<p>I have recently obtained my eagle scout award ( very special to me.) Some of my friends have told me that eagle scout has just became a name and nothing important. Can someone clear this up for me? Thanks.</p>
<p>It’s a very good EC that shows drive. Congrats.</p>
<p>It’s an accomplishment to be proud of, and insofar as it’s evidence of diligence, hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and character, it’s certainly a net positive at schools that consider ECs, personal accomplishments, and character in a holistic admissions process. </p>
<p>On the other hand, since nearly 60,000 people a year become Eagle Scouts, it’s not likely to be seen as such a singular accomplishment that it will carry overriding significance; just one data point in your favor. </p>
<p>And to be perfectly candid, I’d be somewhat concerned that the Boy Scouts of America has tarnished its own brand in the eyes of some admissions officers, given that organization’s persistent policy of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. I understand that policy is now changing with respect to scouts, but not with respect to adult leaders. Since most colleges and universities that use holistic admissions are firmly committed to the values of diversity and tolerance, including diversity and tolerance on the basis of sexual orientation, and actively seek to provide a campus environment that is friendly toward GLBT students, a credential from an organization whose official policies continue to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation might be seen as a mixed blessing–probably on the whole positive for what it signals about personal accomplishments and character, but not as positive as it might be in the absence of anti-gay discrimination on the part of the credentialing organization, for fear that the organization’s views and values on the subject of sexual orientation might carry over to what the applicant brings to campus, in a negative way. That’s all just speculation on my part, of course; I don’t have actual evidence for it, but I do know several Eagle Scouts who found that the credential didn’t help them as much in college admissions as they hoped and expected it would.</p>
<p>Being an Eagle Scout means that you have developed a set of skills that will help you get into college and to do well in college, as long as you are also a good student. As noted above, there are a lot of Eagle Scouts each year, and they include plenty of people who are not great students. It is not an academic achievement. But it is an EC that suggests a lot of leadership and willingness to work. That is going to be a positive to a lot of colleges. It is not going to be a magic key, however.</p>
<p>As to bclintonk’s point about BSA’s policies, I think it is possible that some admissions personnel might have a negative impression. It may come up in an interview, and you should think about what you would say about it. Most scouts I know are delighted that BSA has made the change it just did, and hope (and expect) that more changes will be coming in the not-too-distant future.</p>
<p>I think you will find being an eagle scout will pay dividends down the road when trying to get a job more so than with college.</p>
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<p>This is very good advice by Hunt. I don’t think that you have to worry about being Eagle Scout actually hurting you in the admissions process. Even on the most liberal, hyper-selective campuses, it will still be viewed as a plus, albeit not a huge one. In fact, at those places where the majority of students are left-leaning, it could work in your favor to have pursued this very mainstream, traditional activity since it will help to set you apart from the crowd. </p>
<p>Your college essay (or The Additional Information section of your applications) might be a good place to explain why being an Eagle Scout is special to you. And if you were outraged by the long-held anti-gay position, you can also say so in this statement.</p>
<p>Every positive notch on your application belt will help. The achievement will be compared to other achievements that required time, dedication, and as others said plenty of character. It will, however, not overshadow weaker parts of an application, as athletic prowess might. </p>
<p>It should also provide you a reasonable source of positive essays, especially when essays should NOT be about academic achievements but entirely about what made the individual different.</p>
<p>PS Crossposted with above regarding the essay. This said, I think that it would a HORRIBLE idea to discuss gender, religion, or political issues in your essays. The essays should be about you … and not about a “generic” cause. And, fwiw, there is always the chance that the reader happens to profoundly dislike the decision of the BSA, and look negatively on your application. Why take an undue risk?</p>
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<p>And be prepared for the obvious question: if you were so “outraged” why didn’t you withdraw from Scouts?</p>
<p>I concur with xiggi. </p>
<p>If your project ties into your personal career interests, say beach clean up and your are a budding Enviro major, then by all means discuss it in your essay. Otherwise, tread carefully, and perhaps just let the EC stand by itself…</p>
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The answer for many will be some combination of the following (1) while we disagreed with this policy, we felt the positives outweighed the negatives; (2) we believed that disagreement from within would eventually push BSA to change the policy—which it did; and (3) the policy was never discussed at the troop level, and nobody ever asked whether a scout or a parent was gay. The last of these would not be true for all troops, but it would be true for a lot of them. It probably would be hypocritical to claim to have been “outraged” by the policy if you stayed in, but I think it’s true of lots of people–myself included–that we thought there were lots of positives despite these negatives, and that we expressed our opinions about the need for change–and BSA listened to us. (I would also note–although probably not in an interview–that nobody seems to hold other groups to this same kind of standard, even if they show no signs at all of moderating their discriminatory policies–thus, nobody seems to suggest that a Catholic student might not get into a selective college because of his affiliation with a discriminatory organization, or that he would have to explain or defend anything in an essay.)</p>
<p>Do know that later in college, S did get an Eagle Scout merit award that helped pay for books at his U. Any merit award is helpful. Agree also that the scout can use parts of his scouting experience as subject matter for essays on leadership, planning, etc.</p>
<p>I would just like to emphasize (sermon warning) that the real value of your Eagle Scout experience is not what it will get for you in terms of college admissions, or money, or recognition, but what you learned while doing it and the skills and character traits it helped you build. Those will matter wherever you go and whatever you do. So don’t worry about people who say it’s just a name and nothing important. Don’t you already know that this isn’t true?</p>
<p>Congratualtions on attaining the rank of Eagle Scout! …I hope I said that properly :)</p>
<p>I know that some schools, such as University of Evansville, offer automatic scholarships (I think theirs is $13,000 - $18,000, depending on gpa and test scores) that can reduce out-of-pocket costs. Good luck!</p>
<p>Congratulations and by all means, put it in your application. I liken Eagle Scout to a student earning a black belt in martial arts. Sure, thousands of people do this every year, but it requires perseverance, self discipline, commitment, and a certain amount of passion maintained over years – pretty much what admissions officers say they are seeking in an applicant.</p>
<p>The following repeats something I posted years ago in a similar thread, addressing the point about the number of Eagle Scouts:</p>
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<p>I think it’s possible that there are adcoms who (consciously or not) are not happy about the BSA organization as a whole and thus may subconsciously “damn” an Eagle Scout, or at least not give it the full recognition it’s due. Having said that, the same could be said for practically any activity or EC – there will always be some adcom, somewhere, who has an unconscious dislike for newspaper editors / cheerleaders / student-body presidents / football players, and the hope is that it all washes out over time anyway.</p>
<p>Congrats!</p>
<p>Don’t let anyone undermine this accomplishment. You’ve worked hard and jumped through a LOT of hoops to get there. When you are an old fart like me, people will still be impressed you earned the rank. The most liberal people I know respect the rank and work it represents. </p>
<p>As a youth, I was never a Boy Scout but, my son is very close to (two more white border badges and a BOR) earning his Eagle. </p>
<p>You don’t say what grade you are in or what your aspirations are but, for a back of the envelope picture (I know the math isnt this simple):
[Fast</a> Facts](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372]Fast”>Fast Facts: Back-to-school statistics (372))</p>
<p>According to the US Department of Education, about 3.5 million kids graduate high school each year. Let’s say 50k-60k of them have an Eagle Scout. That means less than 2% of HS graduates have attained the rank. That’s fairly rare by any standard. In fact, that’s about how many people as are recognized each year by National Merit Program and the National Achievement Program.
[National</a> Merit Scholarship Corporation - Competition Steps](<a href=“http://nationalmerit.org/faq_competition.php]National”>http://nationalmerit.org/faq_competition.php)</p>
<p>Whether Eagle Scouts are more or less inclined to apply to elite schools is anyone’s guess. I would guess National Merit scholars apply at a much higher rate than the typical HS grad.</p>
<p>An Eagle won’t get you into Harvard by itself but’ it does demonstrate leadership in an uncommon (<2%) way. Your project can also speak volumes about your interests and abilities and open doors to demonstrate further commitment to a cause or interest. </p>
<p>If you take the right courses, get great grades and find other ways to set yourself apart, you’ll go far. If you can weave a common thread between your scout project, a school activity, volunteer hours, a part time job and your career interest - you will stand out. </p>
<p>Gongrats again and good luck.</p>
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You should encourage him to get his Eagle; otherwise, one more thing he might regret later on.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s going be the deciding factor on whether you get in to a certain college or not. But it’s not going to hurt your chances either. Colleges look for a variety of EC’s and ask how many hours you put into each one. So having a EC that took a lot of hours shows that you didn’t just sit in your room and study all the time.</p>
<p>have you tried applying for the eagle scout scholarship? When I got mine I got a bunch of paperwork about that and other stuff, grants, blah blah.</p>
<p>Congratulations, OP! As a parent of a son currently working on his Eagle project proposal, I understand the commitment that it takes to earn this rank. You should be very proud.</p>