My Student Made Honor Roll

Honor Roll Pride

It is that time of year when students receive notifications that they have made a collegiate scholar society. The cream-colored linen envelope arrives with its gold embossed logo of said scholar society organization. As a parent, you do a mental cartwheel as you see the invitation. When the initial excitement wears off, read the fine print carefully.

There are over fifteen different honor societies at Florida Atlantic University, it is important to understand what each has to offer. Educate yourself as to what they provide in exchange for this membership. Because honestly, there are many organizations on campus that your student can get involved with that will be far more beneficial to their resume and postgraduate application than membership in a society that either profit from the fees they collect. Read their annual report to see how much of their revenue goes toward administrative fees, just as you would with a charity you are vetting.

I am not trying to diminish the euphoric moment you are feeling; you should be proud. But at what cost should you be proud and will it make a difference when they graduate? Every college at FAU has a dean’s list with differing requirements. You do not pay money to be on this Dean’s List. When your student graduates, if their overall GPA is 3.5 or higher, they will be eligible for a color chord (which you will then pay money for them to wear and ultimately keep).

FAU has several chapters of national honor/scholar societies listed on its website as an organization. The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is one of those which invite freshmen and sophomores with at least a 3.4 GPA into their society. The fee is a one-time $95 for which you have access to career resources, networking, special programs and discounts for specific services and products as well as scholarships, according to their website.

There are several honor societies at FAU that celebrate academic success and measure leadership and service accomplishments. These honor societies include Omicron Kappa Delta. and The National Society of Leadership and Success. A complete list can be found here. Each college has a college specific honor society, check the website for more information as every college has different requirements.

Not to take away from some of these national honor societies; your student will get out of them what they put into them but there are many prestigious honor societies at FAU that may be more beneficial. Of course, being able to graduate FAU as one of the honor levels including cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude will not cost you any money and will give you and your student bragging rights.

Pass on these great tips, tell your friends and like us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Find out more about how to use HaveUHeard as a great resource. Sign up for other great tips at haveuheard.com.