National Society for Leadership and Success

[MNomadic]

I originally posted about NSLC 5 months ago when they became an ACE credit provider. At that time, there were roughly 5 members from WGU listed on their site and now there're thousands. This morning it seems myself and countless others received invitations to join and the majority that I've seen post/comment about it on Reddit are skeptical and pessimistic believing it to be a complete scam. It's a shame that so many people seem to have such a negative attitude about it, but I believe it's a good opportunity. It may not be highly prestigious, I think it can benefit people that are eligible. I was already planning to join and now am doing so. The general negative response follows a common trend I see of general skepticism and pessimism online and it's a shame. The only potential downside I see is the 1 time $95 fee which is common in these kinds of societies(in fact other professional societies I've seen charge that much in dues per year). There's a bunch of membership benefits that the $95 buys you including potential scholarships and internship opportunities but in my opinion, the leadership training is worth the $95 alone. Society membership and leadership training can help you stand out in your job search and in general networking/professional development. 

Also, while this won't benefit WGU students, since they'll already be enrolled by the time they join(unless they join from a different college first), the leadership training is worth up to 9 ACE credits, 3 of which are UL).

[MNomadic]

So this is a little scammy; immediately after signing up, they attempted to upcharge me for their advanced and executive leadership training. I scoured the whole site beforehand and found no indication of additional fees for that training, so I felt blindsided, to say the least. Although $225 would be a reasonable amount to charge, the fact that they weren't upfront about it is distasteful.

[Imbanewbie]

I also saw it, I think it is scam too

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[ss20ts]

They've been sending me emails every few days for MONTHS! THey're VERY spammy and sound like a scam. I've got a bachelor's degree. Why would I need to take additional leadership courses for ACE credit? I don't. I'm already in grad school.

[MNomadic]

I'm starting to rethink this "Honor Society." Looking into things more, they do seem a little scammy. They have a 30-day refund policy so I'll check out more of the course material for a few days but am considering asking for a refund if I'm not impressed. Honestly, I already participate in a lot of extracurriculars not affiliated with my school, so I was looking for one related to my school. After searching around, they seem to have an overall negative reputation which would be counterproductive to what I was hoping to get out of a membership. Also, attempting to upsell me exactly one page after paying to join was definitely scammy.

I'll report back in a few days what I decide, but I'll admit it if my impressions were wrong on this one.

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I'm starting to rethink this "Honor Society." Looking into things more, they do seem a little scammy. They have a 30-day refund policy so I'll check out more of the course material for a few days but am considering asking for a refund if I'm not impressed. Honestly, I already participate in a lot of extracurriculars not affiliated with my school, so I was looking for one related to my school. After searching around, they seem to have an overall negative reputation which would be counterproductive to what I was hoping to get out of a membership. Also, attempting to upsell me exactly one page after paying to join was definitely scammy.

I'll report back in a few days what I decide, but I'll admit it if my impressions were wrong on this one.

I decided to go ahead and request my refund. Looking through the training, I'd honestly already covered most of it through some of my other work in various training programs, nonprofit work, and other activities. The job board was outdated and baren, especially in my area and industry. Honestly I already actively participate in a lot of local, industry-specific networking events and professional meet-ups. I already have a lot of past employers that I'm on good terms with who've written me LoRs. The discounts and other benefits won't actually help me because I already get equivalent or better benefits in other ways. The only possible benefit I could derive would be if employers saw the program as prestigious, which I don't think they will, and either way, my own personal achievements outweigh anything this society could give me. If anything, the poor reputation of the NSLS may potentially hurt me. The NSLS could potentially be a good opportunity for someone who doesn't have my background but I have decided it's not for me. Wow, today was a wild ride haha.

[rachel83az]

It sounded like a good deal for $95. At $400, it definitely sounds a bit scammy. Let us know if they do or do not refund you.

[MNomadic]

It sounded like a good deal for $95. At $400, it definitely sounds a bit scammy. Let us know if they do or do not refund you.

They refunded about 2/3 of it immediately. There were some kind of "errors" for the last 3rd but I immediately contacted them to get it corrected and within a few days it was corrected. 

Honestly a little embarrassed that I was so gung ho about this at first but after signing up I was able to see the program from the inside and realized it wasn't for me. They did fully refund me, so I don't have anything to complain about.

[GizmoJack]

Thanks for sharing the outcome so we all are aware.

[Toastmaster]

It sounded like a good deal for $95. At $400, it definitely sounds a bit scammy. Let us know if they do or do not refund you.

They refunded about 2/3 of it immediately. There were some kind of "errors" for the last 3rd but I immediately contacted them to get it corrected and within a few days it was corrected. 

Honestly a little embarrassed that I was so gung ho about this at first but after signing up I was able to see the program from the inside and realized it wasn't for me. They did fully refund me, so I don't have anything to complain about.

Thank you for the heads up!  I was considering joining them during grad school to kind of “beef up” my leadership experience.  I mean, “leadership and success” right?  Sad to hear that they have a bad reputation.  That sucks.