My neighbor made Eagle Scout this spring, as did 10 others in his average sized troop. College admittances didn’t stand out among their non scout classmates.

For college purposes, achieving Eagle Scout shows commitment to an extracurricular activity over the span of years, which admissions decisions makers like to see. It’s better than suddenly “discovering a passion for community service” in junior year, but not necessarily better than other pursuits that show dedication over years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Isn’t that true for everything? Which activity doesn’t require time and commitment? If anything, scouts seems easier than say travel sports and swim teams, ice hockey and other sports.

Yeah, nobody cares about Eagle Scout any more.

Incorrect. Even Harvard Law tells me every year how many of the incoming students are Eagles. https://www.quadeducationgroup.com/blog/does-being-an-eagle-scout-help-with-college-admissions#:~:text=Many%20schools%20value%20Eagle%20Scouts,more%20differentiation%20to%20your%20application.

I read applications for a college last year. Yes, Eagle Scout is the kind of thing on an application that gets noted positively. But of course, you could substitute lots of accomplishments that demonstrate the same sort of commitment over many years and that also involve leadership components.

From a practical standpoint, as a parent, even though my kids weren't involved in scouting, I can also see how being in scouting would be a convenient way for me to get kids interesting extracurricular experiences as well as a clear pathway to an achievement like Eagle Scout.

Is this any worse than all the 4 year olds I see playing violin and piano? Why do you think the parents pushed those activities? It’snot because they love community theater.

I have an Eagle Scout and a nearly Eagle Scout. Th boys being pushed by their parents for college admissions mostly don’t make it to Eagle. The Eagles who are also gunning for top schools students, I think, see it as part of their package. Like they also need top SAT scores, captain of a team and some great achievement. Eagle Scout is just a piece. But it could have been replaced with something else. It’s just one path for this top kids, but fits nicely for schools that like service or for catholic schools (Norte Dame/BC)

Ha ha! I remember my aunt telling me this when my son was in elementary school. She meant well: her Eagle Scout son had just graduated and gone to college, and she was sure the Eagle Scout status had helped.

We didn't do it, because it's not our thing. DS went to an arguably better college than his cousin anyway, on academic strength, not extra-curricular or sports or scouting.

So my advice is: play to your child's strengths.

I think the whole Eagle Scout thing is something of the past - like '50s-'70s relevant. Now it's just a semi-militaristic joke. Maybe if you want to go into the Army it's a good choice to spend your life on it.

Anonymous wrote:Parents are doing this for all kinds of stuff, not just scouts. Being an eagle Scout isn't that big a boost though, better to be a recruited athlete.

This “Ivy or bust” culture is incredibly sad. Sets kids up for “failure”even when I they do everything right.

I have an Eagle Scout currently in college. Only the admissions officers know whether or not it made a difference in his application. I think Boy Scouts was absolutely a positive and invaluable experience in his adolescent life. It helped him in areas beyond college admissions because it gave him positive male role models who helped him with communication and self confidence. The Boy Scout experience varies by troop.

That being said, for college admissions purposes recruited athlete is the way to go.

Parents are doing this for all kinds of stuff, not just scouts. Being an eagle Scout isn't that big a boost though, better to be a recruited athlete.

This “Ivy or bust” culture is incredibly sad. Sets kids up for “failure”even when I they do everything right.

Scouts and badges start at the end of fifth grade. Cub scouts is a prelude but not necessary. Getting an Eagle in Scouts or the Gold in Girl Scouts is considered an achievement in college applications. It is a long term activity that builds. It provides opportunities and training for leadership.

Being so arrogant that you think you can control where your 9 year might apply to college and that they’ll still be doing an activity is a thing for more and more parents these days. Not everyone, of course. But they’re out there, and it’s incredibly pathetic.

Anonymous wrote:There are 1900 freshmen at Harvard and this includes all the athletes, minorities, VIPs, etc.
There are 70,000 Eagle Scouts.

Do the math. The admission rate for these Eagle Scouts is no better than the average admission rate to Harvard.

But there are other Ivys right? Not just Harvard. There are also other top schools besides the Ivy League.