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How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example

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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 Chadwick Boseman, 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).

As you apply for membership in this national organization, remember NHS membership is based on meeting criteria in four areas that the NHS calls its four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character .

Scholarship

The first pillar, scholarship , requires that a student earns 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 requirement, 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 300-500 word essay that showcases their commitment and accomplishments in the other three pillars.

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 choose to support certain organizations and why you chose specific roles.

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. A leader makes things happen, sets a good example, and inspires 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. Communicate your unique brand of leadership.

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 achieved them is critically important to communicate.

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 be sure the tone of the essay sounds like you and nobody else.

2. Share Your Stories

People love to hear and remember stories, not simply facts and figures. Express themes and points that 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? Compelling topic sentences to hook your reader? Strong supporting sentences to back up your reasoning? Have you avoided clichés? Do you vary your sentence structure and word choice? Does the text flow and keep the reader engaged? Last, but not least, have you checked and double-checked 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 for explaining 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 determine the best approach and are satisfied with your latest draft, share it with someone whose opinion you value.

Looking for someone to read over your essay? Check out Collegevine’s free essay help ! Our peer review system will help you get feedback from other students so that you can improve your NHS essay and college essays.

While there is not 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.

The time you invest in composing an effective NHS essay will help you when you’re ready to write your college essays! Essays are important components of applications to selective colleges. Getting into NHS is also an honor that may boost your application at some schools. Remember, you can estimate your chance for acceptance using Collegevine’s free chancing calculator . This tool will factor in your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and more to calculate your odds of admission at hundreds of schools across the country.

National Honor Society (NHS) Essay Examples & Expert Advice

July 8, 2023

Every year, high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors write National Honor Society essays in the hopes of becoming a member. It’s certainly an admirable recognition. Joining the ranks means partaking in an interscholastic tradition alongside future movers and shakers. Past National Honor Society (NHS) members have consisted of Olympians, astronauts, senators, neurosurgeons, Nobel prize winners, Navy admirals, and more. Some of the more celebrity-famous NHS-ers include journalist Katie Couric, writer, and comedian Tina Fey, and poet Robert Warren Penn. Former first lady Michelle Obama, of course. Even Taylor Swift joined the NHS in high school. You can bet her songwriting skills came in handy for the National Honor Society essay. Intimidated? Don’t be. View our NHS essay example below as well as our more general advice for the National Honor Society essay.

Before composing your own NHS essay, you may want to ask yourself, “Why should I join NHS ?” Your answer to this question will help determine if, and how, you should craft a relevant NHS essay.

The NHS in Brief

It all began with a high school principal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who founded the National Honor Society in 1921. Today, this hundred-and-two-year-old society boasts local chapters in all 50 U.S. states and territories. It also has chapters in American and international schools abroad. Membership, open to select high school students, can open doors to interesting service and leadership opportunities. In fact, service and leadership form the cornerstone of NHS.

The one million plus students who participate in the NHS yearly have service and leadership in common. That’s because the NHS requires demonstrated community service, and demonstrated leadership. It also requires a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (though this number varies depending on the chapter) and demonstrated good character. You’ll want to check your local chapter’s specific guidelines when beginning the NHS application.

Other reasons to join the NHS include gaining access to the NHS network, an array of college planning tools, and the chance to apply for hefty scholarships. These perks naturally make for a competitive acceptance rate. So, the best way to make your application stand out involves crafting a stunning NHS essay. Here’s how.

Quick Tips for Drafting the National Honor Society Essay

1) Structure your NHS essay around the NHS Pillars: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. A high GPA acts as an indicator of your “scholarship”, or dedication to academia. This pillar must appear in your essay as well, in the form of impeccable writing skills. Demonstrate your service and leadership through the content of your essay. In other words, service and leadership form the action, or plot, of your essay. Finally, infuse your character throughout your essay, by showing how your behavior indicates your values and integrity.

2) Write from your heart, and make your NHS essay personal. The most memorable essays rely on a sincere writing voice and contain personal details. But note that by “personal,” I don’t mean you must share your deepest secrets. Rather, ground an event in your own experience by incorporating your emotions, thoughts, and sensations. This will make your essay unique to you.

3) Weave together a story; don’t make a list. As you tell your story, pull from your strongest experiences. Perhaps you have a handful of leadership and service roles. Pick only a few that say something about your interests and personality, and develop your story by threading these ideas together. While a list might look impressive, a story will come across as better crafted and more captivating. If, however, none of your service activities seem significant enough to single out and describe on their own, weave these activities together through a theme. For example, the theme could be how you overcame shyness to lead.

Quick Tips for Drafting the National Honor Society Essay, Continued

4) Mind your audience. In this case, your audience is your school’s faculty member who’s taken on the role of chapter adviser. You may want to meet with them ahead of time to let them know you’re applying. This initiative on your part will look impressive. Moreover, you can ask in person what they look for in an NHS essay. Certainly, they’ll want to know how you stand out from the other applicants. So, you’ll also want to keep your competition in mind. As with college application essays, the tone of your NHS essay should be polite, formal, and charismatic.

5) Brainstorm, draft, edit, and repeat. A National Honor Society essay isn’t written overnight. Once you have your initial ideas down on paper, return to the page for a round of editing. Ask yourself where you can expand and where you sound redundant. Look for common threads and themes to enhance. Create transition sentences between paragraphs. Revise your conclusion. Next, show your essay to someone you trust. Their feedback will indicate where your essay excels and where you need to improve.

NHS Essay Example

My grandmother, or Ma-Maw , was the kind of generous busybody who made six different pies for her granddaughters’ birthdays. She invited everyone on the block, so nothing went to waste. Once, when we both went to shovel up the last slice of pie, she laughed, and said, “ noblesse oblige .” She often spoke French, a Louisiana French foreign yet familiar to me. I didn’t think to ask what she’d meant. Did she think I was noble? Was that why I got to scarf down the last of the cherry pie?

Ma-Maw died the summer before I entered high school. I missed her terribly, long after my parents sold her house. Receiving her redirected mail felt like a blow. So many newsletters from Friends of the New Orleans Public Library! Since I loved books as much as Ma-Maw, I opened these up. Inside, I read about a partnership program, Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR). They needed in-person volunteers to tutor second- and third-graders in reading.

Before I knew it, I was cracking open vocabulary books twice a week with a kid named Harper. When I wasn’t tutoring, I was lesson planning, going over Harper’s writing journal, and scouring shelves for more early reader books. This got me thinking about literacy in New Orleans. 39% of high school students my age have the reading level of a 5 th grader—or worse. Harper lived in a part of town that didn’t even have bookstores. Would she keep up her reading once the tutoring was over, despite the odds? I also thought about representation and accessibility. If Harper had more books about people like her, and if those books were all over the place, and easy to take home, would things change?

NHS Essay Example, Continued

Due to this newfound interest in advocating for literacy, I decided to build a Free Little Library (FLL). To do so, I needed help. That spring, I founded a school club, Reading the World, and convinced 8 members to join. Together, we dismantled one of Ma-Maw’s kitchen cabinets and incorporated other used materials to build an upcycled stand that could fit 20 books.

Next, we got in touch with the program Read for Color, which helps make BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other diverse and marginalized voices heard. I believe their initiative parallels our own, which is to provide a diversity of voices through language itself. Our FLL features books in Cajun French and Creole and works in translation. With permission, we installed the FLL outside Ma-Maw’s old home. For its inauguration, our club invited the local organizations Youth Empowerment Project, One Book One New Orleans, and Read in Color. We plan to collaborate with these groups next year.

Now a sophomore, I’ve continued literacy advocacy by volunteering at Alliance Française events. This has given me new ideas about how to run Reading the World. I’ve added monthly book club events. Furthermore, every club member tutors a STAIR student. Finally, we’ll visit local senior homes at Thanksgiving and Christmas and read to the residents.

Ma-Maw would be happy to hear I won the L’Union Française’s Prix d’Excellence this year. She’d be even more thrilled to see how I’ve shared her love of reading with my community. Now I understand noblesse oblige : if you believe you are someone of noble character, then you must act accordingly. This NHS motto was easy for Ma-Maw to follow. She gave everything and led by example. I plan to follow in her footsteps. It would be an immense honor to do so through the National Honor Society.

NHS Essay Example, Dissected

This National Honor Society essay succeeds for many reasons. First, the student structures her essay around the theme of language and literacy. (Perhaps she also captains her softball team and volunteers for the Red Cross. But the student has correctly judged that these elements would distract from her story.) Rather than list her achievements and service, the student builds every element into a journey. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It shows how the student evolved to be someone who wants to make a difference. The ending completes the story by circling back to the beginning, through the idea of “noblesse oblige.” The student also manages to state clearly her thesis: she deserves acceptance into the National Honor Society.

This student’s story also centers around an emotional current, that of the student’s grandmother. The reader wants to invest in the story more because of this emotional aspect. Literacy is clearly not a random activity, but a meaningful one for the student. Including a role model allows the student to avoid bragging by transferring her praise to her grandmother.

Finally, the tone of the essay is formal (“It would be an immense honor”). Meanwhile, the unique voice of the student comes through (“We both went to shovel up the last slice of pie”). She accurately cites the names of the organizations she’s involved with and uses specificity (such as her grandmother’s kitchen cabinets) to draw the reader in.

Finished Your National Honor Society Essay?

Hopefully, you found our NHS essay example to be helpful. Now, feel free to check out our list of academic contests for more ways to boost your academic profile.

High School Success

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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How to write the National Honor’s Society Essay

Being recognized as a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) is a testament to a student’s academic achievements, leadership, and service in their community. The NHS recognizes outstanding high school students for their dedication and challenges them to develop further. An important component of the application process is the NHS essay, which is an opportunity for candidates to detail their accomplishments and explain how they align with the NHS’s core values. This essay plays a significant role in the selection process, as it allows the applicant to showcase the individual behind the grades and other achievements on paper. This blog post aims to demystify the writing process by providing step-by-step guidance on crafting a strong NHS essay.

Understanding the NHS Essay

4 pillars of nhs, scholarship, polishing your essay, common mistakes to avoid with the national honor’s society essay, wrapping up.

Before diving into the pillars that form the backbone of the National Honor Society (NHS), it’s crucial to grasp what the NHS essay entails and what it aims to achieve. The NHS essay is more than just a writing sample; it is a narrative that encapsulates your journey, achievements, and the alignment of your personal values with the core principles of the NHS. This essay is your opportunity to communicate directly with the selection committee, offering a glimpse into who you are beyond your academic scores and extracurricular activities. The prompt for the NHS Essay is to detail how you represent the Four Pillars of NHS Membership: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character in 300-500 words. In doing so, here are some key components that are good to include:

Personal Introduction: Begin with a brief introduction of yourself, highlighting your academic and personal background. This sets the stage for a deeper dive into your achievements and how they reflect the NHS values.

Impact and Personal Growth: Discuss the impact of your contributions on your community and personal growth. Reflect on how your actions have made a difference and what you may have learned from them. This will show the selection committee your potential for future leadership and service.

Future Plans and Contributions: Briefly outline how you plan to continue your commitment to the NHS’s principles by contributing both to the organization and to your community. This will underscore your dedication to the NHS’s mission.

Staying Authentic: Your essay should reflect your own authentic voice and perspective. The selection committee is solely interested in understanding who you are as an individual.

Alignment with NHS Values: It is important to explicitly detail how your experiences embody the NHS’s core values of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Rather than simply listing your accomplishments, delve deeper into how these experiences have shaped you and prepared you to contribute to the NHS while remaining as concise as possible.

When addressing the pillar of Scholarship in your National Honor Society essay, it is important to go further than just listing your academic achievements on paper. This section should detail your personal affinity for learning and intellectual growth. Highlight your areas of curiosity, your passion for gaining knowledge, and how you have been able to apply your knowledge outside of the classroom. Obviously you should discuss any academic awards or recognitions you have received, but also delve into how these accomplishments reflect your attitude towards learning.

In demonstrating Leadership, your writing should detail both formal leadership positions and informal leadership roles you have taken. Leadership is not just about being the head of a club or student organization: it is about influencing others positively, driving initiatives, and setting a good example in your community. Share specific instances where you led by example, overcame challenges, or motivated others toward a goal. Whether it’s captaining a sports team, leading a group project, or taking the initiative in organizing an event, include any instances that highlight your ability to lead.

The Service section of your essay is your chance to show how you have contributed to your community through volunteer work or service projects. Describe the types of service activities you have experience in, the impact these activities had on your community, and any other insights or knowledge you gained in the process.

Reflecting on Character involves a deep dive into your the ethics and moral principles that guide you. The NHS values members who exhibit a strong character in both their personal and academic lives. Discuss situations where you’ve had to make difficult choices and/or stand up for what you believe in in the face of challenges. Your character is at the center of your personality, so share anecdotes that best illustrate how you personally embody the values the NHS holds dear ( like honesty, respect, and responsibility).

Crafting a strong conclusion for your essay is crucial in reinforcing your case for membership. This final section should serve as a summary of your narrative, reiterating how you align with the NHS’s core values of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Begin by concisely restating the key experiences and achievements you’ve discussed throughout the essay. Then, synthesize this information and emphasize your readiness to take on the responsibilities of NHS membership. Articulate a clear vision of how you intend to contribute to the NHS, drawing on specific examples from your past experiences to illustrate your capacity for leadership, service, and continued personal and academic growth.

Revision is a vital step in crafting a good NHS essay. It is imperative to revisit your essay with a critical eye, assessing the coherence of your writing and ensuring that each paragraph flows logically and smoothly to the next one. We recommend doing at least two drafts, and the more the merrier. Make sure your essay comprehensively details your achievements and character, and make adjustments to enhance your message’s delivery and effectiveness.

Simply Reiterating Your Resume: One of the most common mistakes is simply listing your academic achievements and other roles as one might on a resume and not delving into the experiences. Your writing should go beyond listing accomplishments, explaining how these experiences have effected you and/or how they might align with the NHS values.

Lack of Personal Reflection: Not including enough personal reflection on how your experiences have contributed to your growth or demonstrated your alignment with NHS values is a missed opportunity to show your unique perspective. Share insights into your personal journey, any challenges overcome, and how these experiences impacted you.

Ignoring the NHS Core Values: Each section of your essay should clearly relate to one or more of the NHS pillars: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character. Failing to explicitly connect your experiences to these values will weaken your essay. Make sure to keep in mind how your experiences and actions embodied these core principles while you are writing.

Overlooking the Importance of Character: While it’s crucial to highlight your leadership, service, and academic achievements, neglecting to adequately address your character and personal ethics is a mistake. The NHS values integrity, honesty, and respect, so be sure to reflect on moments that have shaped your character.

Neglecting the Essay Structure: A well-organized essay that flows logically and linguistically from section to section is essential for clarity and impact. Jumping randomly between topics or cluttering your essay with too much information will confuse readers, and ultimately weaken your essay. Use a clear structure, with each paragraph smoothly transitioning to the next, ensuring your essay is coherent, and in turn, compelling.

Failing to Proofread: Grammar mistakes, typos, and awkward phrasing can distract from the content of your essay and give the impression of carelessness. Take the time to thoroughly proofread your essay, and write multiple drafts. Consider asking a teacher, parent, peer, or other mentor to review it for errors you might have missed.

Not Showing Authenticity: Trying to fit a perceived ideal or exaggerating experiences will come off as insincere. Be authentic in your writing. The NHS values honesty!

In conclusion, when writing your NHS essay, embrace the opportunity to not only detail your accomplishments but to give readers an understanding of what makes you unique. This essay is your stepping stone towards becoming a part of a community that values not just academic excellence, but the development of character and the commitment to making a difference in communities. Through your words, make it clear that you embody 4 central tenets of the NHS, but also document your unique perspective and how you personally will contribute to its mission. If you follow these steps and proofread effectively, you should be well on your way to producing an excellent NHS essay! Good luck!

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Example National Honor Society Essay: Scholarship and Service

Written by The Hello College Team
Last Updated on June 14, 2024

Showcasing Scholarship, Leadership, and Service

If you’re a high school student with a stellar grade point average, a passion for community service, a positive attitude, and aspirations to become a member of the prestigious National Honor Society (NHS), you’re on the right path toward success. One crucial step in your journey is writing a compelling NHS essay that showcases your scholarship, leadership, service, and good character. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the key elements of an exemplary NHS essay and provide an example national honor society essay to help you craft your own outstanding essay.

Understanding the National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a prestigious organization that recognizes and honors high school students who excel academically and demonstrate exceptional leadership skills, community service, and good character . Membership in the NHS is not only a testament to your achievements but also a commitment to continued excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

Components of an Outstanding NHS Essay

Scholarship: Begin your essay by highlighting your academic accomplishments. Mention your high school, school year, and impressive grade point average (GPA). Emphasize how your dedication to academics has shaped your character and instilled a sense of discipline.
Leadership: Describe your leadership skills and experiences. Share instances where you’ve taken initiative, assumed responsibilities, or been a role model to your peers. Leadership is a crucial aspect of NHS membership.
Service: Discuss your community service activities and how they’ve impacted you and your community. Show how your commitment to service aligns with the NHS’s core values of scholarship, leadership, and character.
Character: Showcase your good character by providing examples of your ethical behavior, integrity, and positive attitude. Explain how your character traits have positively influenced your high school and community.

Example National Honor Society Essay

Title: “A Journey of Scholarship, Leadership, and Service”

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Dear members of the National Honor Society,

My name is [your name], and I am a proud [school year] student at [your high school]. With a grade point average of [your GPA], I am deeply committed to academic excellence. Through my dedication to learning, I have achieved high grades and developed valuable study habits and a strong work ethic.

Leadership has always been a defining aspect of my personality. In my sophomore year, I took the initiative to start a tutoring program at our school to help struggling students. As the program coordinator, I organized study sessions, recruited peer tutors, and mentored those in need. This experience allowed me to sharpen my leadership skills and become a role model for my peers.

Community service is another core value I hold dear. Over the past three years, I have actively participated in various service activities, including volunteering at the local food bank, organizing charity fundraisers, and participating in environmental cleanup initiatives. These experiences have taught me the importance of giving back to my community and have strengthened my commitment to service.

My good character is something I take immense pride in. Integrity, honesty, and a positive attitude are essential qualities that not only define who we are but also influence those around us. I strive to be a source of positivity and inspiration for my classmates, aiming to create a harmonious and encouraging atmosphere within our school.

I am deeply honored to be considered for membership in the National Honor Society (NHS). My commitment to scholarship, leadership, service, and character aligns with the core values of this prestigious organization. If granted the opportunity, I am eager to contribute my skills and dedication to further the mission of the NHS and continue to grow as a student and a citizen.

Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Crafting a winning NHS essay requires careful consideration of your accomplishments, values, and aspirations. By focusing on scholarship, leadership, service, and character, you can create a compelling narrative that highlights your suitability for membership in the National Honor Society. Use the example provided above as a template to guide you in writing your own outstanding NHS essay. Best of luck on your journey to becoming a member of this prestigious organization!

For more essay examples, read these posts:

How important are personal statements in college applications?

Talking about Mental Health in Your College Admissions Essay

And remember, if you need any advice or assistance on the college process, we are here to help. HelloCollege offers expert consulting in financial aid and college enrollment to students just like you. Reach out today to learn how we can help make your enrollment and application process easier!

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May 1, 2023

How to Write an Impressive National Honor Society Essay: Examples and Tips

Membership in the National Honor Society is a prestigious achievement that recognizes exceptional academic achievement, leadership, service, and character. But to earn this distinction, students must first write an impressive essay that demonstrates their qualifications and sets them apart from the competition. If you're ready to take on this challenge and earn your place in this esteemed society, you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll provide you with expert tips and real-world examples of successful essays that will help you craft an essay that showcases your unique strengths and accomplishments.

Are you a high school student with a passion for excellence, a track record of leadership , and a burning desire to make a difference in your community? Are you ready to join the ranks of the best and brightest students in your school and beyond? If so, the National Honor Society may be the perfect fit for you. But before you can don that coveted NHS sash, you'll need to write an essay that will knock the socks off the selection committee.

No pressure, right? Well, don't worry, because we've got you covered. In this article, we'll provide you with expert tips and real-world examples of successful National Honor Society essays that will help you craft an essay that's worthy of your many talents.

We'll cover everything from the essential elements of a strong NHS essay to tips for effective writing and editing. And hey, if all else fails, you can always bribe the selection committee with cookies. (Okay, maybe not. But it's worth a shot, right?) So grab a pen, fire up your laptop, and let's get started on your path to NHS greatness!

What is the National Honor Society?

National Honor Society (NHS) is an organization that recognizes and encourages academic achievement while developing the essential qualities of leadership, scholarship , service, and character in high school students.

NHS is an invitation-only organization that recognizes students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, service, and character. Membership in NHS is a significant achievement and serves as recognition for students who have worked hard to excel in their studies and to make a positive impact in their school and community.

In this essay, we will discuss the importance of leadership, scholarship, service, and character, how to apply for the NHS, and tips for writing an impressive NHS Essay.

Leadership is an essential quality that the NHS recognizes in its members. Leadership involves the ability to motivate others, take initiative, and work collaboratively towards a common goal.

Leadership can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, such as leading a team, organizing an event, or advocating for a cause. NHS values leadership because it is essential for achieving success in academics, personal growth, and community involvement.

To demonstrate leadership, NHS requires that applicants have held leadership positions in their school and community. This can include serving as a team captain, organizing a community service project, or leading a school club or organization.

However, it is important to note that leadership is not limited to formal positions of authority. Leaders can emerge in any situation, and the NHS recognizes that leadership can be demonstrated in many different ways.

Scholarship

Scholarship is another important quality that the NHS recognizes in its members. Scholarship involves a commitment to academic excellence, a desire for knowledge, and a willingness to engage in intellectual pursuits. Scholarship is essential for success in higher education and for developing the skills and knowledge needed to make a positive impact in society.

To demonstrate scholarship, NHS requires that applicants have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. However, NHS values scholarship beyond just grades. NHS recognizes that scholarship involves a desire for learning and intellectual curiosity. This can be demonstrated through taking challenging courses, pursuing independent research projects, or participating in academic competitions.

Service is another essential quality that NHS recognizes in its members. Service involves a commitment to giving back to the community and making a positive impact on the lives of others. Service is essential for developing empathy and compassion, and for building strong and supportive communities.

To demonstrate service, NHS requires that applicants have completed a minimum of 40 hours of community service. However, NHS values service beyond just the number of hours completed. NHS recognizes that service involves a commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

This can be demonstrated through volunteering for organizations that align with personal values, initiating community service projects, or engaging in advocacy work.

Character is the final quality that NHS recognizes in its members. Character involves a commitment to ethical behavior, honesty, and integrity. Character is essential for building trust and fostering strong relationships with others.

To demonstrate character, NHS requires that applicants have a positive disciplinary record and a recommendation from a teacher or school administrator. However, NHS values character beyond just avoiding negative behaviors.

NHS recognizes that character involves a commitment to doing the right thing, even when it is difficult. This can be demonstrated through acts of kindness, ethical decision-making, and demonstrating honesty and integrity in all aspects of life.

Application and Membership

To apply for NHS, students must meet the minimum requirements for leadership, scholarship, service, and character. In addition, students must complete an application, submit a personal statement, and provide letters of recommendation.

The application typically includes basic information such as name, address, and GPA. It may also ask for information about leadership positions held, community service activities completed, and academic achievements. The application may also include short essay questions to allow students to showcase their strengths and accomplishments.

NHS Essay Guide

If you are looking to write an NHS essay, here is a guide that can help you craft an impressive and professional essay:

Understanding the NHS pillars

The National Honor Society is based on four pillars: leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Before you begin writing, it is important to understand what each of these pillars means and how you have demonstrated them in your life.

Brainstorm your accomplishments

Once you understand the pillars, make a list of all the activities and accomplishments that you have achieved in each of the pillars. This could include things like holding a leadership position in a club, achieving academic excellence, volunteering in your community, or demonstrating integrity and honesty in your personal life.

Write a rough draft

Once you have your list of accomplishments, begin drafting your essay. Start by introducing yourself and explaining why you are interested in joining the NHS. Then, use specific examples to demonstrate how you have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Be sure to use strong, descriptive language and avoid vague statements.

Edit and revise

Once you have a rough draft, take the time to edit and revise your essay. Read it out loud to catch any awkward phrasing or grammatical errors. Make sure that your essay is well-organized and that each paragraph flows smoothly into the next. Make sure to remove any unnecessary information or repetition.

Be Humble and Bold

Get feedback

Once you have edited and revised your essay, get feedback from others. Ask a teacher, parent, or mentor to read your essay and give you their honest feedback. Use their feedback to make any necessary changes and to strengthen your essay.

Write a strong conclusion

End your essay with a strong conclusion that summarizes your achievements and explains why you would be a good fit for the NHS. Thank the reader for considering your application and expressing your excitement about the opportunity to join the NHS.

By following these steps, you can write an impressive and professional NHS essay that demonstrates your commitment to leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Remember to be specific and use strong language, and get feedback from others to ensure that your essay is the best it can be.

Tips for Writing NHS Essay

The National Honor Society (NHS) is a prestigious organization that recognizes high school students who have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, service, and character.

Being a member of NHS is a significant achievement and can provide many opportunities for personal and professional growth. To become a member of NHS, students must apply and write a personal statement. In this section, we will discuss some tips on how to write an impressive NHS essay.

Step 1: Understand the Purpose of the NHS Essay

The purpose of the NHS essay is to demonstrate to the selection committee that you possess the qualities of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. The essay is an opportunity for you to showcase your achievements, skills, and experiences that align with the NHS values. The essay should also highlight your personal goals and how being a member of NHS can help you achieve them.

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Before writing the essay, take some time to brainstorm ideas. Think about your achievements, experiences, and skills that align with the NHS values. Consider examples of how you have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, service, and character in your school, community, or personal life. This will help you to organize your thoughts and create a clear and concise essay.

Step 3: Structure Your Essay

The NHS essay should have a clear structure that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should provide a brief overview of the essay and grab the reader's attention. The body of the essay should focus on the four NHS values: leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Use examples and anecdotes to demonstrate how you have demonstrated each of these values.

Step 4: Be Specific and Concise

When writing your NHS essay, be specific and concise. Use specific examples and anecdotes to demonstrate your achievements and skills. Avoid using general statements that could apply to anyone. Also, be concise and avoid using unnecessary words or phrases. The essay should be clear and easy to read.

Step 5: Show, Don't Tell

When writing your NHS essay, it is essential to show, not tell. Instead of saying that you have demonstrated leadership, provide an example of a time when you led a team or organized an event. Use descriptive language to paint a picture of the situation and show how you demonstrated leadership.

Step 6: Be Honest and Authentic

When writing your NHS essay, be honest and authentic. Don't exaggerate your achievements or skills, but also don't be too modest. Be genuine and let your personality shine through in the essay. This will help the selection committee get to know you better and see why you would be an excellent fit for NHS membership.

Step 7: Proofread and Edit

Before submitting your NHS essay, make sure to proofread and edit it carefully. Check for grammar and spelling errors, and make sure the essay is well-organized and easy to read. You may also want to have someone else read the essay and provide feedback. This will help you to identify areas that need improvement and ensure that your essay is as impressive as possible.

Writing an impressive NHS essay requires careful planning, organization, and attention to detail. By following these tips, you can create an essay that showcases your achievements, skills, and experiences and demonstrates why you would be an excellent candidate for NHS membership. Remember to be specific, concise, honest, and authentic, and to show, not tell your achievements and skills.

Personal Statement

Here is an example of a personal statement for your NHS: “I am thrilled to submit my statement for consideration as a potential member of the National Honor Society. As a student who is deeply committed to the ideals of leadership, scholarship, service, and character, I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for this prestigious organization.

In addition to my academic and extracurricular pursuits, I believe that my personal qualities make me an ideal candidate for the National Honor Society. I am a natural leader who can inspire others and work collaboratively toward a common goal. I am also highly organized, disciplined, and self-motivated, which allows me to juggle multiple responsibilities and stay on top of my commitments.

Above all else, I believe that my commitment to character is what sets me apart as a candidate for the National Honor Society. I believe that integrity, honesty, and respect are the foundation of all meaningful relationships, and I strive to embody these values in everything that I do.

Whether I am working on a group project with my peers or volunteering in my community, I am always mindful of the impact that my actions have on those around me.

In conclusion, I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for the National Honor Society based on my academic achievements, extracurricular activities, personal qualities, and commitment to service and character. I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to apply for membership in this esteemed organization, and I look forward to contributing to the National Honor Society in a meaningful way.”

NHS Essay Examples

Essay example 1.

As a dedicated student, committed volunteer, and aspiring leader, I have always strived to make a positive impact in my university and community. The National Honor Society has always been an organization that I have admired and respected, and I am excited about the opportunity to join such a prestigious group of individuals.

Throughout my bachelor studies, I have been actively involved in various extracurricular activities and clubs, including serving as the president of the university sports society. In this role, I have organized numerous fundraising events, community service projects, and volunteer opportunities for my peers, inspiring them to take action and make a difference in our community.

I have also served as a mentor and tutor to underclassmen, providing guidance and support to help them achieve their academic and personal goals.

Academic excellence is something that I have always prioritized, and I have worked hard to maintain a good GPA throughout my university career. I have taken on challenging coursework, including honors and Advanced Placement courses, to further develop my intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills.

As a member of the National Honor Society, I hope to continue to challenge myself academically and inspire others to do the same.

I believe that giving back to my community is not only a responsibility but also a privilege. I have volunteered at various local organizations, including the food bank, animal shelter, and community garden, and have helped to raise money for numerous charities.

Additionally, I have been involved in a peer mentoring program that offers guidance and support to students struggling academically or personally.

Integrity, honesty, and respect are values that I hold dear, and I strive to demonstrate these qualities in everything that I do. I have participated in various character-building programs, including the school’s conflict resolution program and the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, which have helped me to develop strong communication and problem-solving skills.

I believe that my commitment to these values will make me a valuable member of the National Honor Society.

As a well-rounded student and active member of my community, I am excited about the opportunity to join the National Honor Society. I am confident that I have demonstrated excellence in leadership, scholarship, service, and character, and I look forward to further developing these qualities as a member of this prestigious organization. Thank you for considering my application.

Essay Example 2:

Dear National Honor Society Selection Committee,

I am honored to apply for membership in the National Honor Society, as I believe that this prestigious organization aligns with my values of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. I am confident that my academic achievements, community service, and leadership experiences demonstrate my commitment to these values and make me a strong candidate for membership.

Throughout my high school career, I have demonstrated leadership skills in various extracurricular activities and organizations. I have served as a captain of my school’s varsity basketball team for two years, where I have not only led my team to multiple championships but also served as a role model for my teammates by demonstrating a strong work ethic, positive attitude, and sportsmanship

Academic excellence is a top priority for me, and I have consistently maintained a high GPA throughout my high school years. I have taken on challenging coursework, including Honors and Advanced Placement classes, to further my intellectual curiosity and challenge myself.

Furthermore, I have actively participated in academic competitions, including the National Science Olympiad, where I have won multiple medals and awards.

I have always been passionate about serving my community and making a positive impact on the lives of others. I have volunteered at various local organizations, including the food bank, homeless shelter, and community garden, where I have helped to feed the hungry, care for the less fortunate, and create a sustainable future.

Furthermore, I have served as a mentor and tutor to younger students, providing guidance and support to help them achieve their academic and personal goals.

Integrity, honesty, and respect are values that I hold dear, and I strive to demonstrate these qualities in everything that I do. I have participated in various character-building programs, including the school’s peer mediation program, where I have learned effective communication and problem-solving skills.

In summary, I believe that my leadership, scholarship, service, and character make me a strong candidate for membership in the National Honor Society. I am excited about the opportunity to further develop these qualities and contribute to the mission of this esteemed organization.

I thank you for considering my application, and I look forward to the opportunity to represent the National Honor Society with honor and distinction

In conclusion, the National Honor Society is an esteemed organization that recognizes high-achieving students who demonstrate excellence in the pillars of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Writing a brilliant NHS essay requires thoughtful reflection on your accomplishments and an ability to effectively communicate how you embody these pillars in your life.

By following the tips and guidelines provided in this article, you can craft an impressive and professional essay that showcases your dedication to these pillars and your potential as a valuable member of the National Honor Society.

If you're ready to take the next step in your academic and personal journey, we encourage you to apply to the National Honor Society. As a member, you will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful service projects, connect with other high-achieving students, and further develop your leadership skills.

Don't let this opportunity pass you by - take the time to write an exceptional NHS essay and join the ranks of some of the most accomplished students in the country.

So what are you waiting for? Start crafting your NHS essay today and take the first step towards achieving your goals. We wish you the best of luck in your application and hope to see you among the distinguished members of the National Honor Society.

With the help of essay writing tools , writing an NHS essay can be made easier and quicker. Jenni.ai's AI-powered writing tools can help you develop a strong thesis statement and produce high-quality articles.

By utilizing these tools, you can save time and energy while still producing top-notch work. By following the steps outlined in this blog and using the features offered by Jenni.ai, you can master the art of writing NHS essays and achieving academic and professional success.

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Best National Honor Society Essay Writing Guide with Example

Updated 12 Jun 2024

Just like being popular and successful among peers, belonging to National Honor Society is one of greatest dreams of many young people across the United States, as well as high school students of U.S. citizenship that reside in outlying territories. One of the most important steps to becoming a part of nationwide confederation of students is composing national honor society essay. Сrucial rule with NHS paper is to be original and avoid plagiarism in any form. In our guide, we have collected NHS essay definitions, tips, things to consider, and an actual example. We are certain that as you read through each part of this NHS tutorial, you will be relieved and great ideas will arrive right away!

Definition, Characteristics & Purpose of the National Honor Society Essay

It is a known fact being a member of National Honor in the United States is prestigious, yet before you start writing, let us define an actual purpose of being a member, as well as learn how to become one!

1. How to apply for NHS membership?

First thing has to be done is checking if your school has NHS chapter. If yes, you should check your handbook or talk directly to chapter adviser.

2. Requirements to become a member.

Next, if you are in grades 10-12, have met requirements as presented by school's chapter, you are eligible for NHS membership. NHS application requirements are based on four organization pillars, which are Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character.
Scholarship part means which at a minimum, student must have cumulative GPA of 85, B, 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Likewise, it can be an equivalent excellence standard. Note that your school chapter may require higher cumulative GPA entrance grade!

Always remember that you can ask our writers " write my scholarship essay " and they will do it for you!

Service part stands for voluntary contributions students make to school, local community, or charity services which they participate in.
Leadership part speaks of people who show excellent skills of being resourceful, empathic, ones that have good knowledge solving conflicts without violence. Leadership qualities are taken from school community activities, group projects, volunteering at summer camps etc.
Character part speaks of high morals, as well as ethical qualities. One should adhere to high standards of honesty, reliability, courtesy, care, respect for others. Clean disciplinary record is a must!

3. Important things as you apply.

If you meet scholarship requirement, you will complete form that details accomplishments, as well as commitment to local services, set of leadership skills plus character traits.
Membership has certain obligations, involves great time commitments.
There will be chapter and yearly meeting schedule with certain responsibilities.
Even a well-written NHS paper cannot guarantee 100% acceptance as your own character, as well as unique achievements.
If you have teacher’s or any other recommendation, include it.
However, strong paper will be good for your particular candidacy, meaning which it should be unique & well-structured.

Read also: Gun Control Essay Writing Guide

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Best Essay Writing Tips

Trust us, even best writing experts struggle with such demanding paper type should be unique, personal, inspiring and engaging for strict selection committee. United States is land that has numerous bright individuals who are worth of acceptance, so what are National Honor Society tips for writing? Addressing our experts, you can order essay which will list your achievements for National Honor membership. Still, let’s take a look at our national honor society essay tips will give you good start as you brainstorm ideas!

Have your goals clearly defined by writing down things that inspire you.
Always remain positive & honest. Sincerity is what makes you sound true.
Avoid plagiarism in any form, but mention personal experiences instead.
Show good morals, use clear, logical language.
Do not plead or ask. Instead of writing about shortcomings, speak about benefits, plans, personal development.
As you address achievements, do not boast, but speak about others too who have helped you achieve your goals. It is your personality’s biography!
Mention your future goals. Be realistic & creative!

First Things First

First of all, as you begin, talk about your reasons for applying to NHS. Remember that core organization value is safeguarding of ethical attitude, promotion of healthy social interaction, empathy, care, as well as volunteering. If it meets your beliefs, mention your vision.
Next, tell of what you know about organization, chapter’s work, things that interest and inspire you most of all. Talk about social initiatives that you know about in your community, school, city or even nationwide.
Continue by telling about your achievements or things that you can contribute asa motivated, skilled, well-behaved person.

Basically, it’s beginning and core part of your NHS essay. Let us review most important task - wrapping things up!

NHS Essay Conclusion Tips

Conclusion part is equally important for your NHS paper as introduction and very first sentence. Therefore,a good national honor society essay conclusion should include:

Lasting impression of high morals, meaning that paper has style & tone.
Persuade selection committee that they are not only reading achievements list, but statement from determined & devoted person.
Genuine call for positive changes in local community, society, as well as readiness to be part of that change.
As you approach conclusion part, check twice to ensure that your paper has no grammar, technical, formatting, spelling errors.
Generally, avoid slang, colloquial language use. Your speech style should be clear & polite.

National Honor Society Essay Example for Students

This is only an example and should not be seen as perfect or flawless. What makes NHS paper good is personal input and clear writing structure. What you will read below is one of many NHS essay examples, sum up all good factors that one of our expert writers came up with!

“Reading for Peace”

I feel deeply honored to apply for National Honor Society membership. As I was chosen a candidate that could truly bring positive changes for society, I worked hard to be worthy of trust that my teachers have placed in me. A determined, caring, sensitive, and motivated person, - I found my passion in reading and sharing knowledge with younger students. I believe that books is a key to a better education in national society. I sincerely believe that as I become a member, I can promote value of books to people of all ages and participate in community work that allows everyone to enjoy wonderful art of reading.

No matter what service and community work I do, I always place my academic achievements first because people always learn by good examples they can follow. I realize that every challenge takes much effort and time, but where goal is set right, there is a way. My dream is to become a role model for people and be the one who brings back the joy of reading books to all who often overlook it and prefer video games instead. Learning to read when I was 5 years old, I know that it has helped me to improve my writing and the language skills. Being in the 6th grade, I participated in the “Spelling Bee” contest and became a winner. As I saw the other students who failed to win, I spoke to them and discussed ways how they try to achieve success. It made me think of ways how every student could become motivated and inspired to learn in a fun and an entertaining way.

Another reason why talking to fellow spelling contest participants was important to me was working on my social skills and helping others to feel better. As a smallest child in classroom , I was often mistaken for someone of a younger age and was often bullied because of that. It made me hide behind the books and do my homework for hours on end. It all lasted until the day when I saw a younger girl being bullied. Standing up for her, I understood that one should not suffer alone. It was the day when I got courageous to talk to other students to organize an anti-bullying campaign. I developed a strategy to fight the bullies along with other classmates. It was the first time that our class actually spoke of things that we preferred to hide. Joining the NHS, I want to participate in the anti-bullying campaigns and use the art of reading and knowledge to help the bullied ones feel worthy.

Being chosen as a candidate to join National Honor Society, I understand that it is already a great honor and a proof that what I do is valued and accepted by the national society I live in. The trust of teachers and the fellow students is what inspires me the most and helps always move forward. I feel confident to walk an extra mile daily to be worthy of such high praise and do my best to stand for the strong moral values, being there for others, joy and the safety of every person out there.

As a Final Word

An only thing that needs to be added is that you can always ask our writers at EduBirdie to help you. This way, an expert can check and proofread it for structure, grammar, logic, clarity, run of ideas, and plagiarism. Remember, it has to be 100% free of plagiarism. Our writing gurus know what and how to check your NHS essay for meeting of all requirements and expected standards! With Masters and PhD degrees of our writers, we do not settle for good, but aim only for the best!

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Written by David Kidwell

David is one of those experienced content creators from the United Kingdom who has a high interest in social issues, culture, and entrepreneurship. He always says that reading, blogging, and staying aware of what happens in the world is what makes a person responsible. He likes to learn and share what he knows by making things inspiring and creative enough even for those students who dislike reading.

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Ace Your National Honor Society Essay with These Tips

Entering the National Honor Society can be a student's dream and requires devotion, good grades and expanding your interests into social activities, sports, and volunteering in your community. The NHS application is a sumptuous procedure and you'll need to compose an appropriate national honor application essay to get accepted. This essay will generally work as a recapitulation of your academic history, your dreams, and aspirations and your future plans. It is a decisive part of the application and needs to be written super carefully, with flair and method.

In fact, most chapters of NHS require an essay as part of your application for membership. The philosophy behind the essay varies; it might be a broad overview description of your academic achievements so far or work as a response to a specific question set and then insert your personal touch. Difficult as it might sound, the essay is, in fact, an opportunity to develop your full personality and convince the committee that yes, you are worthy of their attention. This means that acing it is a big step towards your goal to be accepted at the NHS, and there are tips to help you in the process.

Understand the philosophy behind the essay

Before even starting to write the essay structure, it is important to fully understand the philosophy behind the essay. In general, the NHS concept is based on four pillars: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Define the criteria and prepare your thesis to meet them all. Make sure you make some preparatory notes of all your scholarships and grants, activities that would show the leader in you (i.e. captain of the school football team) and list all volunteering work you have done in the past. Remember to explain why volunteering to the specific cause is important to you and makes you passionate in your side notes-you will need them as you proceed writing the essay.

Then tell your personal story-in writing

Your life story is what makes you unique and the NHS appreciates personal journeys that are built with dedication and passion at a young age. Think of the essay as an introduction of who you actually are, where to do aim to go and then try to communicate it efficiently. Building the essay around a general idea will also help you focus; for example, if your passion is getting to college to acquire a Math Ph.D. then focus your writing on jour personal journey with Math in high school-your Grades, extra work assignments, and awards. If animals are your passion, volunteering in an animal's shelter can show your devotion to later become a vet, so work your way around it.

Introduce yourself in a professional yet unique way

Perfection is a matter of balance-and your essay should be an example of both professionalism and flair in equal doses. Don't reinvent your writing style in the process or try to experiment with writing styles that are not you. Be clever yet professional. If you are generally a funny person, add your touch with a funny intro, if your style is more academic, and then keep it simple and clean. What is important is that the style expresses your personality as much as the content and that both assist your final goal-to be accepted in the NHS.

Talk in detail about your grants and scholarship achievements

The NHS aims to include the best of the best and provide them opportunities for the future so you have to convince them you belong to the elite. Again, make a list of your grades, awards, and scholarships. Then structure a big part of your writing around them-but in detail. Speak about the grants or scholarships you won, the Physics award or about being top your class in the first semester-in this process, the more the better. Excelling in activities outside school is also important but keep that separate-your academic life should be your primary focus here. You can also list prestigious classes you attended or name the teachers you have worked with and helped you obtain your top grades-in this section, the more is the better.

Include your non-academic achievements and activities

The next step in composing your essay is to include all your community or volunteer work, your activities and hobbies. Don't just list them-the idea here is to showcase your character traits and full personality. Again, the NHS is focusing on leadership, service, and character so structure them in order to meet those criteria. Where you the captain of a sports team? Did you do volunteering work at your city's animal shelter? Or participated in the theatre group at your school? Write them all down and then describe your character and qualities through them. Creativity, leadership and a collaborative manner within a team all work in your favor so don't be shy to mention your problem-solving qualities or focus on your best moments.

Acing the essay doesn't require you exaggerating on your achievements—the board members are well seasoned and can see past an essay whose focus is to impress. The key here is to be sincere-present your qualities and then mention your flaws. Make note that yes, you do have flaws but you are working to better yourself constantly. This is the kind of devotion that can make your flaws even work in favor of your application if presented correctly. Mentioning, for example, that you are a perfectionist but you are working to leave space for more creativity in what you do cannot do you harm—on the contrary.

Structure it appropriately

Writing a long essay is an arduous task—what makes a great one stand out and grasp the attention of the reader is structure. Decide what the focus of the essay should be and then structure all your information accordingly. The focus can be your love for a specific class or your future aspiration to be a lawyer and what you do to help you get there. Start from academic achievements, then pass to grants and scholarships, then mention your non-academic activities. Double-check you are following the structure in a way that your essay is clear, easy to be read and that communicates your message. This uniqueness will also make you stand out from the crowd and be remembered.

Introduce your paper in a clever and catchy way

Another great tip is to introduce your paper in a clever and catchy way; pick a life incident that you feel is important and then develop the whole essay around it. A trip with the boy scouts, a school incident or you starring at the school play can work well if you find the right angle, the one that will showcase your devotion and wit. You can also write about your experience working with a particular teacher or on a particular project that you loved. The introduction is where you can both catch the attention of the reader and evolve your full essay after it, so be creative. Again, balance is key, so never lose sight you are actually writing a well-structured NHS essay and not the intro of a novel so stay focused throughout your writing.

Write a killer conclusion

You have written all the boring stuff, elaborated on your academic qualities and presented your community work; now it's time to close the essay with a killer conclusion the board will remember. This, in fact, is the part where you can become more creative and show that you are also good at communicating your message so use whatever you feel best represents you. A school incident where you show your values or leadership qualities can work and so can your aspiration to enter college and get the job of your dreams. More of a creative type? This is the place where you can use a famous person's saying that best represents you and elaborate on it-or a moment in your school life that has defined you.

Proofread it, and then again!

Proofreading is key; you just can't convince your readers you are a straight-A student with spelling mistakes, and even the smallest of them can very well ruin an otherwise perfect essay so be focused and double-check everything. Then have a member of your family, your teacher, or a professional editor to check it again for mistakes you can spot by using automatic spell correctors. A crown is different from a crowd but it's hard for the spell checker to spot what you are trying to say, so be extra careful. Make sure the essay flows effortlessly and that you don't exaggerate on promoting yourself—this can be alienating and not work on your favor. Be perfect but be yourself along the way.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, national honor society essay prompt ideas.

Hey everyone, I'm starting my National Honor Society essay and am a bit stuck on the prompt. Can anyone suggest some ideas or share their experiences? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hey! I totally understand how it can be tough to come up with ideas for National Honor Society essays. The key is to focus on the four main pillars of NHS: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. With these pillars in mind, you can brainstorm experiences that showcase your strengths in these areas. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Scholarship: Discuss a time when you overcame a particularly challenging academic situation or when you were recognized for academic excellence. You can also talk about how you have inspired your peers when it comes to academics. Remember to emphasize any unique study techniques or learning strategies that have helped you excel.

2. Leadership: Write about your experiences as a leader, such as being a team captain, club president, or influential mentor to your peers. Show your growth as a leader, the challenges you faced, and how it helped shape you as a person. Share stories of how your leadership made a positive impact on others.

3. Service: Reflect on your significant involvement in community service or volunteering. You can share specific instances where you made a lasting difference or how your service experiences influence your personal values. You might also want to discuss why giving back and helping others is important to you.

4. Character: Discuss a moment when you demonstrated integrity, respect, or other qualities that make you a good citizen. This could be a situation where you stood up for what you believed in, showed empathy for others, or displayed humility when faced with adversity.

A great approach would be to choose one or two aspects of these pillars and create a narrative around them, weaving in specific anecdotes and reflections to showcase who you are as an individual. As you write, be genuine and focus on what makes your experiences unique. Good luck with your essay!

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Essay Samples on National Honor Society

Science national honor society: celebrating excellence in scientific pursuits.

Science National Honor Society is more than just an academic organization; it's a community that recognizes and honors students who have demonstrated exceptional achievements and passion in the field of science. As a prestigious institution within schools across the nation, the Science National Honor Society...

National Honor Society

The 4 Pillars of NHS: Building Stronger Individuals and Communities

The Foundational Pillars of NHS represent the bedrock upon which the National Honor Society is built. These pillars encompass the fundamental principles that guide NHS members in their pursuit of personal growth, community engagement, and ethical conduct. In this essay, we delve into the significance...

High School National Honor Society: A Pathway to Excellence and Service

High School National Honor Society is more than just an organization; it's a platform that recognizes and celebrates exceptional students who embody the ideals of scholarship, leadership, character, and service. As a prestigious institution within high schools across the nation, the National Honor Society (NHS)...

High School

The Four Pillars of NHS

The four pillars of NHS serve as the cornerstone of the National Honor Society's identity and values. Founded on the principles of scholarship, leadership, service, and character, the four pillars embody the essence of what it means to be an exemplary student and a responsible...

NHS Scholarship: Investing in Excellence and Future Leaders

NHS scholarship is not just a financial award; it's a testament to the commitment of the National Honor Society (NHS) to nurturing academic excellence, leadership, and service among exceptional students. The NHS scholarship pillar reflects the organization's dedication to recognizing and supporting individuals who have...

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The Four Pillars of National Honor Society: Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Servic

4 pillars of National Honor Society—Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Service—form the foundation of an organization that recognizes and celebrates students who exemplify these essential qualities. Established to honor high-achieving students who demonstrate outstanding attributes in academics, leadership, and community service, the National Honor Society (NHS)...

National Honor Society: Scholarship Application

I feel honored to have been chosen to apply for the National Honor Society scholarship. In this essay I will discuss how, as a chosen candidate, I believe I could really demonstrate the type of person I am to my peers and community and I...

Scholarship

Being In National Honor Society: What Makes Me A Good Candidate

When my parents placed a for sale sign in what used to be our front yard, I lost the sense of feeling at home. Our dining table was no longer used for sharing a warm, hot meal on ceramic, detailed plates. Instead, it was used...

Personal Goals
Personal Growth and Development

Reasons Why Should I Be In National Honor Society

Sometimes humans do things that make a distinction in the world and if you look carefully, you can locate them and learn from them. It is easy to say what leadership, personality, and service are, but it's another component to witness it and try to...

Being Chosen For National Honor Society

I want to start by saying thank you for selecting me to be a candidate for the National Honor Society. I believe that I portray the qualities of responsibility, trust, determinization, kindness, and a good work ethic. I feel as if I will be able...

National Honor Society As A Prestigious Organization

Being in a prestigious organization like The National Honor Society exhibits that you are among the best students in your class, not just academically but concerning leadership, service, and character. It challenges students to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service...

Analysis of the People and Talent Management Strategies of NHS

People management is an important aspect of contemporary modern day organizations. Effective people management can lead to the success of organizations. On the contrary, ineffective people management can lead to various challenges within an organization. With the diversity and changes in modern-day workplaces, leaders are...

Leadership and Management
Leadership Development

How I Can Constribute to National Honor Society

Being given a chance by my teachers and other leaders to be a candidate for membership in the National Honor Society is a great honor for me. From what I know, National Honor Society is a nationally recognized student leadership and service organization. It’s built...

Why I Am a Strong Candidate for National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is an organization that prides itself on its members being outstanding and well-rounded students, encouraging them to have leadership, good character, and help their community in as many ways possible. Joining NHS would allow me to develop such skills and grow...

What Does Being Inducted into National Honor Society Mean to Me

From the time I was inducted into National Junior Honor Society in seventh grade, I had always dreamed of the day when I would walk across the stage to become a part of National Honor Society. I have been continuously determined to do my very...

The Four Tenets of National Honor Society I Exemplify in My Everyday Life

Induction into the National Honor Society validates academic goals that I have worked extremely hard towards thus far. Membership would not only help maintain my academic performance, but assist me in accomplishing further goals of my school career. Getting accepted into NHS has been a...

Best topics on National Honor Society

1. Science National Honor Society: Celebrating Excellence in Scientific Pursuits

2. The 4 Pillars of NHS: Building Stronger Individuals and Communities

3. High School National Honor Society: A Pathway to Excellence and Service

4. The Four Pillars of NHS

5. NHS Scholarship: Investing in Excellence and Future Leaders

6. The Four Pillars of National Honor Society: Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Servic

7. National Honor Society: Scholarship Application

8. Being In National Honor Society: What Makes Me A Good Candidate

9. Reasons Why Should I Be In National Honor Society

10. Being Chosen For National Honor Society

11. National Honor Society As A Prestigious Organization

12. Analysis of the People and Talent Management Strategies of NHS

13. How I Can Constribute to National Honor Society

14. Why I Am a Strong Candidate for National Honor Society

15. What Does Being Inducted into National Honor Society Mean to Me

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How to Write a National Honor Society Essay?

Written by Nicolas Evans.

Writing a National Honor Society essay is important for high school juniors to achieve their goal. It’s also an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Here, you can observe the significant elements required for an exceptional National Honor Society essay.

The Essence of the National Honor Society

As a pioneer in initiated programs, the National Honor Society, established in 1921, is committed to transforming exemplary students into faithful stewards of lifelong values. This legacy’s cornerstone was laid on service, leadership, academic excellence, and character. The NHS has chapters across the States and even internationally, but the NHS does not just recognize achievement; it develops dedication for good.

Belonging to the NHS goes beyond success in education – it is a commitment to improving society. It is a platform through which students in the school use their abilities to become high achievers and active participants in serving others, leading, and being good citizens. NHS nurtures personal growth in an environment that values service and leadership as it encourages students to work together with a shared mission of making a difference and influencing their communities.

Key Components of a Successful NHS Essay

Crafting a great example National Honor Society essay necessitates aligning your narrative with the core NHS pillars: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Here’s an extensive breakdown of crucial components that can make your essays for National Honor Society successful:

Scholarship emphasis

Highlight academic achievements. Display your academic excellence – proof of excellent essay writing skills, a clear thought flow, and a developed vocabulary.

Service and engagement

Narrate service experiences. Tell about the most memorable time you initiated a charity project, such as helping out at the local shelter, organizing community gatherings, or taking part in anything environmental.

Leadership portrayal

Narrate leadership roles. Talk about when you led a club, sports team, or community organization.

Character illustration

Share personal values. Provide in your National Honor Society essay examples that resonate with who you are and show how your actions align with your values.

Consistent theme integration

Weave a cohesive narrative. Pull these parts together neatly in your essay. Ensure that your work’s writing encompasses a general theme emphasizing the NHS pillars.

Connect the dots. Demonstrate how scholarship, service, leadership, and character are associated with the actions of your life as a whole that have made you dedicate yourself to these values.

Integrating the four pillars of NHS in your essay: Examples

The National Honor Society (NHS), standing firm for over a century, holds steadfast to four pillars that form the core of its values: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. Let’s explore each pillar with specific National Honors Society essay examples that reflect the essence of the NHS:

Scholarship

Example: Undertaking sophisticated courses, for instance, AP or IB, to achieve scholarly excellence, participating in class discussions, and making inquiries on additional learning outside the syllabus.

Example: Volunteering in local shelters, fundraising events for charitable entities, or driving initiatives to meet community needs like food drives or tutorship programs.

Example: Leadership of a student club or organization, volunteer collaboration, coaching younger learners, and any school activities.

Example: Acting with integrity in difficult and complex situations, practicing empathy and compassion, and acting with the highest of moral motivations.

Showcasing Leadership and Service in Your Essay

Your NHS essay allows you to showcase your leadership and service commitments, giving a sense of proactive engagement and impact in the community. Here’s an extensive guide with particular points in the example essay for National Honor Society that can illustrate your leadership roles and service commitments effectively:

Leadership illustration:

Leadership roles. Detail any leadership positions you have ever held. These may include serving as the president of a club, team captain, or even organizing community events.

Example: Organized a school-wide charity drive leading the student council initiative where peers contributed.

Team collaboration. Highlight situations where you worked as a team and displayed leadership skills.

Example: Coordinate a team effort to rehabilitate an urban park, showing your skills in decentralized coordination and teamwork.

Service commitments:

Volunteer experience. Discuss your personal experience with volunteering and community service in which you participated actively.

Example: Working as a volunteer in a shelter for the homeless on a monthly basis to demonstrate your concern for the needy and remembering humanitarian issues.

Impact and results. Provide evidence of tangible results to your service involvement positively affecting the community.

Example: Establishing a charity fundraising event that earned significant money for a children’s hospital in the area shows you can make an impact.

Reflection and transformation:

Personal growth. Recollect how these high school experiences affected your leadership capabilities and commitment to service. Talk about what you have learned and how you’ve grown.

Example: Understanding your communication skills improved from leading a volunteer team and reinforced your passion for community service.

Values and character. Highlight these high school experiences that are inherently in line with your values and character, explaining how you view things and what guides your career paths.

Example: Recognizing that your service to the community has blessed you and strengthened your connection to empathy and responsibility.

The Role of Personal Experiences and Achievements

Authenticity is a crucial attribute of personal experiences used in NHS essays. Share essential moments without unveiling any sensitive or confidential information. These will give your story emotional depth and life to sensations and thoughts.

Emotional engagement

Bring emotions that dictate your experiences into your essay. Identify specific occasions that elicited strong feelings, ideas, or opinions.

Reflecting on growth and challenges

Write about personal experience growth while talking about the most challenging issues that have ever happened to you. Highlight moments where you demonstrated service and leadership. Through this, your character development and commitment to NHS values are emphasized.

Illustrating dedication to NHS values

Weave your personal high school experiences into the essay to portray the dedication you have towards embracing NHS values without wavering. Make sure that your narrative is personal but respectful and in keeping with the purpose of the National Honor Society.

Balancing personal narratives with formal tone

Finding the balance between a personal narrative and a formal tone in your NHS essay is essential. If you are able to strike this balance, then your narrative will meet the expectations of the NHS application. Write a formal story that is well-polished to reflect your humility and yet confident in your achievements.

Formal tone expectations

Keep the whole essay moderate. Language and expression should remain professional. When presenting your high school experiences and achievements, use proper grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.

Humility and confidence

Bring in a sense of humbleness and confidence when stating your achievements. Don’t exaggerate, but emphasize the importance of achievements. For example, instead of just listing achievements, focus more on what they taught you or their contribution.

Polished essay writing style

Make sure that your writing style demonstrates your adherence to the NHS pillars. Express your thoughts with the sparkle of eloquence and clarity. Write sentences and paragraphs that are concise, organized, and easy to read.

“For instance, you may clarify the responsibilities assumed if narrating a leadership role. Do not brag about it, but instead, talk about how the leadership role helped you serve others well or contribute positively to a specific project or community initiative.” Jamie Clark, a professional writer at the Computer Science Department

Highlighting unique experiences and contributions

In essence, focusing on eventful moments and drafting content that shows your dedication to service, leadership, or character will be involved in selecting such defining experiences for your National Honor Society essays. Instead of naming many processes, give several instances that will make your narrative more meaningful and profound.

Selecting significant experiences

Choose experiences that showcase your dedication to NHS pillars. Point out specific times you have had to make notable differences or exhibit qualities connected to service, leadership, and character.

Creating a coherent narrative

Craft a narrative from these chosen experiences. Connect the anecdotes together, making the story much smoother. Connect these experiences to form one message – your endless desire to uphold National Honor Society values.

Emphasizing impact and alignment

Emphasize the significance of what these findings imply to you. Show that the experiences herein relate to the fundamental NHS values of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Think about the impact of these occurrences on your understanding and utilization of such values.

Illustrating dedication and growth

Talk about your devotion, the work, hours, and love you put into those experiences. How have these experiences contributed to your personal growth and demonstrated your commitment to the National Honor Society?

Captivating the reader

Tweak your story, catching the reader’s strength. Tell them detailed stories of your own experiences and show why they matter – make a story for them to remember.

Finalizing Your NHS Essay: Tips and Tricks

So, completing your NHS essay is about buffing it and making some adjustments to demonstrate what a bright person with high potential you are. Some tips and tricks:

Revision. Review and revise your draft for conventions. Another element entails enhancing language and logical construction.

Enhance themes. Identify common themes consistent with National Honor Society values. Ensure every paragraph encapsulates a complete narrative, revealing your dedication to scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Multiple drafts. Use multiple drafts; do not accept the initial draft. Making improvements through drafting ensures the story is clear, threaded, and impactful.

Clarity is key. Ensure that your essay sends the right message home. What your achievements and experiences are should be clear.

However, remember to avoid such typical mistakes:

Listing activities. Concentrate instead on a small number of major events.

Lack of depth. Avoid shallow phrase explanations; explain the importance of your practical knowledge.

Overly formal tone. Strike the right note between dignified and informal.

Ignoring NHS values. make sure your essay corresponds to the NHS pillars.

Grammatical errors. Proofread thoroughly to maintain professionalism.”

The importance of revision and feedback

Realize that a brilliant NHS essay only develops through numerous rewrites and revisions. Consult mentors or teachers. These views can assist your essay in standing out among contenders. Use feedback to help improve your essay and display your dedication to representing the National Honor Society pillars.

1. What are the key elements to include in a National Honor Society essay?

The key elements to incorporate in your National Honors Society essay revolve around the four pillars of the National Honor Society: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. Let your essay adequately indicate that you are an aspirant with a passion for exemplary academic performance, active engagement in social service, strong leadership positions, and moral values. Institutionalize the NHS values by weaving personal experiences that reflect these pillars to create a coherent story.

2. How can I effectively showcase my leadership and service experiences in my NHS essay?

Highlight at most a few remarkable occurrences instead of mentioning many activities to truly demonstrate the leadership and service experiences. Note particular instances when you assumed leadership positions or engaged in community service. Indicate how your involvement impacted others and explain how your talent for service and leadership developed. Compile these experiences into a meaningful story that shows your commitment to the principles of the National Honor Society.

3. What strategies can I use to make my NHS essay stand out?

To make your NHS essay stand out, consider these strategies:

Personalize your story, and remember to infuse emotions and reflections in the narrative for it to be individual.

Highlight unique experiences and concentrate on solid experiences that prove your dedication to the NHS pillars.

Maintaining a formal tone ensures professionalism in balancing your personal narrative with the necessary formalities.

Revise and seek feedback; revise your essay in its final version, seeking input on refining and improving its impact.

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Nicholas works in the ESL Department of CustomWritings.com. He’s much adored by students in a private middle school, where he teaches English literature. Amateur actor and great guitar player, Nicholas knows how to enjoy the arts.

(NHS) National Honor Society Essay: Example and Tips

The National Honor Society (NHS) is a probably the biggest nationwide organization for high school students in the United States of America and outlying territories. The structure of organization is very spread, it consists of many chapters in high schools around the country. Participation in the national honor society is prestigious and promising. Only the most worthy students are accepted into the ranks of the organization.

Selection of the candidates is based on four basic criteria:

scholarship (academic achievement),
leadership,

The organization requires some sort of service to the society, community, school, or other organizations. The candidate must show that he or she is not only an excellent student, but also a useful and helpful member of society.

Student groups of National Honor Society are commonly active in the activities of community service. They provide help to schools and community. Many chapters of NHS maintain a requirement for their participants to take part in such service activities. In order to apply to become a member of NHS, a student should be an essay writer and must write a national honor society essay, describing why he or she deserves to be a part of this organization.

The purpose of national honor society essay

Before you proceed to the following section with a national honor society essay example, we want to warn you that the given text should not be used verbatim, but rather like an inspiration to get an idea of your own presentation. The main purpose of a nhs essay sample is to show students how to present a candidate and prove the committee that he or she is worth joining this respected organization. Thus, when writing a national honor society application essay, the high school student should address the selection criteria listed in the previous section. If possible, the candidate should address all four of them. It will win positive attitude of the committee and give you a chance to present your personality in the fullest way possible.

As any properly composed essay, national honor society application essay must be well structured, informative, written clearly and sincerely. Even though, the given below national honor society essay template seems to suit you, do not neglect the rule of writing an essay yourself. It is crucial that the application essay is personal and unique. Presence of plagiarism in the text of your essay will ruin your reputation and dreams of becoming a member of NHS. A well-written essay does not guarantee that you will be accepted into an organization, much depends on whether you meet the selection criteria. However, such an essay surely will draw attention to your candidacy and will allocate you from the crowd of other applicants.

The national honor society essay example

It’s a great honor for me to apply for membership in the National Honor Society. My teachers and other leaders have seen potential in me and chosen me to be a candidate for such a prestigious organization. Their trust demonstrates that I have proved my determination, eagerness and willingness to help other people and serve the community. I truly believe that I would become a valuable member of the national honor organization because I possess all the required qualities, such as scholarship, character, leadership, and service abilities. I am a hard working and reliable person.

My academic achievements are the best illustration of my hard work and dedication to studies. Building the future I want takes much effort, but when I see a goal, I find a way. I believe that my membership in NHS is a one more towards my goal to achieve success. I want to become a leader and a decent role-model for other people. Every day I make one step towards making my dreams come true. My GPA of 3.92 and 3.93 in the 9th and 10th grades prove my words. Throughout the years of studying, I have participated in academic competitions (you can see their list in my resume). Taking part in spelling contests, I achieved some good results. In the 7 th grade, I was the third and became a winner in the 8 th grade. I like the taste of victory and I am ready to work hard for it. Another my interest is programming. I take additional courses to improve my skills. I am not a genius Sheldon Cooper of our time, but I do maximum to develop my natural abilities.

When I was a student of the second grade, I started wearing glasses. As it happens pretty often, unfortunately, I was bullied. I did not know what to do. I was weak, lonely and scared. I did not tell my parents, had no will to go to school, study and sometimes even live. It continued for almost a year. At some point, I got tired of being a victim and stood up against the bully. I am proud of that boy I became that moment. Becoming older, I started trying kids understand all the horror of bullying. Every year I organize anti-bullying day. With the permission and assistance of the leaders, teachers and other active students of our school, we inform students about bullying and teach them to fight it. I believe that our effort is not worthless. In future, I want to do more to victims from bullying, violence and crimes.

Three evenings a week I spend in the swimming pool training. I have been practicing jumping into the water since I was seven years old. I don’t see my future connected with professional sport. I don’t dream of becoming an Olympic champion. But I believe that physical training strengthens not only body but character, too. Every time when you have to overcome pain, fatigue, and laziness, you become a stronger person. All the medals and diplomas I have make me believe that when I want something, I achieve it.

Becoming a chosen candidate for national honor society, I see that my school is the place where my leadership qualities are valued. I am proud to be its representative whenever I get such an opportunity. My personal traits of character help me to gain trust and respect of my peers and teachers. I will do everything possible to prove they are right.

NJHS Essay Examples and Guidelines

Do you desire to be a member of the National Honor Society ? Without a doubt, this is the desire of many American high school students. One of the most significant aspects of the application process is the National Junior Honor Society, NJHS essay. That is the reason for this article on NJHS essay examples.

The NJHS essay allows students to show their knowledge, originality, and writing abilities. The NJHS application requires students to write an essay on a subject that the organization has chosen.

The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) awards children who succeed in their studies. This article will provide some National Junior Honor Society essay samples that will give you a template and help you write your own.

The main objective of providing you with an NJHS essay sample is to prove that you are an ideal candidate and qualified to join this elite club.

National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)

The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is an American club that celebrates students who succeed in the areas of character, devotion, responsibility, and academics.

Candidates are chosen in the spring of their 2nd or 3rd year and must have at least a 3.7 GPA or 4.3 QPA to be considered. Students must also satisfy all NJHS eligibility criteria.

As a result, the candidate should fulfil the membership qualifications, which include personality traits or educational accomplishments like grade point average, devotion, experiences, or strategic vision.

The essay must be excellently written in a coherent manner, as seen in the sample below. A narrative that highlights the applicant’s leadership attributes and personality will be a great compliment.

This NJHS essay sample can assist applicants in determining what information is necessary for a good essay. Also, it can help to create a distinctive and original writeup.

Tips for a Successful NJHS Essay ( NJHS Essay Examples )

The following are some ideas that will help you write your NJHS essay:

1. Outline your essay

Begin by jotting down the key points of your essay. Highlight the achievements that will prove that you match the NJHS requirements.

Then, before you begin your initial draft, map out the framework of your essay. Ensure the structure of your essay is organised and logical. This will make it easier for you to write a balanced essay that covers each of your important topics thoroughly.

Read: 6th Grade Essay Topics – Best 100 Essay Ideas for Sixth-Graders

2. Focus on Your Academic Achievements

First, talk about your academic achievements. Only students who have excelled academically are eligible to join the NJHS. List your GPA, test scores, and any academic honours you’ve received, including the Honor Roll.

List any distinctions, university preparation, or special education courses you’ve taken or are currently enrolled in. It’s important to show that you’ve not only excelled cognitively but also that you’ve pushed yourself academically.

3. Talk about your leadership abilities

Then, emphasize your experience as a leader. Include details about your experience as a classroom captain or in other leadership roles in any extracurricular activities. Also, if applicable, talk about your sports leadership. If you’ve ever been the captain of the team, mention it.

Specify whether you have been elected or appointed. NJHS seeks young people who are interested in extracurricular activities and who stand out as leaders among their peers and adults.

4. Demonstrate how you’ve helped others.

NJHS seeks pupils who have added value to their communities without getting paid, so this is a great opportunity to emphasize your voluntary experience.

List all service groups with which you have been associated, as well as your volunteer work activities, such as church-related service initiatives.

5. Emphasise Your Great Personality

NJHS seeks students who are helpful, truthful, dependable, friendly, caring about others, and compassionate.

Consider the various ways in which you have demonstrated these attributes. A personal account that reflects your outstanding ethics and personal integrity will be ideal, but you should make sure your stories aren’t overly long.

6. Proofread Your Essay

Review your essay before making your submission, and ensure it is your finest work, that you have clearly described yourself, and that it is flawless or mistake-free. Before submitting your application, have an educator or adult proofread your essay for vocabulary, mechanical accuracy, punctuation, and relevance.

NJHS Essay Examples

Being chosen by my teachers and other leaders to be a candidate for membership in the National Honor Society is a great honor for me. This means that I have achieved my goal of demonstrating my determination and willingness to help people and serve the community. I believe that I can become a valuable member of the NHS because I am hardworking, reliable and I possess all the qualities required by this prestigious organization, such as scholarship, leadership, character, and service abilities. My academic achievements are the result of my hard work and assurance that my membership in the NHS is another step that will enable me to achieve success and cherish the chances of becoming a leader and thus a worthy role-model for other people. By having a GPA of 3.91 and 3.92 in the 9th and 10th grades, respectively, I have proven to my teachers and myself that I can make my dreams come true. One of these dreams is to have the honor of being a part of NHS society. Also, while in high school, I have been taking all honors courses, and as an elementary student, I have participated in many academic competitions such as the Academic Challenge in 6th and 7th grade, where my team and I scored the second and first places, respectively. Apart from studying with dedication and participating in competitions, I also play an active role in the school. Since childhood, I had a chance to develop my leadership and organizational skills through sports and had my school team win many competitions. My school is one of the places where my leadership qualities are valued as I often become the head of many activities, such as staging plays, organizing shows, and school trips with my teachers. Being a leader allows me to work in a team and consider my peers’ ideas to make our plans creative and enjoyable for everyone. My traits help me to gain the trust and respect of my peers as they believe me to be a positive, open-minded, and reliable person. I have learned to solve problems and conflicts thanks to this great experience of leadership, and I am always ready to assist my peers when it is needed.

The National Honor Society is an exceptional organization that allows students to help the needy, children, the elderly, and nonprofit organizations. I would be excited to join such a society because of the limitless opportunities it would present to me. Joining NHS would allow me to grow as a person and do as much as I can for others. In my years as a student, I have shown great examples of scholarship, leadership, character and service that I believe would qualify me to join this prestigious society. As Wikipedia defines it, the word “scholarship” means “academic study or achievement; learning at a high level”. I consider myself a great scholar because I strive for excellence. I always aim to be the best in everything I do. As for effort, I make sure to fill my schedule with the most rigorous classes I can handle. I have taken all honors classes since the beginning of high school, and I aim to continue taking honors and AP classes in the future to reach my true potential as a student. I have also been on the honor roll since freshman year at my local high school, which demonstrates my eagerness to perform at the highest level I can. I believe that all students should try their best in everything they do, as I have demonstrated. As a scholar, I believe I am qualified to join this society. In addition to being a scholar, I can definitely be considered a leader. Recently, I was invited to participate in the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. This invitation indicates that I place emphasis on standing out from the crowd and demonstrating my unique qualities. For example, I cofounded an Indian dance club at my high school. This club is important because it is the first dance club at my school. It allows members of all ethnicities and races to enjoy and learn Indian dance, thereby promoting cultural diversity. In addition to school-related activities, I also bring my passions to the outside community. One example of this is my role as a youth leader at the temple that I regularly attend. This position allows me to explore my interest in Hindu mythology with other members. I am able to translate this attraction into classical dance, skits, lectures, and musical instruments that help young members embrace their cultural identity. I consider myself to have a great character to join NHS. I embrace all ethnicities and celebrate the differences within everyone that ironically bring us closer. I have a positive attitude that comes in handy when communicating with others. I definitely believe in the idea that each person shapes his or her own destiny. This means that I recognize the importance of always doing my best so that I may shape my life into what I want it to be. Finally, I have helped my community by volunteering in the medical field. I spent the last summer working at a home for the elderly, where I was able to listen to life stories, participate in activities — be more specific, and learn about working in the healthcare field. Volunteering is a valuable experience that has helped me become a better person. I look forward to continuing my volunteer work in the medical field in the future. Because of my abilities and experiences as a student, I believe I can be considered a strong candidate for the NHS. I have demonstrated the scholarship, leadership, character, and service qualities necessary to join the society. I hope to be considered for placement in this prestigious organization. Original Source: College Confidential

Common Mistakes in NJHS Essay Writing

The following are the most typical mistakes students make when writing NJHS essays:

1. Confusion between the introduction and the conclusion:

An engaging introduction establishes your tone and the tone for the rest of your article. The main body of your work is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your imagination and persuade the reader of your position. The conclusion should summarise the main points stated in the main body. Despite the fact that it may appear straightforward, many students make mistakes when summarising this section.

2. The issue of plagiarism:

In the academic community, plagiarism is taken quite seriously. It’s unethical to use someone else’s ideas without referencing them. Institutions have mechanisms in place to detect plagiarism and punish those who do it. After being caught, the possibility of a second chance lowers.

3. Not Enough Proofreading:

You must go through your work after writing it. Work is never fully completed, even after writing. Get some rest and then return to it. You should begin making changes to the areas that require them right now. When you’re satisfied with the overall organisation and accuracy of the arguments, it’s time to move on to the proofreading stage. After that, the paper can be sent in for evaluation.

4. Inadequate foundation:

Structure your essay using a combination of macro- and micro-organization. Maintain the organisational principles that will help your essay be strong and interesting. Make certain that your essay covers everything. Priority should be given to originality.

5. Unnecessary Information:

Avoid including irrelevant information in your writing. It is essential to include only information that is relevant to your essay and adds value to it. Write concise phrases that make efficient use of vocabulary and syntax so that an examiner can grasp what you’re trying to express.

6. Lack of Confidence:

When writing an NJHS essay, you must demonstrate confidence in what you have written by demonstrating enthusiasm and conviction in each argument covered.

NJHS Essay Mistakes to Avoid

Here are four ways to avoid making these NJHS essay mistakes:

A lack of grammatical competency is obvious when there are too many typos in an essay.

Submitting an essay with such an error shows a lack of concern on your part.

You can avoid this by thoroughly editing your work.

Examine the text for poor grammar, misspelt words, and typos. Do not rely solely on spellcheckers.

2. Disjointed Transitions

Because they include many ideas, paragraphs must be appropriately formatted. Separate them as if they were in a separate essay. With the help of paragraph transitions, this is simple. Also, make certain that the essay flows properly and makes sense.

3. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a sort of cheating that could cost you a great opportunity to enhance your career. The methods for avoiding them are simple. If you took someone else’s idea, you should reference it. Correct citation is required. Make sure you learn how to rewrite and own the idea.

4. Poor Readability

Remember that getting your message across is more vital than sounding intellectually clever in your essay. You can prevent these issues by using fewer filler words and phrases.

Maintain your attention on the main point of the essay. Furthermore, ensure that the information you want to express is communicated in clear, simple terms.

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So, what exactly is a NJHS (National Junior Honor Society Essay)? NJHS recognizes students that perform exemplary well in academics, have impressive leadership qualities, and are highly committed to service to community service. One of the main ways of assessing students’ eligibility to get into NJHS is through the NJHS essay.

For most students, writing the National Junior Honor Society Essay is one of the most complicated assignments. In this post, we are going to give you some useful tips for writing winning NJHS essays.

A Closer Look at NJHS Essay

Once you have made up the mind to join the National Junior Honor Society, the biggest hurdle on your path is the application essay. This is a general application letter where you can include personal experiences, and demonstrate why you are an exemplary leader, team, and community member.

As a student, joining NJHS will be a great lever for your career. In the future, an accreditation from NJHS will be a boost to your resume profile. Before you can start writing, it is important to read various National Junior Honor Society essay samples to get the hang of what is needed. Here are the four main National Junior Honor Society essay requirements that you need to meet.

Have a clearly defined goal. This means that your paper should be a sincere write-up that allows the evaluation committee to understand you more.
Explain your life hope. This means having a plan to continue developing your own key abilities.
Share your genuine love for the National Junior Honor Society as opposed to copying what others have written about it.
Be positive about the essay. Even if you have to narrate negative experiences, do it positively.

The Best NJHS Essay Format

One notable thing about NJHS essays is that there is no specific format required when writing the paper. But you should not be tempted to start writing the essay without a clear format. The best method to craft a winning paper is by drawing a clear plan that makes it easy to demonstrate and support your points. Here is one of the best formats:

Title Or Heading

The title is one of the most important components of any application essay. By simply reading the headline, the reader can easily decide on whether to put the essay away or continue reading. Therefore, look for a headline that is catchy.

Introduction

The National Junior Honor Society essay introduction is another crucial part of your essay. You should use the introduction to grab the attention of the reader. Start the essay in an interesting way that makes the selection committee members want to read more. For example, consider using a great quote, anecdote, or amazing statistics.

In the body of your essay, this is where you will discuss the main points about personal academic achievements, character, and leadership qualities. You also need to show how you have been of service to the community. Make sure to be as detailed and precise as possible when writing the paragraphs that make up the body of the essay.

Unlike in other types of essays that require you to simply summarize the main content in conclusion, how to end an NJHS essay is different. You should use the conclusion not just to close the essay, but as an additional opportunity to impress readers. Before the closing sentence, make sure to provide more data such as the prestigious courses that you have participated in.

Tips For Crafting a Wonderful NJHS Essay

If you want your NJHS essay to get accepted, no effort should be spared to make it sparkle. Here are some great tips on how to make the essay stand out:

Be as concise as possible. While the focus of the essay is to demonstrate your abilities and character, it is advisable to be concise. Consider reading other top National Junior Honor society essay examples to see how other successful applicants did it.
Focus on delivering the message without exaggerating creativity. Because there is no specific rule on how you should write the NJHS essay, some students are tempted to get overly creative. Although this is a way of showing how skilled you are, it is likely to overshadow how effectively you highlight leadership, and community skills.
Read other top application examples to learn how those who were successful did it. By looking at other NJHS essay examples, it is easy to understand the mind of the evaluation committee members so that you write what they want.
Make sure to edit the essay carefully. Even if you craft a great essay, but it has grammar mistakes, the evaluation committee will not take you seriously. Therefore, make sure to edit the essay before submitting it.
Practice as much as possible. One thing you need to appreciate about application essays is that they require special writing skills. Therefore, it is important to start working on these skills as early as possible. This means that by the time you set off working on the essay, it will be easy and fast.

Perfect Your Essay by Using Writing Help

One thing we need to highlight at this point is that writing a National Junior Honor Society essay is a tough call even for seasoned writers. The mere fact that the essay could have a bearing on your career is bound to cause some anxiety. Indeed, even with a good sample National Junior Honor society essay, you do not have to try working on it and only craft a standard write-up. The best option is using expert writing help.

Expert writing help for college students is offered by pros who understand what the NJHS evaluation committee wants. They have helped other students to write top essays and got them accepted. Therefore, there is no need to get stressed trying to craft the essay on your own; let the experts write the paper for you !

Find it hard to cope with your college paper? Great news! Use promo “ mypaper20 ” and enjoy 20% discount on any writing assignment from our profs!

The Civic Promise of Juneteenth

Annual Juneteenth commemorations in Newark New Jersey

W hile Martin Luther King, Jr.’s January birthday has been a national holiday for nearly four decades, the four-year-old Juneteenth federal holiday already holds greater promise for civic education.

Precisely because a more racially contentious dynamic has unfolded around Juneteenth, this relatively recent celebration has opened the door to a focused telling of Black history. By contrast the relatively lukewarm reception to Martin Luther King Jr. Day has made education about difficult stories from our nation’s past less likely. Juneteenth, on the other hand, holds more promise for honest encounters with a past often obscured by the politics of the present.

Unlike the 2021 unanimous Senate vote and 415-14 House tally in favor of the Juneteenth holiday, the 1983 voting process for the King holiday was lengthy and conflictual. Having failed passage in both 1968 and 1979, the bill finally became law in 1983 but only after a Senate filibuster had been defeated and the House two-thirds majority mustered. At the state level, New Hampshire, the last state to establish a holiday to honor King by name, did not do so until 2000 .

Pundits at the time conjectured that such a contentious legislative process would foster ongoing dissension. Contrary to this prediction, however, the celebration of the King holiday soon lost its political edge. Only a year after the first celebration of the holiday, noted civil rights historian and author Vincent Harding observed in the September 1987 edition of the Journal of American History that the country had developed “a massive case of national amnesia” by stripping King of his prophetic and revolutionary messages. As a result, the holiday rarely stirred new controversies.

By contrast, the establishment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021 offered a rare moment of bi-partisan support for racially conscious legislation. But the subsequent record of Juneteenth celebrations has been far more mixed. To be certain, this new holiday has popularized the Juneteenth history. The delay in announcing an end to slavery to the quarter million enslaved people in Texas is now much more widely known. Where once the account of the army’s arrival in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, rarely circulated outside African-American circles, the narrative is now told on an annual basis in thousands of celebrations across the country .

At the same time, tensions around Juneteenth celebrations have increased in the wake of the initial bi-partisan consensus. Since January 2021, 44 states have introduced bills placing limits on the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), often with chilling effect on all public discussions of race-specific history. As of 2023, 28 states have enacted restrictions and bans on CRT and related topics through legislative mandate, executive order, or other means. These legislative developments have, in turn, politicized Juneteenth as public celebrations of the day become a rare occasion for instruction in Black history.

Amid these racial tensions, the historically specific nature of the holiday made a softening of the story less likely. The life of an individual—even one tragically cut short like MLK Jr.’s—offers many angles for re-interpretation. The story of the failure to inform an enslaved people of their freedom has proven far more difficult to recast.

Read More: The Origins of Juneteenth and Why ‘Black Independence Day’ Falls on June 19th

Historians have long argued that the practice of democracy requires not only a civically educated populace but a body politic knowledgeable about its successes and failures. If the way forward for U.S. democracy involves such literacy, Juneteenth celebrations—more so than the now blunted King holiday—appear to be an incubator for what that racially conscious literacy might entail.

In the small Mountain West city of Missoula, Montana where I live, for instance, the Montana Black Collective Missoula organizes an annual Juneteenth celebration at which leaders from the city and county join community residents to learn not only about the events of Juneteenth in Texas but the history of African Americans in their city and state. Past celebrations have included talks about the famed sojourns of the 25 th -infantry bicycle corps , the history of Ku Klux Klan’s visit to a local African Methodist Episcopal Church in Missoula , and the legacies of notable Black Montanans —women, men, and children. The platform for educating the public about Montana’s Black History has broadened significantly due to the educational and celebratory activities provided by the Juneteenth holiday.

Whenever such local celebrations take place, they model the possibilities that emerge from robust telling of our nation’s often fraught, frequently horrific, and yet hope-filled history. That story offers an invitation to strengthen the body politic and to honor the forebears who, like those who marched into the full awareness of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, took risks and helped bring about a fuller realization of what democracy could mean and might one day become. The King holiday can and should continue to be celebrated as a point of national unity around a fallen hero, of course. But the ongoing celebration of Juneteenth holds even greater promise for robust civic education precisely because it acknowledges a point of such historic tension.

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My Candidate Application for The National Honor Society

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Published: Mar 8, 2024

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Religion and Spirituality in East Asian Societies

5. ancestor veneration, funerals and afterlife beliefs, table of contents.

Religious switching in the region
Religious switching in East Asia compared with the rest of the world
Common beliefs and practices
How former Buddhists in East Asia compare with lifelong Buddhists
Other key findings in this report
Religious composition
How religious identity differs by age
Religious switching
Which groups have the biggest shares of new entrants?
Persuading others to switch
Attending Christian and Buddhist schools
Feeling connected to one or more religions or philosophies
How many religions can be true?
Personal importance of religion
Importance of religion around the world
What people say Buddhism is – and is not
Belief in unseen beings
Belief in god
Belief in angels and demons
Belief in spirits inhabiting the physical world
Belief in fate
Belief in karma
Belief in miracles
Venerating religious figures and deities
Rates of prayer
Daily prayer around the world
Visiting spiritual and religious sites
Home altars
Reflecting on life and the universe
Fortunetelling
Ancestor veneration rituals
Communicating with ancestors
Family gravesites
How important are traditional funerals?
Cremation and burial
Belief in rebirth and nirvana
Belief in heaven and hell
Religion's role in society
Religious leaders in politics
Free speech and social harmony
Should societies be open to change?
Acknowledgments
Methodology
Appendix A: Sources

Typically, East Asia is considered to encompass China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan. In geopolitical terms, Vietnam is often categorized as part of Southeast Asia. But we surveyed Vietnam along with East Asia for several reasons, including its historic ties to China and Confucian traditions . Moreover, Buddhists in Vietnam practice the same strain of Buddhism (Mahayana) found across East Asia.

Throughout this report, the term “East Asia” refers to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

When discussing trends throughout the broader “region,” we include Vietnam.

For legal and logistical reasons, we did not survey several other places that are generally considered part of East Asia. At present, China does not allow non-Chinese organizations to conduct surveys on the mainland, and public opinion surveys are not possible in North Korea. Conducting nationally representative surveys in Mongolia is difficult due to the nomadic lifestyle of a large part of its people. We did not survey Macau because its population is relatively small.

Ancestor veneration is important across East Asia and Vietnam. It takes many different forms and is tied to the traditional belief that ancestors’ spirits remain in one’s family and can intervene in human affairs.

Traditional ancestor veneration practices involve gravesite maintenance (or “tomb sweeping”); burning incense to honor ancestors; leaving offerings of food or drink at gravesites or ancestral altars, particularly during certain holidays ; and making offerings of spirit money or other goods believed to be necessary to ensure the comfort and happiness of ancestors in the afterlife.

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say they have done each of the following in the past 12 months to honor or take care of their ancestors: burned incense, offered food, water or drinks, offered flowers or lit candles or offered money or other things they may need in the afterlife. Overall, large majorities in Vietnam engage in these traditions to honor ancestors.

Across the region, 50% of religiously unaffiliated adults or more, as well as the vast majority of Buddhists, say they have burned incense for their ancestors in the past 12 months. In most of the five societies surveyed, a majority of Buddhists and unaffiliated people also say they have offered food, water or drinks to their ancestors in the past year.

Far fewer Christians engage in these types of activities, except in Vietnam. There, 86% of Christians say they have burned incense and 81% say they have offered flowers or lit candles in honor of ancestors in the past year. (According to historians, Vietnamese Christians were persecuted in the 19th century in part because Christianity was viewed as opposing the ancestor rites that were a cornerstone of Vietnamese society. Today, some Catholic authorities in Vietnam prefer to describe ancestor-focused traditions as veneration, rather than worship .)

In this survey, most respondents in Japan and Vietnam say they have a family gravesite, and majorities in both countries also say they look after the gravesite by cleaning it. Smaller shares in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan have a family gravesite. But among people who do have a family gravesite, overwhelming majorities across the region say they visit it at least once a year.

Throughout the region, people say it is important to follow traditional practices when planning a loved one’s funeral. For example, about seven-in-ten adults in both Japan and Taiwan say that following traditional funeral rites is important.

The survey also asked about:

Cremating versus burying loved ones
Belief in rebirth and karma
Belief in heaven and hell

In each of the five places surveyed, large shares of the population say they have done the following in the past 12 months to honor or take care of their ancestors:

Burned incense
Offered food, water or drinks
Offered flowers or lit candles

In East Asia and Vietnam, these activities often occur at gravesites or home altars , though the survey did not specify any location. (More about the prevalence of home altars can be found in Chapter 4 .)

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics, broken down by their current religion, who say they have done each of the following in the past 12 months to honor or take care of their ancestors: burned incense, offered food, water or drinks, offered flowers or lit candles, or offered money or other things they may need in the afterlife. Christians in East Asia and Vietnam are generally less likely than others to engage in ancestor veneration rituals.

Ancestor veneration rituals are particularly common in Vietnam , where 96% of adults say they have burned incense in the past 12 months and 90% report that they have offered flowers or lit candles to honor their ancestors. In Taiwan and Japan, roughly eight-in-ten people surveyed have burned incense to honor ancestors in the past year.

Among the practices we asked about, the least common is offering ancestors “money or other things” that they may need in the afterlife. Still, majorities in Vietnam and Taiwan say they have made such offerings in the past 12 months.

Generally, Buddhists are more likely than people with no religion to honor ancestors in these ways, and people with no religious affiliation are more likely than Christians to do so. But in Vietnam, a solid majority of Christians have burned incense (86%) and offered flowers or lit candles (81%) for ancestors in the past year.

Respondents ages 60 and older are somewhat more likely than younger adults to say they have burned incense and offered flowers or lit candles to honor ancestors in the past 12 months. And men are more likely than women to say they have burned incense for ancestors in the past year.

Fewer than half of respondents throughout the region say they have told ancestors about events in their lives during the past 12 months. This practice is most common in Vietnam (45%), Taiwan (38%) and Japan (37%).

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say they have told their ancestors about events in their lives in the past 12 months. Roughly a quarter of Hong Kongers say they talk to ancestors about their lives.

Buddhists are generally more likely than Christians and the religiously unaffiliated to say they have spoken to their ancestors about what is happening in their lives.

We also asked respondents whether they have ever felt the spirit of an ancestor interact with them in certain ways, such as by helping them, punishing them, coming to visit them in a dream, or coming to be with them in any other form. In most places surveyed, fewer than half of respondents say they have had these experiences. Feeling that an ancestor has punished them is particularly rare.

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say they have ever felt that the spirit of an ancestor has done each of the following: helped them, punished them, come to visit them in a dream or come to be with them in any other form. Few in these Asian societies believe ancestors have punished them.

But Vietnam stands out on one measure: Nearly eight-in-ten Vietnamese adults say the spirit of an ancestor has ever helped them.

Buddhists across the region are more likely than the religiously unaffiliated and Christians to say they have felt spirits either help or punish them. For example, South Korean Buddhists (53%) are more than twice as likely as the religiously unaffiliated (22%) or Christians (20%) to say they have felt the spirit of an ancestor help them.

Also, women are more likely than men to say ancestors have visited them in a dream. And adults ages 60 and older are more likely than younger adults to report this experience.

Family gravesites, which can include places where cremated ashes are interred , are extremely common in some, but not all, of the five societies surveyed.

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say the following: they have a family gravesite where the remains of deceased family members reside, they look after a family gravesite by sweeping or cleaning it or they pay money to maintain a family gravesite. The vast majority of East Asians and Vietnamese who have a family gravesite say they maintain it.

In Japan and Vietnam, more than eight-in-ten adults say they have a gravesite where the ashes or remains of deceased family members reside. In South Korea, just over half say this, while in Hong Kong and Taiwan, about one-in-three adults have family gravesites.

Among survey respondents who report having a family gravesite, the vast majority say they (or others in their household) look after it by sweeping or cleaning it. For example, 28% of adults in Taiwan say they have a family gravesite, and most of these respondents (23% of all Taiwanese surveyed) say that someone in their household sweeps or cleans it.

Across the region, people are less likely to say they pay money to maintain family gravesites, though in Japan a majority of adults say they (or others in their household) pay for this upkeep.

A bar chart showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say they have a family gravesite, and how often they visit that gravesite. 7 in 10 Japanese adults visit their family gravesite at least once a year.

Most East Asians and Vietnamese who have a family gravesite say they visit it at least once a year. For example, in Taiwan, 28% of adults say they have a family gravesite, and 24% of all adults (or 86% of those who have a family gravesite) say they visit it once a year or more.

In Vietnam and Japan, where family gravesites are much more common, seven-in-ten adults or more say they visit theirs at least once a year. And in both places, roughly one-in-ten adults say they visit their family gravesite at least monthly (12% and 8%, respectively).

Although funeral rites vary across the region, most respondents in all five places surveyed say it would be at least somewhat important to follow tradition if they were planning a funeral for a family member or loved one.

A bar chart showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say it would be very, somewhat, not very or not at all important for them to follow traditional funeral rites if they were planning the funeral of a family member or a loved one. 44% of adults in South Korea say it is not important to follow traditional funeral rites.

In Vietnam, about nine-in-ten adults say this, including 68% who say it would be very important to follow traditional funeral rites and rituals. Previous research has shown that planning a parent’s funeral is among life’s greatest responsibilities in Vietnam. These funeral proceedings can last for quite some time, and they often are a joint effort with many members of the family and community.

Generally across the region, Buddhists are more likely than Christians or adults without a religious affiliation to say it would be important to follow traditional rituals at a loved one’s funeral. But even among Christians and the religiously unaffiliated, about half or more say it would be at least somewhat important to do this. For example, in South Korea, 71% of Buddhists, 49% of Christians and 54% of the religiously unaffiliated say this.

(For more on Buddhists’ views about the importance of Buddhist funerals to Buddhist identity, read Chapter 2 .)

In several places across the region, women are more likely than men to say that traditional funeral rituals would be important. In South Korea and Taiwan, however, men and women are about equally likely to prioritize traditional rites.

In this region, the question of how to handle the remains of the dead is widely debated for many reasons, including concerns about land scarcity and groundwater pollution , as well as evolving funeral customs.

Survey respondents were asked how their family takes care of the remains of deceased family members. The options we gave were cremation, burial or “follow some other method.” People could select more than one option.

A bar chart showing the share of adults in five East Asia who say their family cremates or buries their deceased family members or does both. In Japan, 9 in 10 say their family both cremates and buries remains.

Large majorities in four of the surveyed places say they cremate deceased family members. Vietnam is the only place in the region where burial is more common than cremation (91% vs. 28%).

No more than 6% in any place say their family follows some other method.

In Japan, 92% of adults say their family both cremates and buries deceased family members. Far fewer adults in other places report choosing both cremation and burial for dead relatives.

Outside Japan, majorities say their family either cremates or buries dead relatives. In South Korea, 49% of respondents say their family cremates without burying, while 27% say their family buries without cremating.

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say their family cremates dead relatives and either keeps the ashes in a particular location or scatters the ashes. Few East Asian and Vietnamese families scatter deceased relatives’ ashes.

Survey respondents who reported that their family cremates deceased relatives were then asked whether they scatter the ashes or keep them in “a particular location, like someone’s home, a temple or pagoda, or a gravesite.”

Keeping ashes in a particular location is the most common approach. Large majorities in Japan (92%), Taiwan (87%) and Hong Kong (74%) say they do this.

The belief that humans are reborn in an ongoing cycle of suffering known as samsara is a core teaching in Buddhism , and at least half of Buddhists in all five locations surveyed say they think rebirth exists.

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say they think rebirth exists. 56% of the religiously unaffiliated in Taiwan believe in rebirth.

Religiously unaffiliated adults are less likely than Buddhists to say they believe in rebirth. Still, significant shares of the religiously unaffiliated in Taiwan (56%), Hong Kong (52%) and Vietnam (49%) say they believe in rebirth.

In Taiwan, roughly eight-in-ten Daoists (also spelled Taoists) and followers of local or Indigenous religions also say they believe in rebirth .

Across the region, women are more likely than men to say they believe in rebirth. In Japan, for example, 51% of women believe in rebirth, compared with 37% of men. Adults younger than 60 are also more likely than the region’s older adults to say rebirth exists.

(Reincarnation is a related concept in Hinduism. Our 2019-2020 survey of religion in India found that 40% of Hindus in India believe in reincarnation.)

Respondents also were asked whether they believe in nirvana – a term used in Buddhist teachings to refer to the state of liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Buddhists in Hong Kong (77%), Taiwan (59%) and South Korea (58%) are the only religious groups with a majority that believes in nirvana.

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say they think nirvana exists. 48% of Hong Kongers believe in nirvana.

Across the places surveyed, the religiously unaffiliated and Christians are much less likely than Buddhists to believe in nirvana. For example, 48% of Vietnamese Buddhists say they believe in nirvana, compared with 20% of religiously unaffiliated Vietnamese adults and 17% of Vietnamese Christians.

(In every place but Hong Kong, sizable shares chose not to answer this question. This ranged from 16% in South Korea to 30% in Taiwan.)

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics who say they think either heaven or hell exists. In Vietnam, slightly more believe in hell (55%) than in heaven (48%).

Many world religions have concepts that can be understood as “heaven” and “hell,” even though religions may define or describe these places differently. For example, while Christianity describes heaven and hell as final destinations for souls of the dead, Buddhism teaches that heaven and hell are among the many temporary locations that a soul can be reborn into before escaping the cycle of rebirth.

In Hong Kong and Taiwan, clear majorities say they believe in both heaven and hell. In Vietnam, the public is more evenly divided, with 48% expressing belief in heaven and 55% in hell. Meanwhile, in Japan and South Korea, roughly four-in-ten adults believe in heaven, and somewhat fewer Japanese (32%) believe in hell.

Christians in the region typically are the most likely to say that both heaven and hell exist, though more Christians express belief in heaven than in hell.

A table showing the share of adults in five Asian publics, broken down by their current religion, who say they think either heaven or hell exists. Across East Asia and Vietnam, majorities of Christians believe in both heaven and hell.

Buddhists across the region are more likely than people who have no religion to believe in each concept. For instance, in Vietnam, the vast majority of Christians (86%) believe in heaven, compared with roughly half of Buddhists (53%) and a third of the unaffiliated (34%).

Our survey also finds that, in general:

Adults under 60 are morelikely than older adults to say they believe in hell. In Hong Kong, for instance, 63% of adults who are younger than 60 believe in hell, compared with 49% of older adults.
Women are more likely than men to say that both heaven and hell exist.
Christians who say they pray at least once a day are more likely than other Christians to say they believe in both heaven and hell.

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Japanese main findings: 東アジア社会における宗教と精神性
Japanese overview: 東アジア社会における宗教と精神性
Korean main findings: 동아시아 사회에서의 종교와 영성(靈性)
Korean overview: 동아시아 사회에서의 종교와 영성(靈性)
Simplified Chinese main findings: 东亚社会的宗教与精神信仰
Simplified Chinese overview: 东亚社会的宗教与精神信仰
Traditional Chinese main findings: 東亞社會的宗教與精神信仰
Traditional Chinese overview: 東亞社會的宗教與精神信仰
Vietnamese main findings: Tôn giáo và tâm linh trong các xã hội Đông Á
Vietnamese overview: Tôn giáo và tâm linh trong các xã hội Đông Á
East Asian Societies Survey Dataset

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National Honor Society Essay
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National Honor Society Essay
National Honor Society Essay
Essay Sample: National Honor Society
National Honor Society Essay Example

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National Honor Society Induction Ceremony April 30, 2024
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National Honor Society Induction Ceremony 2024
National Honor Society President Application
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
National Honor Society Induction 2024

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How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example
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.
National Honor Society (NHS) Essay Examples & Expert Advice
Every year, high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors write National Honor Society essays in the hopes of becoming a member. It's certainly an admirable recognition. Joining the ranks means partaking in an interscholastic tradition alongside future movers and shakers. Past National Honor Society (NHS) members have consisted of Olympians, astronauts, senators, neurosurgeons, Nobel prize ...
How to write the National Honor's Society Essay
The prompt for the NHS Essay is to detail how you represent the Four Pillars of NHS Membership: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character in 300-500 words. In doing so, here are some key components that are good to include: Personal Introduction: Begin with a brief introduction of yourself, highlighting your academic and personal ...
Example National Honor Society Essay: Scholarship and Service
Components of an Outstanding NHS Essay. Scholarship: Begin your essay by highlighting your academic accomplishments. Mention your high school, school year, and impressive grade point average (GPA). Emphasize how your dedication to academics has shaped your character and instilled a sense of discipline. Leadership: Describe your leadership ...
How to Write an Impressive National Honor Society Essay ...
Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas. Before writing the essay, take some time to brainstorm ideas. Think about your achievements, experiences, and skills that align with the NHS values. Consider examples of how you have demonstrated leadership, scholarship, service, and character in your school, community, or personal life.
Brainstorming National Honor Society essay ideas
Hi there! Coming up with a strong essay for your National Honor Society (NHS) application is crucial since it's an opportunity to showcase your character, leadership, and commitment to service. Here are some possible topics and themes that you can consider: 1. A personal experience that demonstrates your leadership qualities: Share a story ...
National Honor Society Essay Sample: Ultimate Guide
Therefore,a good national honor society essay conclusion should include: Lasting impression of high morals, meaning that paper has style & tone. Persuade selection committee that they are not only reading achievements list, but statement from determined & devoted person. Genuine call for positive changes in local community, society, as well as ...
Ace Your National Honor Society Essay with These Tips
Entering the National Honor Society can be a student's dream and requires devotion, good grades and expanding your interests into social activities, sports, and volunteering in your community. The NHS application is a sumptuous procedure and you'll need to compose an appropriate national honor application essay to get accepted. This essay will generally work as a recapitulation of your ...
What should I include in my National Honor Society application essay
6 months ago. When writing your National Honor Society (NHS) application essay, it's important to showcase the four key pillars of the organization: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. As you consider these pillars, think about specific examples from your own experiences that align with each concept, focusing on quality rather than ...
National Honor Society Essay Prompt Ideas?
Hey! I totally understand how it can be tough to come up with ideas for National Honor Society essays. The key is to focus on the four main pillars of NHS: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. With these pillars in mind, you can brainstorm experiences that showcase your strengths in these areas. Here are some ideas to get you started: 1.
National Honor Society Examples: [Essay Example], 495 words
Example 2: Leadership. Leadership is another important quality that the NHS values. NHS members are expected to take on leadership roles within their school and community. In the second example, the student highlights their leadership experience as the captain of their school's soccer team. They discuss how they motivated and inspired their ...
Essay Samples on National Honor Society
Essay grade Excellent. The National Honor Society is an organization that prides itself on its members being outstanding and well-rounded students, encouraging them to have leadership, good character, and help their community in as many ways possible. Joining NHS would allow me to develop such skills and grow...
Exemplifying Excellence: a National Honor Society Essay
The National Honor Society (NHS) is a prestigious organization that recognizes outstanding high school students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. As a dedicated high school student, I am honored to have been nominated for membership in this esteemed organization.
Essays on National Honor Society
1 page / 495 words. Introduction The National Honor Society (NHS) is a prestigious organization that recognizes and promotes outstanding high school students. Membership in the NHS is highly sought after and is seen as a mark of academic excellence, leadership, service, and character. In this essay, we will explore...
National Honor Society Essay Examples
What is National Honor Society? National Honor Society is a group of prestige students that are leaders, scholars, role models, and serve their communities. These students go on to accomplish great things. I am going to give examples of how I demonstrated the qualities of National Honor Society, scholarship, leadership, service, character.
How to Write a National Honor Society Essay? : r/studytips
Here, you can observe the significant elements required for an exceptional National Honor Society essay. The Essence of the National Honor Society. As a pioneer in initiated programs, the National Honor Society, established in 1921, is committed to transforming exemplary students into faithful stewards of lifelong values.
(NHS) National Honor Society Essay: Example and Tips
If possible, the candidate should address all four of them. It will win positive attitude of the committee and give you a chance to present your personality in the fullest way possible. As any properly composed essay, national honor society application essay must be well structured, informative, written clearly and sincerely.
NJHS Essay Examples and Guidelines (2023 Samples)
The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is an American club that celebrates students who succeed in the areas of character, devotion, responsibility, and academics. Candidates are chosen in the spring of their 2nd or 3rd year and must have at least a 3.7 GPA or 4.3 QPA to be considered. Students must also satisfy all NJHS eligibility criteria.
National Honor Society Application Essay
National Honor Society Application Essay. I am truly honored to be considered for membership in the National Honor Society, as I have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and community service throughout my high school career. My dedication to these three areas has shaped me into a well-rounded individual, and I believe ...
National Honor Society (Free Essay Samples)
National Honor Society (Essay Samples) 2022/02/11 by Simon White Free Essay Samples. This is a free essay sample available for all students. If you are looking where to buy pre written essays on the topic "National Honor Society", browse our private essay samples. Introduction.
National Honors Society Essay Prompt
View National Honors Society Essay Prompt from AA 1Sydnee Monroe CAPA NHS 30 April 2019 National Honors Society Essay Prompt National Honors Society is an phenomenal ...
NJHS Essay
The National Junior Honor Society essay introduction is another crucial part of your essay. You should use the introduction to grab the attention of the reader. Start the essay in an interesting way that makes the selection committee members want to read more. For example, consider using a great quote, anecdote, or amazing statistics. Body
The Civic Promise of Juneteenth
W hile Martin Luther King, Jr.'s January birthday has been a national holiday for nearly four decades, the four-year-old Juneteenth federal holiday already holds greater promise for civic education.
My Candidate Application for The National Honor Society
Categories: National Honor Society. Words: 398 | Page: 1 | 2 min read. Published: Mar 8, 2024. I am honored to submit my application for the National Honor Society (NHS). I believe that my academic achievements, leadership skills, and service experience make me a qualified candidate for this esteemed organization.
5. Ancestor veneration, funerals and afterlife beliefs
Ancestor veneration is important across East Asia and Vietnam. It takes many different forms and is tied to the traditional belief that ancestors' spirits remain in one's family and can intervene in human affairs.. Traditional ancestor veneration practices involve gravesite maintenance (or "tomb sweeping"); burning incense to honor ancestors; leaving offerings of food or drink at ...

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How to Write the National Honor Society Essay + Example

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Scholarship

1. Make it Personal and Individual

2. Share Your Stories

3. Be Humble and Bold

4. Follow Tried and True Essay Guidelines

5. Draft, Edit, Edit, Edit, Polish

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National Honor Society (NHS) Essay Examples & Expert Advice

The NHS in Brief

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Example National Honor Society Essay: Scholarship and Service

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How to Write an Impressive National Honor Society Essay: Examples and Tips

What is the National Honor Society?

Scholarship

Application and Membership

NHS Essay Guide

Understanding the NHS pillars

Brainstorm your accomplishments

Write a rough draft

Edit and revise

Be Humble and Bold

Get feedback

Write a strong conclusion

Tips for Writing NHS Essay

Step 1: Understand the Purpose of the NHS Essay

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Step 3: Structure Your Essay

Step 4: Be Specific and Concise

Step 5: Show, Don't Tell

Step 6: Be Honest and Authentic

Step 7: Proofread and Edit

Personal Statement

NHS Essay Examples

Essay Example 2:

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Best National Honor Society Essay Writing Guide with Example

Definition, Characteristics & Purpose of the National Honor Society Essay

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NHS Essay Conclusion Tips

National Honor Society Essay Example for Students

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Ace Your National Honor Society Essay with These Tips

Understand the philosophy behind the essay

Then tell your personal story-in writing

Introduce yourself in a professional yet unique way

Talk in detail about your grants and scholarship achievements

Include your non-academic achievements and activities

Structure it appropriately