Have you ever wondered whether all those hours and time put into honor societies were worth it? Well, they are, and here’s why.

Honor societies are clubs students can join to improve their academic experience in subjects such as psychology, math, languages, history, and more. The National Honors Society is also very popular and their goal is to increase schoolwide involvement. They are specifically common at WJ because they show students’ academic accomplishments, greatly impacting college applications.

“You’re in a community of people who are interested in the same things as you and you have guidance from the teachers that run it,” senior Emma Lindsey said.

These clubs are a great way to get excited about a specific subject and expand your expertise. “There is not a lot of time and effort that goes into joining and being a part of an honor society,” Lindsey said.

For many honor societies, meetings occur once a month or less, providing students plenty of time to focus on classes. Oftentimes, honor societies do not have assignments or projects, but it’s great to know you can be part of an interesting club while still having the time for everyday classes.

For certain students, there can be constant pressure to join honor societies to work with others and add activities to their college resume. The pressure is something that can easily go away once you join an honor society and get used to it.

“As a junior starting to apply to colleges, I think it’s really important and I have a lot of pressure in doing an honor societies club because I feel having all these extra-curriculars will help me next year,” junior Peyton Brown, a member of National Honors Society and Latin Honors Society, said

Honor societies provide many ways to participate and show interest in the topic of choice.“They also help me practice specific skills like creativity. In Latin honors society, we just finished making billboards,” Brown said.

Although joining will have the best impact, honor societies can still immensely benefit students who aren’t a part of it by providing extra help in different subjects.

Rho Kappa offers similar methods of help. “The Rho Kappa Honors Society, which I’m on the executive board of, sponsors tutoring as a requirement for members. Our members go out and tutor kids struggling in social studies,” senior Frans Rejsjo said.

Many students rely on these honor societies for extra help when struggling in class, as help from peers can be more effective and seem less intimidating than help from teachers.

“I go to math honors society sometimes if I don’t understand the lesson of the day. It’s also a great help when my teacher is busy,” freshman Liam Pickett said.

Check out the honor societies to seek academic assistance, work with others, and foster a sense of community with like-minded individuals.

“This is our way of helping our community rise to meet academic excellence in the social studies field that is so important for real-world applications,” Rejsjo said.