<p>To the person that mentioned scouts being run by parents: my troop isn't and it works great. Active youth leadership makes things run much more smoothly, and doesn't create those lame troops. You know the ones I'm talking about...</p>
<p>Mailman - I agree. Youth-led troops are better run because adults have purposefully stepped into the background and aren't as pushy. But I'm sure you know of troops which aren't youth led. Those are the ones which result in devalued rank advancement, which affects all Scouts, most of all those who are in properly run troops and truly earn their advancement.</p>
<p>dufus, I think in general that adcoms view Eagle Scout rank as a positive achievement. At one info session we attended in fact (UMich) it was used as an example of "the perfect EC" because it shows dedication, focus, community service, character and ever increasing levels of responsibility and leadership. Having said that, there may be a bit of liberal backlash at play because of the Boy Scouts' policies toward gays. In one interview, my son was specifically asked about this, so "Be prepared." On the other hand there are certain colleges, especially those that are more middle-road politically, that particularly favor Eagles. There are plenty of Eagles at Williams.</p>
<p>Being an Eagle Scout is a huge plus if you are looking to attend any of the military academies. Scouting shows dedication, duty and discipline; all characteristics the military academies are looking for in their future officers. It also is a big plus when applying for ROTC scholarships. I used to be a ROTC PAS and sat on one scholarship board scoring applicants. We treated Eagle Scouts as a big plus in the Leadership category.</p>
<p>I am an Eagle Scout and I think the reason the award is losing its value is the people who do it ONLY for its resume quality and admissions bonus. Ironic, that by earning the rank only for prestige, they are actually decreasing the award's overall prestige. I see too many people like this in my community, and it is sickening, and I don't value the award much anymore. My college essay was a contrast of my scouting experience with that of another Eagle scout who had cheated the system. It is sad that when something becomes so well respected, the overly-ambitious swoop in like vultures and slowly degrade that respect. I was accepted early at Georgetown.</p>
<p>Congratulations, Brenner - and best wishes for success at Georgetown.</p>
<p>As the mother of two Eagle Scouts, I have seen both sides. My second son actually DID build an addition to our church--okay, actually it was an entryway to the back entrance, but it involved a lot of work and planning. In our troop, however, for many years, the basic Eagle project was to clear some land or a trail in a local park--often not too involved. I know of one boy who fit the picture of being handed the award on Mommy's silver platter, as his mom did most of the set-up work for his Eagle project, at least according to what other Scout parents told me. I know another Eagle who, when he was Senior Patrol Leader, would stand in front of the group many a week and say, "Uh, let's see. What should we do today? Oh, let's go outside and play basketball." And that would be the main part of the meeting. He was SPL just because he needed the "leadership" for his Eagle; he didn't really care anything about it. (His dad was big in Scouts, so he couldn't just quit.)</p>
<p>On the other hand, I know many outstanding Eagles, who have been great leaders, working tirelessly with the younger Scouts, organizing interesting and worthwhile meetings, and just generally being outstanding young men. </p>
<p>I have heard of troops who hurry the kids to Eagle, often by 13 or 14. This, I think, is not right. It is not a race, after all. We had one boy in our troop--just a super-Scout who loved everything about Scouting--who could have made Eagle by then. But our troop leaders purposely set some extra requirements, such as going on a 50 miler, to slow him down. (Yes, he could probably have protested, but he didn't.) I think he made Eagle at 16, the same age as my older son. (My younger squeaked in just before turning 18, another tradition in our troop...)</p>
<p>I do believe Eagle Scout was a big plus for my older son's college application, as he didn't have that many EC's. I don't think it mattered as much on my younger son's, as his big hook was music, and he had so many EC's that were music-related.</p>