As the cost of attending college continues to rise, it becomes more and more important for students to seek out scholarships. There are so many scholarships available, and many even go unclaimed each year. The difficulty often lies with finding these scholarships and preparing an application that makes one a top contender. Joining an honors society can help with both of these challenges. Here’s a closer look at how honors society membership can help your student get more scholarships.
Access to Exclusive Scholarships
Some honors societies offer their members exclusive access to certain scholarships. In other words, your student will only qualify for these scholarships if they join the honors society; non-members cannot apply.
NSCS, for example, offers 26 different national scholarship opportunities throughout the year. Only NSCS members can apply for these scholarships, and they are all merit-based. To apply, applicants must have a 3.4 GPA. If your student joins NSCS, they will have an opportunity to apply for these awards, and since they are members-only awards, the competitive pool is somewhat limited.
Some honors society scholarships come with unique opportunities, too. For example, NSCS offers specific scholarships for students who want to study abroad or spend a semester at sea.
Access to Scholarship Lists
Finding scholarships is not always easy. However, most honors societies maintain lists of scholarships offered by various organizations. Members can access and review these lists, discovering new and exciting scholarships to apply for. Some of these scholarships will be for students in certain majors, and others will be open to students in all disciplines.
Some organizations that offer scholarships simply don’t advertise those scholarships very well. But honors societies know how to comb the market for the best scholarships and call students’ attention to them. This can save you and your student countless hours of searching and scrolling on your own.
Experiences to List on Applications
Scholarships are competitive. Those who award scholarships are increasingly looking for students who excel not just in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom. Joining an honors society is an excellent way to build skills and experiences that will make your scholarship application stand out.
For example, NSCS offers leadership opportunities. Students can become chapter leaders and gain experience organizing and managing groups. Such experiences will set a student apart and make them a more competitive applicant. Honors societies also tend to offer service opportunities. Serving in the local community, again, helps students become more connected while building soft skills that look great on a scholarship application.
Mentorship Assistance
Sometimes, whether or not a student wins a scholarship depends less on what they’ve achieved, and more on the way they present those achievements in an application. A well-written essay, for example, may be the thing that sets your students’ application apart.
As an honors society member, your student will have a chance to find a mentor. This could be an older student in a similar major, an alumnus, or a professor who has volunteered to mentor honors students. In any case, your student’s mentor can help them fill out scholarship applications, provide feedback on essays, and sometimes even guide the student in selecting the best scholarships to apply for.
There are plenty of scholarships available for students who have a desire to achieve. Joining an honors society is a great way for your student to not only access them, but become a better qualified candidate. Learn more about NSCS, and don’t hesitate to tell your students about our society, too. We’re here for high-achieving students who wish to do more.
