NSLS Reviews: Separating Facts from Fiction

When it comes to size, no other leadership honor society is as large as the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).

Also sometimes referred to as Sigma Alpha Pi, it has over 750 chapters and more than 1.8 million members in the US alone. It takes pride, too, in the fact that it’s the only accredited honor society of its kind. But should you join it?

The goal of the NSLS is to recognize, cultivate and establish leaders by providing members with real-world experience to unlock their leadership potential. Besides an affiliation with a prestigious honor society, members also have access to exclusive perks, including scholarships, discounts and employer recruitment.

Received a nomination to join NSLS? Don’t stop reading now.

Even though the leadership honor society is the only one of its kind, it’s a good idea to learn some of the most important matters you need to know about it before you decide to accept or decline the invitation to join.

But before anything else, let’s take a look at some NSLS stats resulting from the annual survey of its members:

• 78% – Percentage of college graduates who attribute their career success to the NSLS
• 88% – Percentage of NSLS members who landed their preferred jobs upon graduating from college
• 90% – Percentage of NSLS members who said they developed their talents and interpersonal skills
• 93% – Percentage of students who reported that the NSLS impacted their chances of getting their dream job
• 95% – Percentage of NSLS members who believe that joining the organization was worth their time
• 97% – Percentage of NSLS who would recommend the leadership honor society to their peers

Who Can Join the NSLS?

The NSLS is similar to most other prestigious honor societies in terms of who can become members — students who are nominated by their schools and approved by their chapter advisors are eligible to receive an invitation to join.

Needless to say, there are minimum eligibility requirements to meet in order to be nominated.

Invites to join are sent to eligible students twice a year, typically during early fall and early winter.

Similar to other honor societies whose memberships are on an invitation-only basis, students must meet the minimum GPA requirements and completed credit hours to qualify for nomination by their respective postsecondary education institutions.

Let’s take a look at the academic requirements for NSLS membership:

Undergraduate students

• Must have completed at least 36 credit hours
• Must have a GPA of at least 3.2.

Graduate students

• Must have completed at least 18 credit hours
• Must have a GPA of at least 3.5.

The National Society of Leadership and Success — the name of the NSLS makes it clear that it’s leadership-based. And that is why students need to actively participate in various on-campus society events to be noticed by the organization.

So, can you apply to the NSLS if you feel you deserve to become a member of the honor society?

Perhaps the institution of higher education missed your credentials by accident, which is why you may fill out the online application form.

The said form includes a space where you need to demonstrate your leadership potential using a personal statement of 200 words or less. However, it’s still important that you receive a nomination from at least one of the faculty members.

How Much Does It Cost to Join the NSLS?

New NSLS members pay a one-time fee of $95. This means that once students are inducted into the organization after paying the membership fee, they are a part of the roster for life. The membership fee covers many things, from the membership kit handed during the induction ceremony to discounts from partner companies.

Similar to most other honor societies, being inducted into the NSLS doesn’t come free of charge.

And although it’s on the steep side of things, the membership fee is good for life. Needless to say, there are no annual fees to take care of for the renewal of one’s membership to the leadership honor society.

As just mentioned, one of the things that the one-time fee covers is the membership kit, which is sent to local chapter leaders to be presented to new members during their induction.

The said kit contains the following: shirt, certificate, pin and car decal. If bought during registration, the membership kit also includes a plaque.

So, how do you become a fully inducted member of the NSLS?

After paying the one-time membership fee, you must complete certain steps in order to turn from a pre-inducted member, who is eligible to take advantage of the various NSLS membership perks, to a fully inducted member:

• Orientation. Attending the first meeting of new NSLS members allows pre-inductees to obtain all the pieces of information they need to complete the induction process successfully.

• Leadership training. A seminar that involves a 3-hour interactive video training session, it’s designed to help new NSLS members identify as well as overcome obstacles that are keeping goal attainment at bay.

• Broadcast event. Because the NSLS is a leadership-based honor society, it isn’t surprising that pre-inducted members watch some of the most successful motivational speakers discussing an assortment of leadership-related topics.

• Team meetings. Groups of new NSLS members are brought in one place in order to work together and offer one another peer coaching on achieving their respective goals.

What are the Benefits of Being an NSLS Member?

The benefits NSLS members can enjoy can be categorized into intangibles and tangibles. Some intangible perks include increased self-esteem and leadership skills. On the other hand, some tangible advantages of being an NSLS member include scholarships, discounts, networking opportunities and personal success coaching.

Because it’s a leadership-based honor society, needless to say, the development of one’s leadership skills by means of real-world experiences and other similar opportunities is one of the most notable benefits of an NSLS membership.

Strong leadership skills are valuable not only for job applicants but also employees.

As a matter of fact, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 80.1% of employers actively seek candidates with a knack for leadership.

And just for reference, other traits sought include teamwork (78.9%), communication skills (70.2%), problem-solving skills (70.2%) and communication (68.9%).

Making NSLS a prestigious honor society is that its members can take advantage of a host of tangible benefits, most of which they can leverage to attain success academically as well as in their professional endeavors.

Let’s take a look at some of the things to enjoy for being a member of the NSLS:

• Scholarships and awards ranging from $500 to $7,500 each
• Discounts at over 1,000 companies
• Working with professional success coaches
• Leadership certification to help boost one’s resume
• Invitation to various NSLS-exclusive events like fundraisings, social gatherings, service projects, etc.
• Letter of recommendation that can be sent to admissions offices and employers

Just Before You Choose to Join the NSLS

The National Society of Leadership and Success is the largest leadership honor society and also the only one of its kind that’s accredited. So, in other words, it would be a great honor for any undergraduate and graduate student to be invited to become a member of the organization with, as of this writing, 1.8 million members in the US alone.

However, membership to it doesn’t come free of charge plus you will have to devote some time to become a full-fledged member. Before responding to the invite, take your time in weighing the pros and cons of an NSLS membership.

Related Questions

What is the online chapter of the NSLS?

Simply put, the NSLS formed an online chapter in response to the challenges some members face in terms of attending on-campus events. It’s the same chapter as the kinds at physical campuses. However, the activities can be completed online and the advisor at the national office is the one coaching instead of a chapter advisor.

Is the NSLS a legitimate honor society?

The NSLS is legit in that it’s accredited through Cognia, which is a community of education experts all over the planet. In addition, the various leadership courses offered by the NSLS are recommended for credit reciprocity by both the American Council on Education (ACE) and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).

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