Parent Resources
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It can be a challenge to find the right resources when you need them. Here you can information on visiting campus, ways you can send a little encouragement to your student and much more. Take a few minutes to explore, we think you'll be glad you did.
Judging the Credibility of College Honor Societies
Recently, we have received many inquiries from you, our Parents Association members, regarding various honor societies. Although each student must make his/her own decision, we think the following article, adapted from College Parents of America by James A. Boyle, provides insight that might assist you in helping your student determine which honor societies are right for him/her.
We've all seen the bumper stickers. "My child is honor student at fill-in-the-blank middle school." Some of you may have even had the chance to slap one of those bumper stickers on your own car fender. My rising 7th-grader has a couple more years to give me that option. I thought you would find it useful to learn more about college honor societies and how you - and your student - can judge their credibility.
After doing some research, including speaking with officials from various college honor societies, I believe that the single most important criteria in judging the credibility of a society is whether it is an approved member - and therefore meets the high standards - of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS).
ACHS has created the Honor Society Standards of Excellence. The standards are the best single way to judge the quality of an honor society and, most important, the meeting of those standards is the only way that a society can be approved by ACHS. The standards are available for your review at www.achsnatl.org.
If your student has been invited to join an honor society that has not been certified as meeting the high standards of ACHS, then you should examine whether it has at least met some of the ACHS-required criteria such as:
-Scholastic requirements (i.e. undergraduate specialized rank in the
upper 35 percent of a class, which converts to about a 3.2 or 3.3 GPA.)
Honor societies that promote a minimum 3.0 are more appropriately labeled
"recognition societies," a definition that has been around since the 1920s.
If the rank is among general undergraduate students, then the eligible
student should be in the top 20 percent.
-Governance standards such as membership participation in setting authority
for control of the affairs of the organization, and selection of officers
and board members by the membership.
-Campus chapter activity up to and including the formal chartering of
the chapter by the institution and/or relevant department of the school,
with concurrent approval by the governing body of the national organization.
-An accessible Web site with information available to the public on national
officers and headquarters staff, as well as national office mailing and
e-mail addresses, along with telephone and fax numbers.
Adam Brown, President of the UT chapter of Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society, explains that honor societies are important because, "They recognize some of the best and brightest students on our campus. It really is an honor to be a part of these groups, and it's important to recognize those students who have excelled in their academic, service, or leadership endeavors."
Brown wants parents to understand that "[Not all] honor societies are just a waste of money. They really are out there to recognize students for their grades, leadership, and other accomplishments. They are also active on campus and in the Knoxville community."
For more information about honor societies at the University of Tennessee, please visit the Dean of Students webpage.