Yes, I’m replying to myself. I should add she’s in Girl Scouts and earned badges for service working with senior citizens, collecting food for the food pantry and for volunteering a certain amount of time to the SPCA. I guess not good enough.
you have raised a wonderful, talented daughter. Did you include the girlscout stuff on her app? Quantify the ‘community experience’ by stating it in years and generalized terms, not by number of occurances - 4 years of visiting/assisting seniors, 3 years of mentoring fellow students in (band, math, etc) as examples.
Ask if you can resubmit an amended app
The community activities you mentioned should have been delineated separately rather than under the Girl Scouts mention.
It might very well have made a difference.
I wouldn’t get overly worked up over this. Many schools do not even participate in Honor Society.
When it’s time for college applications be sure to mention exactly what community service activities she’s participated.
I am about to sound like my grandmother, “when I was in highschool (late 70’s) Honor Society was about grades and character”.
Both of my kids were rejected from National Honor Society. They both had the grades. My son is an Eagle Scout but was told that his Eagle Scout Project (improving a public town park) didn’t count. His leadership roles in his BSA Troop didn’t count. Being on the Wrestling Team didn’t count because he wasn’t a captain. He also worked 4 to 5 days a week to raise money for college which left no time for other activities beyond BSA and wrestling - and homework. He was in the band and orchestra too. But still to them - NOT good enough.
My daughter with an even higher grade point average was INVITED to join NHS; but, was rejected because she only took private piano lessons and worked EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER SCHOOL as a teaching assistant in a pre-school/daycare center to raise money to go to college to be a teacher. Even volunteering at religious school didn’t count.
Even without being in NHS they both were accepted to college by October 1st of their senior year of high school.
Life experience counts with admission directors!
I told my kids we didn’t care if they wore the special NHS ribbon with their cap and gown on high school graduation day. My husband and I could not be more proud of them. They are both in college thriving. They both have work experience which in this economy helps them get summer jobs every year. And most importantly, because they contribute to their college educations they OWN their educations and, unlike a lot of their classmates, they appreciate the monetary sacrifice the opportunity of college is to our family.
My advice to other parents: Teach your kids what is REALLY important. Teach them a work ethic; teach them to volunteer or join activities that mean something to them NOT what is important to a committee that hands out ribbons.