Finding time for everything you want – and need – to do once a semester gets in full swing can be a serious challenge. Beyond schoolwork (the obvious), it can feel impossible to fit in fun with friends, workouts, a healthy meal occasionally, on-campus activities, self-care, and checking in with family back home. And sleep, too.

Regardless of how well you budget your time, sacrifices must be made, and FOMO is rough when you’re camped out in the library missing a party or deciding which clubs and societies to join and which to skip.

When contemplating what makes the cut, don’t discount honor societies.

While these groups may not be classic cases of FOMO, it’s worth exploring how a membership can ease common student stresses.

Don’t Miss Out on … Building a Sense of Community

Honor societies like the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) can be a fantastic way to meet people on campus you wouldn’t come across otherwise. Look for a society that genuinely has opportunities to connect – not one that just meets for an induction ceremony.

NSCS has active chapters at 320+ college campuses and joining is an excellent way to meet other high-achievers with similar interests and aspirations. Our members are known for being community-minded and collaborating on projects where they find ways to give back. One example is our partnership with Active Minds on raising awareness about mental health issues on campus.

Our members also value the chance to build leadership skills at the chapter and national level. John Kline, an NSCS alumnus commented, “When I joined NSCS, I never imagined to have the sense of pride that the organization has given me and the ability to find really a sense of self and a sense of self-esteem, by getting to network with like-minded people having positive reinforcement and seeing an impact on what the organization can do, not just for myself, but for others.”

Don’t Miss Out on … Decreasing Student Loans Through Scholarships

After students set foot on campus as freshmen, working on scholarship applications tends to fall off their to-do lists, which is understandable, since a common stereotype is that scholarships are just for prospective students.

The truth is that if you target your efforts and put some time in, scholarships can be as profitable as a part-time job while you’re enrolled. And that money pays big dividends by decreasing your student loan load. CNBC finds that about seven out of every ten graduates leave school with student loans, and monthly bills tend to come calling around six months after graduation.

Particularly considering the common difficulty of finding a job, anything you can do to reduce those bills can improve your standard of living down the line. And give you more options about what job you land first. A survey by American Student Assistance revealed that for 53% of graduates, student loans had at least “considerable impact” on what career field they chose. The decisions you make while in school can affect your freedom to pursue your passions after graduation.

NSCS helps with scholarships in two ways:

  • Each year we give out more than $1 million in scholarships and chapter funds; these are available only to members, and each goes to multiple recipients
  • We provide the resources to help you streamline your scholarship application process, both for the ones we offer and those you find on your own, so you can make essay writing a breeze

Don’t Miss Out on … Catching Attention in the Job Market

Starting a job search can be a daunting prospect regardless of major, even when the unemployment rate is low. According to a 2018 analysis by the Strada Institute, 43% of recent graduates enter a job that doesn’t require the bachelor’s degree they just earned, and five years post-graduation, 29% are still in jobs not requiring a degree. It can be frustrating to get your hard-earned degree and realize that an employer’s idea of “entry level” doesn’t match the years of experience they list as a requirement. Or that you must compromise on the kind of career you want.

Many students don’t realize that honor societies offer resources and opportunities not found at the campus career center, including tips for mastering networking and guides for standing out among the crowd of job applicants. Many of these resources are equally applicable for applications for grad school and internships.

NSCS provides you with FOMO-free connections to:

  • A comprehensive alumni network
  • Grad school recruiters
  • Study abroad and internship options not available to nonmembers

And the leadership possibilities we offer mean you can leave school with genuine accomplishments to list on a resume and a noticeable boost to the soft skills employers prioritize.

Making the Decision

If all of that sounds like a lot of time and effort, keep in mind that NSCS and other well-respected honor societies are set up in a way that you get what you put in, at a pace and level of time commitment that are comfortable for you.

Honoring exemplary achievement is just one aspect of modern honor societies. Make sure you don’t graduate with FOMO about the ways you could have made your years on campus – and after graduation – much more enriching. College is a giant investment of your time and money, so think about how membership in an honor society like NSCS is worth it, and could make it easier to reap the rewards of your hard work.


The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is an honors organization, boasting 320 plus chapter nationwide, that recognizes high-achieving first-and second-year students. With its three pillars of scholarship, leadership, and service, NSCS is proud to provide career and graduate school connections, leadership and service experiences, practical and skills-based content, access to discounts and savings, and over a million dollars in scholarships, chapter funds and awards annually. To learn more about joining the NSCS honors society, visit us at http://www.nscs.org/join.

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is an ACHS accredited, legitimate, 501c3 registered non-profit organization with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.