrieve dropped items… Most importantly, I have seen the life-changing impact a monkey’s companionship has on a partner, including a college-age student confined to a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury from hockey.
In the spring, summer, and fall I also volunteer at Gaining Ground (GG), a non-profit that grows organic produce to donate to food pantries, shelters, and meal programs. When I volunteered at a local food pantry, it struck me that recipients receive mostly canned and packaged food. I think it is important that people in need receive fresh fruits and vegetables, and I enjoy the physical work of weeding, harvesting, cleaning, and packing produce.
Soon after I began volunteering at GG, my rabbi gave a sermon about the working conditions of tomato farmers in Florida. (It reminded me of Grapes Of Wrath, and I couldn’t believe inhumane practices continue.) Her sermon motivated me to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by distributing postcards urging Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop to only buy tomatoes from farms that agree to fair wages and human rights. Both chains have now agreed, showing that a little effort by many people makes a difference.
Last, I believe a story is the best way to explain my “behind-the-scenes” leadership. At the annual nighttime football game, one of my soccer teammates (not someone I hang with) was drunk. When our principal came over to the bleachers, my teammate’s friends fled. Concerned that my teammate would fall and hurt herself, I brought her outside the stadium, called her parents, and waited with her until they came—without worrying about social retribution. Despite getting grounded, she thanked me for my help.
I would be honored to be recognized by NHS for my service, leadership, and character. Thank you for your consideration.
Why This Essay Works
This essay effectively demonstrates that the writer exemplifies the National Honor Society’s four pillars. Rather than merely listing activities, it shows the reader through action. Let’s examine how it touched on each of the four pillars.
Displays Service
The writer does an excellent job of conveying their commitment to service, but more than that, they tie it to their own life and make it personal. The writer explains that their interest in working with service animals began when they brought their dog along on visits to their grandfather in a nursing home. This experience inspired them to volunteer with Helping Hands, where they assisted in training capuchin monkeys.
In addition to demonstrating their service, the writer is humble about their contributions. For example:
My first job is to clean the cages of 60 monkeys. (Not my favorite responsibility.) I also prepare meals and construct and distribute dexterity “toys”…While not glamorous, my work is critical to the success of the initiative.
The writer also does a good job of showing the results of their efforts, from how their dog lifted the spirits of the nursing home residents to the life-changing companionship a monkey has provided a college-age student with a spinal cord injury.
Exhibits Leadership
A leader sets a good example and takes action, which is exactly what the writer highlights. When they learned about the poor working conditions of tomato farmers, they responded by urging grocers to only buy tomatoes from farms that pay fair wages and respect human rights.
The writer neatly ties this into their volunteer work at Gaining Ground (another nonprofit) and their synagogue (another group)—ultimately highlighting their active role in a number of different networks within their community.
Once again, the writer remains modest about their contributions.
I think it is important that people in need receive fresh fruits and vegetables, and I enjoy the physical work of weeding, harvesting, cleaning, and packing produce.
However, they aren’t afraid to celebrate their successes.
Her sermon motivated me to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by distributing postcards urging Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop to only buy tomatoes from farms that agree to fair wages and human rights. Both chains have now agreed, showing that a little effort by many people makes a difference.
Shows Character
Through the bulk of the essay, the writer does a superb job of highlighting their service and leadership, but closes with a smaller, more personal anecdote about putting themselves on the line for a teammate, despite the potential for social retribution.
While the writer doesn’t condone the actions of their teammate—being drunk at a football game—they provide support for them, when others wouldn’t, and ensure they make it home safe, regardless of the consequences.
This account highlights the writer’s leadership and character by telling a story. They’re not just a leader when convenient—they’re willing to do hard things, make sacrifices, and take a stand. They’re also willing to suffer the repercussions for doing what they think is right.
Paints a Picture
In the end, this essay is effective because it shows a person, their values, and how they align with the NHS. The writer tells a cohesive story—showing growth and how their actions evolved—by sharing anecdotes, rather than listing achievements.
What Could Have Been Done Better
Although this NHS essay is extremely compelling—there’s always room for improvement.
Better Flow
The writer does a fantastic job of presenting examples of their service, leadership, and character through specific stories. That said, at times it feels like they are jumping from one account to another without linking them together. Refining transitions could provide the essay with more momentum.
Stronger Conclusion
While the essay avoids cliches, the ending is pretty basic and doesn’t leave the reader with a strong last impression. The writer might be better served by tying the essay back to its opening statement—Success is not only about improving yourself, but also about improving life for others—explaining how their actions are making the world a better place, or by focusing on how they’ve grown through experiences connected to the NHS’s four pillars.
Time Well Spent
Do you want free, nearly instantaneous feedback on your NHS essays? After rereading your essay over and over, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. So meet Sage, our AI tutor and advisor, who will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what readers would take away from your writing.
