NSCS - Has anyone heard of this organization ?

I just got an email from this organization, the 'message' reads below ;

I'm pleased to inform you that because of your outstanding academic performance at Arizona State University - Online, you have been invited to join The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).

NSCS is an honor society inviting high-achieving first- and second-year undergraduates from over 300 colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Rice University, the University of Michigan, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

By joining NSCS, you will be a member of this elite group of students nationwide. Aside from the prestige of membership, I wanted to let you know about some of the other benefits we offer to members:

• Scholarships: Access to a million dollars in scholarships each year, including $50,000 in Merit Awards granted to outstanding new NSCS members.

• Career Recruitment: Opportunities from organizations that value your NSCS membership, including Liberty Mutual, Teach For America, and many others.

• Member Discounts: Access to discounts from major retailers including Princeton Review, GEICO, and many more.

• Networking: Connect with other members from your chapter and more than one million lifetime members across the country.

And much more...

To join, visit www.nscs.org/join:

Lifetime Membership Fee: $95

Join today.

Congratulations, and we look forward to welcoming you into the Society.

Sincerely,
Steve Loflin
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Has anyone encountered them before ? I saw the $95 joining fee and smells like a 'scam'.

:ugh::ugh::ugh:

 

Even though I would never give them $95, I'm not sure that "scam" is the right word for them. I think they actually give out a few scholarships, but I could be wrong about that. I believe that Phi Beta Kappa is a better organization.

 

The legitimacy and usefulness of this organization is discussed at great length on this forum: "scam honors" national deans list, who's who, etc... - College Confidential
Many differing opinions.
The fact that if you are not invited to join, you can nominate yourself, is just a bit off-putting to me.

 

College honor societies are commonly considered "legit" if they are members of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS). The ACHS is the closest thing to an accreditation agency for honor societies. Note, however, that some of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies, like Phi Beta Kappa (est. 1776) and Sigma Xi (est. 1886), are not ACHS members -- presumably they are so well known on their own that they don't need ACHS for credibility.

NSCS is a member of ACHS, and so will probably be regarded "legit". But that doesn't necessarily mean that membership is worth $95. There are currently some 60-70 different honor societies in ACHS, and the proliferation of Greek letters has led to some devaluation.

Membership in an academic honor society can be worthwhile if it actively sponsors activities at your institution, or if the society is well known in a specific discipline. For example, Tau Beta Pi for engineers (est. 1885) often qualifies on both counts. However, this is not necessarily true for all honor societies at all institutions, even if they are "legit".

 

Wow, just read through the collegeboard discussion about this. Guess I'll just skip this. I don't see how it'll be helpful unless employers look at this as something 'extra' and useful on the CV.