Resumes evolve over time, as people have new skills, experiences, etc to add to them. I pulled up a copy of a resume DS#1 wrote in college when applying for his first job, and I noticed things included on that resume (including an award for VFW Eagle scout of the year- second in State), that disappeared off the next version of his resume when there were other things to add to the resume and things to drop off. FWIW.
@SaphireNY does karate help on apps?
My go for the sake of going. The school they go to, the black belt test is 24 hours - starts with forms testing & board breaking on a Friday afternoon, then goes into an endurance test into Saturday.
Intensity depends on the age & fitness level - they try to make you reach your individual limit & overcome it. So adults and older teens they will interrupt the sleep frex.
My D19 got her belt last year, my D15 will test this June.
I know Girl Scouts didn’t have the issue with discrimination based on homosexuality. Boy Scouts recently made that declaration but that means that most of the adults who went through the program did so with that discriminatory aspect.
Boy Scouts still too heavily involve religion for many people. There really isn’t a place in the organizations for agnostic or atheist members. That can be an issue for some people who feel that by having public schools support BS, it is failing to separate government from religion.
Obviously, there are not a lot of people who either know or care that this could be an issue for anyone but I think its still valid to realize has potential for impact.
@mom2twogirls Speaking regionally, NE, I don’t think that policy was ever enforced, thankfully, and the council had a statement saying that. And it’s not religious which also that reflects the attitude of the NE. But I understand what you are saying and it could be a negative in a place like Cambridge.
Edited to say, I shouldn’t have said never enforced. It was almost enforced once that I know. A youth camp leader came out at camp and they asked him to leave his job but not scouting. The whole youth staff said they would quit if he had to leave and the matter was dropped.
As much as any EC helps…Eagle Scout is a great EC…it shows dedication to an activity, leadership, service…everything you want in an EC.
For example when applying to military academies, it has been reported that:
THE FIRST QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED OF MY SON BY OUR SENATOR AND CONGRESSMAN WAS: “Are you an Eagle Scout”
@gearmom: certainly you know that the controversy still remains due to BSA’s policy about LGBT scoutmasters, right?
@mom2twogirls To assume that a hiring manager would negatively view a BSA applicant b/c the org’s policies could happen but that’s way too much to worry about.
It reminds me of right-wing talking heads who warn about all the Liberal brainwashing that would occur if you sent your kid to an Ivy league school (makes me laugh when you consider the nos. of applications to Wall St. jobs coming from them).
@T26E4 Yes and you might have noticed the carefully worded response in which I specifically referred to scouts for the boys and scouts and leaders for the girls with regards to discrimination? I think that the progress on a national policy level is a slow moving train for the group because of the diversity of beliefs countrywide and they are stepping through the process. And the regional reality is that scouting in NE might certainly be a different experience than in the Midwest but so is life.
Yep – I don’t doubt that. The nat’l org is in a tough position. Not moving fast enough for some, moving too slow for others.
Oh, sure T26E4. It’s (future interviewers opinions) not something I would worry about if I had boys (I have girls, hence the screen name) and they and I were interested in Boy Scouts either. But then again, I wouldn’t expect them in it to give them a boost either.
In the context of this discussion, I mentioned the possibility because it seems like many people are only aware of the positives and unaware that other people may have somewhat negative views of the organization in general. I don’t think that people who dislike the Boy Scouts former stance on homosexuality or their current religious undertones necessarily ascribe those feelings to the actual members in general, but I could see the potential for it to come up in conversation in some circles if a candidate is relying heavily on Boy Scout involvement and touting the many positive attributes of the organization while ignoring or being unaware of some of the hurt it’s also caused.
I definitely think it matters. S1 is an Eagle, S2 is Life headed to Eagle, S3 is a Webelo heading to boy scouts next year. S1 managed to get wait listed for Northeastern - a complete reach school for him. Seeing the stats of the kids rejected, I know it’s because he has Eagle. It is rare & it takes a lot of time and dedication to achieve. It is about so much more than service hours. He also got into UCONN - over kids with much better stats. He is a smart kid that doesn’t always apply himself in school. …but he is an Eagle.
For the record, S1 earned his Eagle just before turning 18. He spent a year as the Senior Patrol Leader for his troop -at 16 years old. For a year he was the Assistant Patrol Leader at 15. Every year he had a different position of responsibility. At 16 he went to Youth Leadership Training. He was nominated into and joined The Order of the Arrow at 16. He can be a lifeguard anywhere. He can drag the largest person to safety. He can survive just about anything and has had to prove his ability to do so. Those who scoff at what it takes to be an Eagle truly have no idea what it means and takes to achieve the rank.
@mom2twogirls Our public school still says the Pledge of Allegiance. I don’t find scouting more religious than that.except at camp they are asked to go to a service. Many will go to the Jewish one because they serve bagels. The Rabbi of course knows this and uses the time to introduce his hungry crowd to Judaism. I think its good to understand different people.
@Rebecca My eleven year old did wilderness survival. Making his own shelter out of natural materials and sleeping in it. How many fifth graders do that outside of scouting? My S1 has a similar record. You just become such a capable and independent person.
**MODERATOR’S NOTE: **Let’s stay on topic please. Questions about BSA policies, past or present, is not part of the original question.
It is unique and special to make it through Scouting to Eagle rank. See updated info released today, http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/03/30/what-percentage-of-boy-scouts-become-eagle-scouts/
It is an important EC - again, wishing your sons the best on their Trail to Eagle!
I dont think it does, my son is an Eagle Scout at 15, and has a 34 ACT and 2280 SAT… Varsity Sports, NHS and National Merit Finalist and more, it didnt help in get in school, he got rejected to some we thought he would get in…
Agree with Karen my older son was an Eagle Scout and national merit commended scholar along with 2260 sat and all fives on six ap exams and still got rejected to penn Dartmouth brown duke not so sad he got into the 4top public schools including Berkeley Michigan chapel hill and uva but I don’t think eagle helped him
College admissions doesn’t always seem fair your child should do the things he or she loves and show passion in it over the long haul .i do think being an eagle is something he can always include in his resume and has helped to shape him into a leader but don’t count on it giving you the leg up for highly selective schools
In regards to the military academy. Who really knows if it helps. A couple of years ago, my son had two very good friends apply to the Naval Academy. One boy, A, was ranked 2/500 and the second boy, B, was probably ranked in the top 20. A played 2 varsity sports, B played 1. Boy A has his Eagle Scout, B does not. Guess who is at the Naval Academy, B the second boy. They are both great kids but in this instance the ES did not give boy A an edge.
DS 2 has his Eagle Scout and I hope it does help him as he could use it 
At the UMSA an Eagle Scout Rank add points to the whole candidate score. It helps.
The military will give an ES a grade bump over an applicant without it. And in speaking with a parent whose son made Eagle I was told the admissions office added 300 points to his SAT score because of it. This is in Connecticut. Not sure about the scouting program in NY, but here in CT its very strong. In talking to adult Eagles their rank has always given them an edge. And I’m hearing colleges like it because it shows the long term sustained commitment and leadership it takes to become one. Although there are some kids just going through the motions, a troop with a strong program ensures these guys come out with amazing attitudes and leadership. My troop has Eagle Candidates that have accomplished hundreds of hours of community service, and not just on their own projects. Never mind earning dozens of merit badges, learning to lead your own peers, and walking up to managers of businesses asking for donations to fund their projects. It is no surprise that the first crew of men on the moon were Eagle and Life scouts. Anyone with knowledge of the program knows the in-depth commitment it requires. Some stats: 57% of astronauts were in scouting- 39 were/are Eagles out of 181 astronauts. One third of the military academies contain scouts and about 15% are Eagle Scouts. Only about 5% of all boys in scouting achieve Eagle today. 191 members of the 113th Congress were scouts/scouters with 39 of them Eagle Scouts. So while it might not help your son get into Harvard, it certainly confers a leg up in other schools - like Purdue who is exceedingly proud of Neil Armstrong, First man on the moon, Eagle Scout and Purdue grad.