<p>how much weight does being an eagle scout really carry?</p>
<p>Honestly, I'd also like to know from someone in the know, but from what I understand it can be a big boost because it shows a lot of leadership and commitment. Several adults I?ve spoken with attribute a large part of their college admission to being an eagle scout, but that was many years ago, and I don?t really know how it is now. I do know that it would definitely be a big plus at West Point, Annapolis, etc, and at least a decent plus anywhere else.
Just my 2 cents.</p>
<p>It's one of the best extracurriculars you can have that isn't extreme (i.e. owning your own business, writing a book) It shows a LOT of leadership and dedication. Something like 1% of people who begin scouting become eagle scouts. It looks very good.</p>
<p>This is good news. I'm almost an Eagle Scout, doin my Board of Review on monday! And yeah, a small percentage of scouts actually do get Eagle. Except in my Troop. I based a large part of my UC essay on my experiences being a leader in scouts.</p>
<p>Yeah!</p>
<p>If civilization as we know it collapses, at least there will be a few left over who can lead us through making fire with sticks. Totally worth it.</p>
<p>Yep, because Scouting is all about making fire with sticks.</p>
<p>Not as much weight as it should, unfortunately. It is seen as a very good ec, but it is unlikely to be a major factor in admissions unless the application is centered around it. Schools that place a strong emphasis on community service and personal character (e.g. Davidson, Knox, etc.) tend to value it more.</p>
<p>It is a big deal at service academies. </p>
<p>Interesting fact: every year about 10% of the entering class at USNA are Eagle Scouts at graduation, Eagle Scouts make up almost 15% of the class.</p>
<p>My fiance is an Eagle Scout and this was his take on it when we talked about it a few weeks ago...</p>
<p>It definitely helps for service academies, the commitment it takes to get Eagle rank shows the commitment you'd have towards the armed services (or something like that). </p>
<p>It also helps with getting some scholarships as it shows leadership and again, commitment. Order of the Arrow OTOH, sometimes doesn't hold weight as many know it is just a popularity contest. </p>
<p>It doesn't help as much for non-service academy admissions. My fiance applied to a bunch of schools senior year of HS (7 years ago) with SAT of >1200, GPA 4.0+ (W) and class rank in top 15-20%. He was still denied from Northeastern and UDel despite his proven commitment to scouts (he was also a counselor and is a Philmont survivor). </p>
<p>However, the Gold Award given by the Girl Scouts is held highly in most college admissions. Fewer Girl Scouts make it to the Silver/Gold awards than Boy Scouts to the Eagle, so it can give girls a great competitive edge (and lots of scholarship).</p>
<p>Ahh thats interesting, well I didn't apply to any Ivies, Privates, etc, just some UCs.</p>