# National Society of Collegeiate Scholars: Malarkey? or Effective Way?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [April 3, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560 "2005-04-03T20:25:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560/1 "2005-04-03T20:25:26Z")
So I get a thick, triple-stamped envelope full of embossed ballyhoo about my academic achievements &c. &c. from this [National Society of Collegeiate Scholars](http://www.nscs.org/) . They want a one-time $75 fee to join this prestigious organization. This includes a “personal diploma of membership” (sure to do very nicely at keeping my high school diploma warm at the bottom of some long-forgotten dusty file cabinet), some on-campus “induction ceremony” (is that pigs’ blood I smell? But I just had breakfast!) and the opportunity to apply for the NSCS Merit Award, which includes a “scholarship to help defray the costs of [my] education” (allow me to assure the honorable NSCS that the costs of my education are quite fresh and un-frayed at the moment. Ha ha, yes, guys, I know what you mean.)
Some quick Googling lead me to a bunch of different chapters of the org, but then I found [this page](http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:mmfRO-kvz0wJ:cageyconsumer.com/students/scholars.html+%22national+society+of+collegiate+scholars%22&hl=en), which seems to warn me as a discerning consumer of collegeiate honor society memberships that NSCS may be - quelle horreur! - a scam.
What’s the Straight Dope on these folks? Are they legit, and truly truly truly prestigious, or is this just a really mean ploy to steal my (parents’) hard-earned money? Is the three-quarters of a C-note worth it just to put this thing on my future job applications?
I hope this is in the right forum. It seemed a little subjective for GQ, and not sexy enough for IMHO somehow. Mods may move this to wherever they fancy, not that they need my permission.
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### Author:  [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560/2 "2005-04-03T20:29:23Z")
BS total and complete. Tell you what, send ME $75 and I’ll send you a framed certificate as well!
frame available at addtional cost
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### Author:  [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560/3 "2005-04-03T20:33:06Z")
Guys, tell me about this MikeG. Is he a scam?
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### Author:  [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560/4 "2005-04-03T20:58:35Z")
Well, I don’t know about **MikeG** himself, but I believe that his offer is just as valuable as that of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars…
GT
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### Author:  [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560/5 "2005-04-03T21:06:45Z")
I got one of these once, for the “Golden Key International Honour Society”. They’d simply mailed the out to everybody whose marks in first year at my university were in the top ten or fifteen percent. For $80, I could get a lifetime membership, a little pin, and the tremendous benefits of having this on my resume. Plus I could attend the meetings.
I spent the eighty bucks on groceries, and haven’t looked back.
Now I’m trying to decide whether to do the same with the [Corporation of the Seven Wardens](http://www.ironring.ca). I’ll be eligible to participate in the secret induction ceremony in a few months. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560/6 "2005-04-03T21:47:51Z")
From their FAQ:
> [@](#):
>
> **How is NSCS governed?**
>
> The Society is governed by a board of directors, consisting of educators, business professionals, the founding president and student representatives. The Board sets the policy direction for the Society and is responsible for overseeing the fiscal and operational efficiency of NSCS. The day-to-day operations are overseen by the executive director, who also serves as a member of the board of directors.
Yeah, but…names?
> [@](#):
>
> **Is this a legitimate organization?**
>
> Yes. NSCS is a highly selective, 501 © 3 non-profit organization. NSCS is a member of The Association of College Honor Societies and a recognized organization at campuses across the country, with new chapters being added each year.
Selective?
> [@](#):
>
> First-and second-year students who rank in the top 20th percentile of their class and have a minimum GPA of 3.4 are invited to join.
That’s not a terrible standard, but I wouldn’t call it HIGHLY selective. BTW, it’s assured twice in the FAQ alone that NSCS is a legitimate “501 © 3, not-for profit, organization”.
> [@](#):
>
> **Does the school know about this?**
>
> NSCS is an officially registered on-campus organization before invitations are mailed. NSCS may be a new organization on campus so many people may not have heard of it yet. It is not unusual for organizations to be “unknown” by some university officials, particularly on larger campuses.
This does not inspire great confidence.
> [@](#):
>
> **Can I put this on a resume? Is this something people are going to recognize?**
>
> Yes, we encourage you to list your membership on your resume. NSCS has a nationwide network of universities, corporate partners, national associations and nonprofits. NSCS is well recognized among these and many other companies and institutions.
Pleeze, pleeeze, pleeeeeeze mention us on your resume. Even though it won’t be worth a crap to a potential employer.
Funny, how NSCS is a new organization that sometimes isn’t even recognized on campuses that host it, but is well known by all sorts of universities (just not the one YOU’RE attending) and vague nameless corporate entities. Yeah.
> [@](#):
>
> **Who is on your Board?**
>
> What is the difference between the Honorary Board of Regents and the Board of Directors? The NSCS Board is comprised of a number of business and education professionals from around the country who represent a host of different disciplines. The board of directors sets policy and is more involved with creating the vision and mission of NSCS. Students also serve on the board. The Honorary Board serves in an advisory/support capacity.
So again, who’s on your board?
You have to go to their [Board of Directors page](http://www.nscs.org/AboutNSCS/directors.cfm) for names and educational information. Some of them actually have business degrees, but many are less than than forthcoming.
The annual report pdfs, which allegedly detail the groups activities and yearly finances, do not load in either Firefox or IE. Hmm.
Their scholarship expenditures are $50,000 for Merit Award scholarships, $2000 for graduate scholarships, $12,500 for the Scholar Abroad program, and $24,000 for the Scholar at Sea program. That’s $88,500 per year. They claim 70,000 new members join every year. At $75 a pop, that’s $525,000 they’re raking in per year. [They only claim](http://www.nscs.org/AboutNSCS/facts.cfm) to have given $400,00 in scholarship money since 1994. Those must be SOME induction ceremonies they’re hosting.
Also on that facts page, notice that out of 375,000 total members, totalling up the past nine years, the participation rates for most of their programs are in the hundreds.
I wouldn’t give 'em the time of day, much less a dime of actual money.
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### Author:  [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-society-of-collegeiate-scholars-malarkey-or-effective-way/297560/7 "2005-04-03T21:52:35Z")
I had an ex who was associated with NSCS, and they did have meetings and such… but I got the sense that it was more like they were trying to build street cred than actually having any. If you want a no-name club with dubious merit and no real practical value for which you’ll have to work just to make your investment pay, I’d say go for it. Otherwise, shoot for Phi Beta Kappa.