Eagle Scout and College Admissions

I earned the rank in middle school (so idk where it would go in the application). I haven’t been active in boy scouts for the past few years.

Would it make sense to list it on college applications? Especially if applying to top tier schools like Stanford, Harvard, etc.

I’ve moved towards other activities (STEM and debate), and have awards in those subjects. But I’d still list being an Eagle Scout in my top 5 life accomplishments - not number one, but still important.

Thoughts?

(This is my first post here so if I did something wrong please let me know)

Wow! You earned an Eagle Scout in middle school? Isn’t that kind of unheard of? Everyone I know earned it during high school.

You are supposed to list only your high school accomplishments under awards, but you are an Eagle Scout for life, so you should definitely put that in your application. And yes, it’s an important award so it should be included.

@doschicos Thank you, do you think that will be counted for or against me if I list it?

@Massmomm Where is the appropriate place to mention it in the application? I’m a very different person now than in middle school, and I don’t think I could write a good essay about it. The awards section for the common app is only for awards in 9th-12th grade (there is no way to override this, you have to specify a grade); most schools don’t have a place for a supplemental resume or something like that. Any ideas?

Do you have a good college counselor? If so, I’d ask their opinion. Perhaps they could even include it in their write up of you. Eagle Scout is an impressive endeavor regardless but accomplishing it in middle school is a bigger deal and worth mentioning.

@bobince,mention it in your essay. The essay doesn’t have to be about being an Eagle Scout. You can simply work in a few words about a lesson that you learned when you were doing the work to become an ES. Or you can have your guidance counselor mention it in his/her rec letter.

/\ Agree with Massmomm to mention it in passing in your essay. More unusual than making Eagle in middle school is not staying with Scouting in any capacity afterwards in high school (and my guess is that is not a good thing if you wanted to impress someone that this was a meaningful achievement for you). Assuming you had leadership positions in those high school activities (not just awards), you could say something like the leadership skills you honed obtaining your Eagle Scout rank were useful in one of your other activities.

The Eagles, in our area, purposely do it during high school because, as older scouts, they have more options in what the projects entail and have drivers’ licenses. Additionally, it shows that the scouts balance the Eagle requirements with their high school schedules (sports and academics).

The LOR’s for college apps do come from Adult scout leaders who are current leaders.

We did have someone achieve it in middle school, but he found out that it was difficult to get permissions for projects, given his age limitations. The Scouts who performed community services for their high schools, had an “easier” process to get permissions for projects.

I don’t know where you would list it. The numbers of Eagles continues to increase.

Talk to your guidance counselor about finding the right place to put it. You may want to list it under “honors” or somewhere like that (if you are an Eagle Scout for life then it is valid). If you remain at all active in scouting you can put in in that you are an Eagle Scout when you describe that activity.

Harvard and Stanford are less likely to be as impressed by any middle school accomplishment unless it’s part of a long continuing effort. They’re looking at kids who continued to surge through hs.

Since you asked elsewhere abut HPSM, you need to learn what takes a kid from ‘top performer, active’ to ‘compelling for an admit.’ It’s more than stats and some obvious accomplishments or labels.

It won’t harm you to mention, if you’ve continue to be involved. (Or if you work it into the app, in a truly meaningful way.) But just inserting it for the sake of telling them, could make them wonder why and if you really know what they value. It’s really the same as other activities in ms that kids think lend some gloss. By the time you apply, at least 4 years will have passed.

I am very familiar with the Eagle Scout requirements and there are certain merit badges that you can’t earn until you are 14 which I guess could mean you did them in 8th grade - earliest I have ever seen a boy scout earn the rank is freshman year (and most sophomore year or later). Anyway, not the point…you should definitely put this in one of the sections of the common application. You are an Eagle Scout for life no matter when you earned the rank. Agree, that it would be even more meaningful if you elaborated on any involvement you have with your troop now.

Added to your other HS ECs will look even more impressive.

I have a different perspective. I am very familiar with scouting and the requirements and expectations. Many who are heavily involved in the program, don’t think that an Eagle award should be given to a middle school student and therefore don’t look upon the award with the same level of respect and merit as an older scout. Earning Eagle is supposed to be a process and a journey rather than a race through required badges. It involves years of volunteer service, leadership positions and maturity. There is no way a middle school student has had the time to earn and experience the levels of leadership expected of an Eagle. Most respectable troops will slow a scout down and make sure that a boy can not earn Eagle before he is truly deserving. Often troops that do not are called “Eagle Mills” or the boy’s father is the scoutmaster who allowed this. In short, a middle school student should never be awarded Eagle. Therefore I would not highlight it on my college applications. Most out there know what being an Eagle Scout really means. First and foremost it means continuing as a Boy Scout rather than quitting.

Girl Scouts have pre-reqs that cannot be started until high school, then the application for the project has to be put in, then the actual project. I’ve never heard of Gold being done until at least 2 years in to high school.

@GWTWFan and @Empireapple – Most people in my troop do earn the award when they’re 16 or 17. I did get it early, but I met all the requirements… I have no idea what merit badges you were referring to that require 14 years of age, since I earned award while 13 (fall of 8th grade). FWIW, I served as SPL during that time (due to the laziness/inactiveness of older scouts), and afterwards I earned palms up to silver.

Anyway, I haven’t been active since sophomore year, so I’m not going to get a rec from an adult leader or write an essay specifically about scouting. I figure it would make the most sense to either put it in the “Additional Info” section of the Common App (is that a common thing to do? do colleges even look at it?) or mention it in passing in the essay. I have other awards and stuff, so this isn’t a must-have for my application - if it’s going to hurt me, I’d just leave it out.

I can’t imagine it will hurt you in any way. Eagle Scout is a big accomplishment. Put it in wherever you feel it is appropriate – never forget – it is your application.

i think it’s great you reached Eagle. I think it should be in there somewhere… If you can’t fit it appropriately under high school, you could always make it known to your letter writers and guidance counselor, who can refer to you as an Eagle Scout and get the message across that way.

But never forget, the reactions belong to the college reviewers. They aren’t looking for middle school accomplishments (and not when he hit it and dropped.) The Life status never leaves, but this is a college app.

I originally thought maybe Scouts inspired some other forms of service or awareness or taught some lesson applied in other challenges. Not?

Remember, this is for S, H, and maybe some other tippy tops.

Adding, yes, the GC can mention it. Bobby…great kid…character… Work it in. But backed up by high school evidence of some sort.

@lookingforward I’m probably going to have some major leadership positions. I’ll definitely work it in somehow, something along the lines of “I applied what I learned as an Eagle Scout to doing X” (obviously less corny, but that’s the gist).

You should include it in your application…I beleive it will only help you - not hurt you. Not sure where you would include the info - I would say ask your school counselor. P.S. In our area scouts must be 14 to earn the Citizenship in the Community, Nation and World badges but perhaps that is not the case in your troop/area. Perhaps a minimum age is set for the reasons Empireapple outlines in his/her post.