My son is currently a HS junior (Class of 2018) and is an Eagle Scout. Some people have told me that because he’s an Eagle Scout, he can get admitted into practically any college. I find that extremely hard to believe. Does anyone know if being an Eagle Scout really gives him an edge?
I don’t think he can get into practically any college. He needs the accompanying high grades and test scores.
The EC part of his application will note his Eagle award.
My son achieved Eagle. I think it helped his application.
It absolutely does not mean he can get into “practically any college”. In generally Eagle Scout is viewed as an very nice extracurricular activity/achievement. Some colleges value EC activities more than others. In any event being an Eagle Scout will not get your S into a college he is not academically qualified to attend.
My son is also Eagle and while it is a strong EC, it won’t really get him into any college. I was told it is stronger than being a captain of a varsity sport, but it’s just an EC and grades and test scores mean more. It also depends on which part of the country you are from. We are from the Midwest and there are several outdoorsy guys here. But maybe in the east not as many. Good luck! Either way scouts was a great experience, right?
@aunt bea, that’s what I basically thought too.
I think Eagle/Gold can be strong, especially if an essay highlights the project. But as noted it won’t get you in somewhere yout are unqualified for academically.
Anyone who tells you that any one EC will be the key to opening doors at “practically any college” is clearly not familiar with the college admissions process. Eagle Scout is a nice honor, and shows responsibility , commitment, etc (DS#1 was an eagle scout) but as others have said, its only one piece of the application package. Now if you plan to donate a few million to have a lab named after you, thats another feather in the application hat 
“Any school” is definitely an overstatement , but it is helpful, especially if applying to any of the service academies .
Strong EC but that’s it.
Not an edge for admission but a few schools will give a monetary award for being Eagle/Gold.
Thanks all. Your comments pretty much confirm what I thought. Taskmstrx- thanks for the financial tip.
Some mid-tier schools like to list certain criteria about their incoming students, such as the number of vals/sals, how many were captains of team sports, how many held class office - those schools will also often list how many Eagle/Gold awards earned. Doesn’t mean an Eagle gets you in the door, but if you meet the criteria for admission it’s certainly a nice-to-have.
We’ve heard both that it gets you in anywhere and it guarantees you money. Neither is true, but as said above, it is a nice EC to have and can certainly help make the overall package more attractive.
S found that his Eagle project was a great ice-breaker at college interviews. He did a substantial outdoor project for our church, and since he applied to many Catholic universities, he made sure to have pictures handy so he could show the project in progress. It did help make him memorable.
@InigoMontoya that’s great to hear. Similar situation-project was at a Catholic church and he is interested in Marquette mostly.
At my daughter’s school, earning the Eagle/Gold awards automatically qualifies you for the third tier scholarship. Other ways to qualify are grades, attending a STEM high school, robotics club, ROTC in high school. The tier merit scholarships do not stack, so it is better to have higher grades and scores and qualify for the second or first tier levels (those are stats only, no automatic qualifiers), but if you don’t having the automatic third tier is nice.
It’s a very nice accomplishment for your son. It is not an auto admit to any school, not even the military academies (where MANY of their students have Eagle/Gold awards)
The one kid I know who was an Eagle did well but it’s such an unusual activity here since our schools and Park district won’t permit Boy Scout Troops to meet in schools/PD buildings. He definitely stood out among kids in our area. I think he even wrote an essay about that.
To the OP, agree with other posters. An admissions rep at highly selective WUSTL told us years ago that Eagle or Gold are the most highly recognized accomplishments on college applications. Scholarship opportunities are listed on the nest.org website, http://www.nesa.org/institutions.html.
Definitely an attractive EC for the service academies. USMA lists how many Eagle Scouts matriculated in each class.
Having attained the GS Gold Award had very little impact on admissions for my daughter IMHO. And boy, those kids work so hard for these awards I know my daughter was very dedicated for many years. I’d like to think they might equate to a varsity sport or the like. But I just don’t think that is the case.
I believe they do equate to a varsity athlete. But they don’t equate to a recruited athete.
Congratulations to your son in achieving the Eagle rank.
It is a very recognizable and explicitly definable EC. However, some schools admit by reviewing the “whole” student and ECs are important. Other schools are numbers only and never look at ECs. Looking at a college’s “common data set” will tell you what the school considers when reviewing applications as well as a wealth of other admission statistics. It is good to review those common data sets for any college you are applying to in order to know the rules of each school’s process.