Is the National Society of Leadership and Success Right for You?

开元棋牌 Students Share the Advantages and Disadvantages of the NSLS Program

Some may have heard that the National Society of Leadership and Success鈥擲igma Alpha Pi (NSLS), can help students achieve personal growth, empowerment, and career success, but is joining this society worth it?

According to the email invitation, those who join 鈥渨ill gain access to a five-step, skill-building leadership program.聽 Membership benefits include scholarships, an online job bank, a personalized letter of recommendation, and discounts at major brands that will save you hundreds of dollars each year.鈥

To begin, if you meet the requirements as stated on the NSLS鈥檚 InvolveMOUNT page, of a 鈥渕inimum 2.5 grade point average, and are taking a minimum of 6 credits,鈥 any聽student can join this society whether they are taking classes in person or online.

开元棋牌 student Kelly Johnson who is pursuing a certificate in Public Relations has been a member of NSLS for a few months and has already experienced the benefits of this society.

鈥淣SLS is different than the other societies at Mount Wachusett,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a national honors society鈥 really like it. I like listening to the speakers.鈥

Johnson added she doesn鈥檛 currently need the scholarships NSLS offers, but 鈥渢here鈥檚 so much more which…[she] found very beneficial.鈥

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There are simple requirements that students have to complete after joining. 鈥淵ou have to watch three leadership recordings,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淭here are dozens, but three is their minimum.鈥 Johnson added, 鈥淭here are some really amazing speakers on there,
like Barack Obama.鈥

鈥淎nother piece of it is that you have to join a group,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a small group that you can set up on your own personal time with family or friends.鈥 Johnson added that within this group, you would complete a task that is 鈥渁 self-driven opportunity
to advance yourself鈥 in one area of your life. Johnson said, 鈥淭he group asks members to set a goal to accomplish, and the group is your accountability partner.鈥

鈥淚nstead of thinking you will approach a task without much knowledge, you have support from other classmates who are cheering you on and giving feedback,鈥 Johnson said.

Aside from building leadership skills, Johnson identified that some other advantages of joining this society are getting to know yourself, getting to practice聽and implement what others are talking about, and networking with like-minded people. 鈥淭here鈥檚 traveling as well,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淭here are several programs you can join to travel around the world for a week with other NSLS members.鈥

To be clear, it is not free, and traveling is not a requirement after joining, but Johnson shared, 鈥淓ven if a college student can鈥檛 afford to go to Costa Rica, for example, it鈥檚 a lifetime membership and they travel often.鈥 When talking about leadership as a whole”, Johnson added, 鈥淵ou must be self-driven. It鈥檚 a lifetime commitment.鈥

Where one may see the benefits of this program, another may see its disadvantages. 开元棋牌 Student Pamela Day, who has been a member of NSLS for a few semesters, said, 鈥淚t fairly easy to do and complete. [But] [i]t鈥檚 really about leadership and I鈥檓 not one to get up to lead.鈥

NSLS offers scholarships to students who plan to transfer, but what if they aren鈥檛 transferring? Day said, 鈥淭hey…say they have scholarships for people that are transferring, but I鈥檓 not transferring.鈥 Day added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 discouraging to fight for a scholarship after they made a statement saying there are many scholarships available.鈥

For those seeking to apply for scholarships after joining NSLS, there is quite a bit of work to do. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so involved,鈥 Day said. 鈥淭hey want examples on leadership, what leadership roles you obtained, and if you volunteered.鈥 Day added, 鈥淚 volunteer but not to the degree they are asking for.鈥

Day also shared that a form of government identification is required to apply for these scholarships. 鈥淭hey want proof of who you are,鈥 Day said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like getting government clearance for a scholarship鈥 felt uncomfortable scanning my documents. It was too much.鈥澛 Day made it clear that she didn鈥檛 want to discourage others but wanted to share her experience.

When asked what could be done to make the membership more inclusive for those who aren鈥檛 transferring or those that have a family life to balance out aside from their work life, Day shared, 鈥淭he scholarships should be a little simpler to do, [and] not as long as they are, because not everyone has the free time.鈥

This article was originally published in Volume 16, Issue 6, March 2022.