Is this a thing now?

[Anonymous]

We did this. 5th grader thinks he wants to attend a service academy, so why not give him an edge that requires beginning early? It's just frigging Cub Scouts, and he can always quit.

[Anonymous]

The person I know who was an Eagle scout was a very smart kid who ended up attending a highly competitive T10 school where one parent was an alum. I doubt it was the Eagle scout that pushed them over the line - it was the legacy.

If your kid is interested, by all means, but I wouldn't just sign your kid up for this because you think it would help college admissions.

[Anonymous]

It could help a little if the reader likes boy scouts, but it could hurt if the reader might also be anti-boys scouts too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the BSA haters are out in force again. Eagle Scout status provides a huge and lifelong benefit that temporarily popular activities do not provide. This is because Eagles are hard workers and contribute to the group goals of employers. When my colleagues and I see a resume of an Eagle it always goes into the "interview" pile. We are not persuaded by resumes from officers of the "ally of the latest and most-popular grievance group" student groups. We do not hire folks who will try to tear us apart from the inside and insist on raises because of their laziness.

I'm not a BSA hater, but you sound kind of nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- so Eagle Scouts is a big boost?

In many situations yes. But do you realize how much time and commitment it takes over many years to achieve this?

This is what people are missing.
No—“cub scouts” doesn’t get you into college.
But reaching the level to become an Eagle Scout takes determination, planning, commitment, independence, and drive (that Eagle Scout project is no joke and admissions teams know this). It’s not that being an Eagle Scout “gets” you anything or hooks you up! It’s that it demonstrates objectively that you have certain qualities that are required to be a driven and successful student at university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did this. 5th grader thinks he wants to attend a service academy, so why not give him an edge that requires beginning early? It's just frigging Cub Scouts, and he can always quit.

Yes but if he quits, just leave it off the resume entirely. A resume that shows you quit just prior to the rigor of the Eagle Scout project isn’t a good loook

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has been a thing for a very long time. I think most kids drop out and I don’t think it gave any of the Eagle Scout kids I knew a big boost.

+1 My DS had a close friend who was an Eagle Scout and so he knew a few others by association. They all got into the schools you would think they would get into based on their courses/grades-- and didn't get into the more competitive ones. Being an Eagle Scout didn't get a single one of them into UVA, WM or VT, though I know most applied to all or 2/3 of those.

I think someone should do the Eagle Scout work because they want to do it and/or they value the skills they are specifically learning through it-- not because they think it's going to reap future rewards in college or jobs--that seems like a route to disappointment.

[Anonymous]

DD has a classmate who is a female Eagle Scout. She received a national volunteer award from the NPS for her project and has 500+ service hours tied to scouting related leadership positions. Don't know if it will help her in college admissions (they're HS juniors), but certainly won't hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did this. 5th grader thinks he wants to attend a service academy, so why not give him an edge that requires beginning early? It's just frigging Cub Scouts, and he can always quit.

Yes but if he quits, just leave it off the resume entirely. A resume that shows you quit just prior to the rigor of the Eagle Scout project isn’t a good loook

You just don't list it. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did this. 5th grader thinks he wants to attend a service academy, so why not give him an edge that requires beginning early? It's just frigging Cub Scouts, and he can always quit.

Yes but if he quits, just leave it off the resume entirely. A resume that shows you quit just prior to the rigor of the Eagle Scout project isn’t a good loook

You just don't list it. Problem solved.

Which is exactly what you said. Sorry...

[Anonymous]

Our neighbor’s son achieved Eagle Scout status and he is the biggest dope smoking loser.

[Anonymous]

Its a thing always. I'm 54 years old and my mother was signing me up for programs that would look good on college applications. And she was right, they did and I got into where I wanted to go. She did the same with my brother but was even more focused on it. My brother ended up with advanced degrees from Cambridge University.

Its nuts, yes, but it's also as old as the hills.