Eagle Scout award

Eagle Scout is one of several named achievements on the application that adds points to the whole candidate score. It is difficult for us to put this single achievement into perspective relative to other named achievements, but you should consider it a significant achievement for an applicant. If I were choosing to spend time to complete a significant achievement, I would focus on well recognized awards like Eagle Scout as opposed to something without the same international recognition.

In regards to a candidate who would be considered average, but had achieved Eagle Scout - this would move the needle in WCS but would be unlikely to tip the scale in favor of this candidate in my opinion. In general, an Eagle Scout is typically above average in many facets of their candidate profile and are not one dimensional. The achievement is impressive, but it typically comes with other accolades and leadership experiences that would aid in rounding out the profile.

Disclaimer - I am an Eagle Scout, my DS is an Eagle Scout working on Sea Scout Quartermaster, and my DD is working on Eagle. I think it is a big deal for personal development regardless of how it impacts WCS.
 
I think it helped my DS's application tremendously.


A big part of earning the Eagle rank is community service - all of the countless hours spent on his Eagle Project, and helping other scouts with their projects, etc. Scouting also provides lots of leadership opportunities and experience, along with great experience in the outdoors/ field craft, which IMO are helpful in the military.

The fact that the military services have for many years offered Eagle scouts who ENLIST, advanced rank of E2 or E3, shows that the services value it.

When my son was doing his interview, the interviewing officer was not very familiar with Scouting, and when asking about the Eagle Scout rank, and what it entailed, my son said he seemed impressed when he mentioned that less that 5% off all boys who go into scouting ultimately earn the top rank of Eagle.

it IS something to be proud of, and commended for.
 
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My son is an Eagle.. Yes - The Eagle is something that takes 3 plus years to attain, structured , monitored and has checks and balance, unlike being president of a club etc, That are easy to put down on an application
 
TimFlyer said:
My son is an Eagle.. Yes - The Eagle is something that takes 3 plus years to attain, structured , monitored and has checks and balance, unlike being president of a club etc, That are easy to put down on an application
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Well, not all Eagle Scout awards/projects/journeys are created equally. Just like for many applicants where their activities that may be "president of a club, etc." are not all relegated to being downplayed as "easy to put down on an application."
 
TheRightStuff said:
Well, not all Eagle Scout awards/projects/journeys are created equally. Just like for many applicants where their activities that may be "president of a club, etc." are not all relegated to being downplayed as "easy to put down on an application."
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The path to Eagle scout is clear, documented and been around a long time.. The award requires knowledge, patience, communication skills and more just to name a few.. YEs - The Eagle scout weighs far more than a "club participation" " club president ".
The fact is that an Eagle scout is a journey where many other accomplishments can be short term 6 maths or 1 year..
 
TimFlyer said:
The path to Eagle scout is clear, documented and been around a long time.. The award requires knowledge, patience, communication skills and more just to name a few.. YEs - The Eagle scout weighs far more than a "club participation" " club president ".
The fact is that an Eagle scout is a journey where many other accomplishments can be short term 6 maths or 1 year..
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Nobody said it wasn’t an impressive accomplishment or that it didn’t weigh heavily in the process. The statement was directed more at your dismissive comments of “club participation” and “club president” activities, some of which can and do take more time and dedication than the time and dedication needed to become an Eagle Scout. This is especially true depending on the variations between clubs/activities and Boy Scout troops.

Please be a bit more considerate when minimizing the accomplishments and dedication of so many young men and women that have chosen a different path of leadership.
 
TheRightStuff said:
Nobody said it wasn’t an impressive accomplishment or that it didn’t weigh heavily in the process. The statement was directed more at your dismissive comments of “club participation” and “club president” activities, some of which can and do take more time and dedication than the time and dedication needed to become an Eagle Scout. This is especially true depending on the variations between clubs/activities and Boy Scout troops.

Please be a bit more considerate when minimizing the accomplishments and dedication of so many young men and women that have chosen a different path of leadership.
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The question is about the Eagle Scout. The fact is the HS club stuff does not weigh as much as Eagle Scout and MCS proves that. You indicated that " not all Eagle Scout awards/projects/journeys are created equally." The path to Eagle is documented and it is controlled by the governing body. I think all the HS activities are great BUT they are not in the Eagle Scout classification.
I think your comment about the Eagle Scout and comparing to other achievements is demeaning to fellow Eagle Scout.

Sorry, I missed my corporate sensitivity training for quarter.
 
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TimFlyer said:
The question is about the Eagle Scout. The fact is all the hS club stuff does not weigh as much as Eagle Scout and MCS proves that. Sorry, I missed my corporate sensitivity training for quarter.
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Well, since you yourself were the one that inserted the “club” comments into an Eagle Scout thread then I guess you can apologize to yourself after you finish your sensitivity training. Again, nobody said anything about “club” activities at all until you decided to insert them into the thread and describe them as something less than relevant or worthwhile.

At no time was the journey to, and rank of, Eagle Scout minimized or denigrated. Please do not try project your comments onto others.

I would venture to guess that none of the young men and women on this forum that have had their “club” participation minimized by you will be expecting an apology.
 
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Relax !!!!

I'm sure every applicant at all SA have 1/2 dozen clubs, Presidents and it's an integral part of the applicant BUT it's not an Eagle Scout..
 
One of the major impressions that I got from visiting the academy was that there is no golden ticket to getting in. The class each year is built from a very wide range of interests/hobbies/extracurriculars. The most important thing is that candidates have excelled at whatever extracurriculars/hobbies they are involved in. Do something because you enjoy it, not because you think it will look good.
 
Ok, @TimFlyer you win. What you would like to say is that every applicant that has attained the rank of Eagle Scout gets in and those that do not will not gain acceptance, and club participation is less than worthy as opposed to an ES opportunity.

We all know that is not true and that every applicant’s journey is different - ES or not, clubs or not. The point was (and remains) that your characterization of club participation was petty, unfair and takes away from the hard work of many young and women.

End of story.
 
Eagle Scout is one of the few named Extracurricular activities on the application, thus one can assume it carries some weight. Now, USAFA uses a "Whole Candidate Score" which accounts for many things, and ECs are not the most heavily weighted section. So, yes, it helps, but it's unlikely to get you in, if that's the only EC you have.

TheRightStuff,
First, I get that you are new here, so take this as kind-hearted advice. Don't go sprinting to the defense of people you assume might be offended to right the wrongs of insults you assume others may have made (see how convoluted that sounds?) Eagle Scout has documented requirements and review boards to make sure those requirements are met. It requires several years of participation and leadership. Most clubs do not have nationally recognized and standardized requirements with oversight councils to ensure each person fulfilled them. Some clubs take LOTS of work. Others do not. The variation is why participation and even leadership in most ECs has to be explained, so the admissions board can score it accordingly. The same can be done with Eagle Scout, but if you don't explain, a certain baseline can be safely assumed.
 
raimius said:
Eagle Scout is one of the few named Extracurricular activities on the application, thus one can assume it carries some weight. Now, USAFA uses a "Whole Candidate Score" which accounts for many things, and ECs are not the most heavily weighted section. So, yes, it helps, but it's unlikely to get you in, if that's the only EC you have.

TheRightStuff,
First, I get that you are new here, so take this as kind-hearted advice. Don't go sprinting to the defense of people you assume might be offended to right the wrongs of insults you assume others may have made (see how convoluted that sounds?) Eagle Scout has documented requirements and review boards to make sure those requirements are met. It requires several years of participation and leadership. Most clubs do not have nationally recognized and standardized requirements with oversight councils to ensure each person fulfilled them. Some clubs take LOTS of work. Others do not. The variation is why participation and even leadership in most ECs has to be explained, so the admissions board can score it accordingly. The same can be done with Eagle Scout, but if you don't explain, a certain baseline can be safely assumed.
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Thanks, but I am well-aware of what is required to become an Eagle Scout, the review board that approves the entirety of the award and that it is looked favorably upon by the academies. I am also aware of what being an ES means vs. other ECs. The fact that I am "new" on this forum has nothing to do with my knowledge of these facts.

Being new or not also has nothing to do with the fact that the person (who is also new - another irrelevant fact) that brought club activities into this thread was dismissive and wrong, so he was called out. Your advice is appreciated, but in this case it is misplaced and unnecessary.
 
TimFlyer said:
The path to Eagle scout is clear, documented and been around a long time.. The award requires knowledge, patience, communication skills and more just to name a few.. YEs - The Eagle scout weighs far more than a "club participation" " club president ".
The fact is that an Eagle scout is a journey where many other accomplishments can be short term 6 months or 1 year..
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I couldn't agree more. My son moved from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts in Jan of his 5th grade yr. Many weekends, Winter and Christmas breaks going to take merit badge classes. All the work that goes into the merit badges and ranks. Yes it is more than a club president tenure. Volunteering every summer for a week at Cub Scout Day camp(which is says he absolutely will do every summer, his fav), leading when you don't want to. Going to meetings when you still have homework to do after. Going to NYLT and then NAYLE bc your mom makes you and then you love it. NAYLE wasn't a tough one, to go to. Then there are the amazing trips to JAMBO, Bahamas, Philmont x's 2 and summer camps. There is the trip you want to go on this summer to work 8 days with the horses and then go into back country for 8 days on a trip. Scouting is a journey for the Scout, but also for the mom that will earn her "eagle scout" too",lol.
 
On the OP's original question - I agree being an Eagle does strongly help in these applications. I especially agree it will help for life in job applications, etc. However, the guarded fact - almost-never mentioned statistic in all of the newspaper press releases and ceremonies - 52,160 Eagle Scout awards were presented in 2018, 6.5 percent of the eligible 2018 membership- I believe even more last year and projected to grow higher. Over 2.5 million Eagle Scout awards have been presented in total since 1912. It's fantastic, but not rare. For encouragement, on another forum it was made clear many of the Navy national scholarship award recipients in the class of 2023 were eagles. I'll quickly add a congrats to all who have earned this rank. My DS is an Eagle Scout, and I'm proud of him for it and a fan of the scouting program. My DDs are in GS - love the programs.
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OK, read-on only for additional perspective on the back and forth in this thread and commanding v demanding respect for being an eagle. Thanks, Hermie, Sr.

However, I think some comments in this thread lack alignment with the Eagle core values. I recommend Eagles should be proud, but not excessively proud of this accomplishment. Understand the difference between commanding and demanding respect and remember your courteous/ helpful/ reverent (respecting the beliefs of others) / kind core values that IMO aren't on display in threads that negate or dismiss other people's accomplishments.


Let's please respect @TheRightStuff's point that other accomplishments should not be discounted or deemed less important. People make a difference in their own way, and being an Eagle is great but not "better" than other activities.

For added perspective, 3 vignettes: 1. within 1 year of getting his rank, it was an Eagle scout from our troop who last year from college sent my 17 y.o. h.s. son and other persons ranging from 15-19 advancing pictures in his drug hazed stupors as he experimented with progressively more advanced illegal drugs - pot then narcotics/ mushrooms/ hallucinogens and boasted of how cool it was and offering to share his drugs with the children when he got home. I called to have him banned and was told his rank is his for life - once an eagle, always an eagle. 2. He is joined in distinction with another eagle from our troop who was arrested at the university of delaware for more than 20 counts of distributing alcohol to minors. 3. It was a former revered eagle scout adult leader who molested my friend Brian during a summer scout camping trip in the 1970s and was always a little too "handsy" with the rest of us. I consider it having dodged a bullet - Brian wasn't so lucky. Brian was one of those kids with an enthusiasm for life that shined brightly like a light, and after those incidents his bulb was dim for years until he killed himself in our HS junior year. Fact: Philmont was just mortgaged as collateral to address a new wave of abuse claims. So phooey on an eagle pedestal from which you look down on or dismiss others contributions.
 
I'm sure I am going to regret getting involved with this discussion, but here goes....

I am an Eagle Scout. I did not get accepted to USNA. My son dropped out of scouting at 13. He had offers of appointment to USNA and USMA. He is currently a Plebe at USNA.

The thing to remember is that admissions looks at the 'whole person.' I never believed in resume padding. My wife was concerned about our son dropping out of scouting. He knew at that age that he wanted to attend a SA. My wife was nervous that if he did not earn the Eagle rank, it would hurt his chances of getting an appointment. I told her that if he did not enjoy scouting, then he shouldn't be involved in scouting. To stay involved in an organization that you do not enjoy just for the sake of having a slight chance of getting a bump in recognition just doesn't make sense to me. And in reality, it does not reflect your true 'whole person.' It is almost being dishonest.

As far as the Eagle rank itself... I earned the rank 35 years ago. I was in an extremely active troop. I was one of only three scouts in my troop that earned the rank in a ten year period. It was a big deal. These days, I see many scouts earn the rank. As young as 13. I'm not saying a 13 year old is not capable of earning the rank, but to see so many at that age earning the rank definitely raised my eyebrows. There are as many as 5-6 scouts earning the rank from a single troop in my area alone. Every single year. My concern is that some of these troops have become Eagle Scout factories, and it has diminished the value of the rank to scouts that have truly earned it.

The bottom line is, of course earning Eagle will affect your whole person score. How much of a bump can only be determined the admsissions panels.
 
raimius said:
Eagle Scout is one of the few named Extracurricular activities on the application, thus one can assume it carries some weight. Now, USAFA uses a "Whole Candidate Score" which accounts for many things, and ECs are not the most heavily weighted section. So, yes, it helps, but it's unlikely to get you in, if that's the only EC you have.

TheRightStuff,
First, I get that you are new here, so take this as kind-hearted advice. Don't go sprinting to the defense of people you assume might be offended to right the wrongs of insults you assume others may have made (see how convoluted that sounds?) Eagle Scout has documented requirements and review boards to make sure those requirements are met. It requires several years of participation and leadership. Most clubs do not have nationally recognized and standardized requirements with oversight councils to ensure each person fulfilled them. Some clubs take LOTS of work. Others do not. The variation is why participation and even leadership in most ECs has to be explained, so the admissions board can score it accordingly. The same can be done with Eagle Scout, but if you don't explain, a certain baseline can be safely assumed.
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Boys state doesnt takes yrs to get in but you will see it on the application and it also holds some weight to tick the points a bit higher. Anything that earns you leadership will surely help
 
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