<p>This is my first post so hopefully it is in the right place. I am a junior and I have been a Girl Scout for 6 years. I am conflicted on whether I should pursue the Gold Award. I know that it is great for college admissions, but that is my main reason for doing it, not because I want to. So, will the Gold Award give me enough of an edge in admissions to make it worth all the hours? Any other Girl Scouts out there who have seen it help them out in the admissions process?</p>
<p>The GS Gold is a huge endeavor. It depends on where you are applying. You need to weigh if it will be worth the experience. A lot of scholarships and universities give a lot of credit to those who have completed it since there are not a lot in that pool. However, it is only one part of the puzzle. ie: grades, ec’s, work experience, etc. If you need the GS Gold to complete your ec’s and you are not considering a state school or CC, then go for it. My only advice is to do something that you are really passionate about because it is a lot of work. Good luck.</p>
<p>Nope, not worth it if you are not passionate about it and already have other awards in place. I was on the same page as you earlier this year and decided to opt out - it was the best decision ever!</p>
<p>My D did her Gold Award several years ago. She was a little conflicted about it, but afterwards she said it was really worth it. She gained some skills she didn’t have before (specifically learned a lot about Microsoft Excel, got practice writing business letters, and got practice asking for donations to support her project). Of course, YMMV depending on your project. She ended up getting awarded a merit scholarship from her college that was a level above what her test scores and grades indicated (the web site had criteria). I believe the Gold Award was a big factor in getting that extra scholarship money. I figure in her case it was worth a total of $30K over the four years of college! She also got a smaller two year scholarship from her council that is only available to Gold Award recipients; it is competitive, but there aren’t as many girls vying for it as for the awards they give to regular scouts.</p>
<p>I do agree that timing is important. You want to complete it by the time your first applications are sent in the fall if possible.</p>
<p>Do it. Here’s why. Every college application asks for your awards. This is one that really stands out, which is why I tell my students to earn it if they can. Plus, the project you do will give you essay fodder for scholarship applications that ask about a meaningful community service contribution. </p>
<p>On a personal note, my oldest earned her Gold Award. She attends a very high-pressure high school (it’s ranked #1 in the country) but wanted to earn the GA. She created a project that was small in scope and able to be completed in a short period of time. She finished hers in 6 months–start to finish. The hardest part is the paperwork. However, if you spend time on it you’ll avoid the revisions council often requests. </p>
<p>My $0.02. </p>
<p>I don’t think it’s the GA that’s the huge issue. It’s the Journey leading up to it that DD found the most frustrating. Have you done the Silver and a Journey? DD’s GA also shouldn’t take more than 6 months, hopefully most over the summer. Istparent, I would love to hear about your DDs award. Here kids aren’t allowed to fundraise or ask for any money, although they are allowed to take it if it is offered(?) great job to her for getting it done. Same to you Hokie. I would find something you can be passionate about and do it if you have the pre-work in place.</p>