Eagle scout on amcas

[littlephiLLy]

ok, i'm looking to sneak this in under awards/recognitions, however I accomplished this before college. This is an honor I'd like medical schools to see, so i feel compelled to list this regardless of the date. any other eagle scouts that did this, or listed it in another manner? thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Dookter]

I am not an Eagle Scout, but I have several friends that are. Although I think the rest of the world does not really "get" what the big deal is, I know being an Eagle Scout is a huge deal within the scouting world. I would, however, def. not list this as an activity. I would try to somehow sneak a blurb about it in the personal statement.

 

[PurpleHaze]

I'd say list it. The US Military thinks it's important enough that they give those with the Eagle Scout status a higher rank upon entering the armed forces... so I don't see why medical schools wouldn't find it impressive as well.

 

[nmnrraven]

ok, i'm looking to sneak this in under awards/recognitions, however I accomplished this before college. This is an honor I'd like medical schools to see, so i feel compelled to list this regardless of the date. any other eagle scouts that did this, or listed it in another manner? thanks

You can list it but I think it will hurt you to do so. It's sort of like listing that you were selected for the "Who's Who" books from high school. Even though it is a huge deal in scouts to gain the rank of Eagle and have the ceremony, it isn't what I think the schools would want to see from you in this section. However, there's always the chance that some people on the adcom were also eagle scouts and will love you for it. So, it's up to you. I'd say to skip it though and perhaps talk about it during your interview. In fact, that would be the best place to bring it up as you could explain its significance to people who are not familiar with boy scouts.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, you should definitely list it. It's a good way for people to get an idea about how comitted you are as a citizen.

 

[maestro1625]

list in awards... why not?

 

[jace's mom]

It's sort of like listing that you were selected for the "Who's Who" books from high school.

I would have to disagree with this statement. Pretty much anyone with money can get into a "Who's Who" book, but making Eagle Scout is a HUGE accomplishment that doesn't happen to very many people. Even though I know almost nothing about scouting, I know that much, and I think many adcoms will as well.

 

[nmnrraven]

I would have to disagree with this statement. Pretty much anyone with money can get into a "Who's Who" book, but making Eagle Scout is a HUGE accomplishment that doesn't happen to very many people. Even though I know almost nothing about scouting, I know that much, and I think many adcoms will as well.

It is a good accomplishment. It shows your dedication to the program. But if you are just as dedicated to scouts as you are to your schoolwork, you will be an eagle. That is, if you can get a 3.5 in high school, you can surely get to the rank of eagle scout, especially if you start young. Most people who don't get eagle scout don't do it because they coast through the scouts and don't go for the merit badges and don't attempt to pass ranks. Still, I'm not taking anything away from the achievement. It's good, but I maintain that it is as difficult as getting the 3.5 GPA that's required for Who's Who.

Some would argue that getting the 3.5 GPA is much much more difficult than getting the rank of eagle scout. I knew several kids in the scouts who only went after eagle scout because of parental pressure and were not exactly the best of samaritans. But, I must restate that it is a great program and a good accomplishment.

 

[deleted77919]

I listed it at the very end of my general honors and awards section on AMCAS. One line. I bet most people didn't even notice it, but . . .

When I was interviewing at UConn my interviewer said that he read through my file thoroughly and didn't really have any questions for me. So he spent 45 minutes asking me about US health care policy. At the end of the interview he assured me that he would write a good recommendation to the committe and that he knew my file throughly, he mentioned several bits and pieces and also listed that he read I was an Eagle Scout. The only point to all this is someone noticed.

I'd do what I did again, list it in a general section on awards and recognition and just give it a single line. Stay discrete.

 

[roboyce]

Of any one hundred boys who become Scouts, it must be confessed that thirty will drop out in their first year. Perhaps this may be regarded as a failure, but in later life all of these will remember that they had been Scouts and will speak well of the program.

Each of the one hundred will learn something from Scouting. Almost all will develop hobbies that will add interest throughout the rest of their lives. Approximately one-half will serve in the military, and in varying degrees, profit from their Scout training. At least one will use it to save another person's life and many will credit it with saving their own.

Four of the one hundred will reach Eagle rank, and at least one will later say that he valued his Eagle above his college degree. Many will find their future vocation through merit badge work and Scouting contacts. Seventeen of the one hundred boys will later become Scout leaders and will give leadership to thousands of additional boys.

Only one in four boys in America will become a Scout, but it is interesting to know that of the leaders in this nation in business, religion and politics, three out of four were Scouts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A study of the records of Scouts in High schools and colleges reveals that they bear a large amount of responsibility:

88 percent of school newsletter editors

85 percent of student council presidents

81 percent of senior class presidents

77 percent of editors of school annuals

75 percent of business managers of school publications

71 percent of football captains

65 percent of basketball captains
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Counted among the alumni of Boy Scouts of America:

85 percent of FBI agents

72 percent of Rhodes scholars

68 percent of the West Point graduates

64 percent of the graduates of the Air Force Academy

26 of the first 29 United States astronauts

 

[Touchdown]

Ok first of all, a Who's Who award is on par with an Eagle Scout, no way. Only the 4% of all Boy Scouts (not Cub Scouts, that would be even higher) get their Eagle Scout, all most every President since the Boy Scouts were initiated, and 90% of the Apollo Astronaut corps attained this difficult award. Most people in power either have received this award or no some one who has, and consider it a big deal. There are only two societies in which you are a member in perpetuity, the Marine Corps and an Eagle Scout, how many other high school accomplishments are actually put on job applications? Who's who and not a difficult award, yeah right (sorry had to stick up for an award I spent 10 years working on.)

Now onto the main question. Last year I put it on my AMCAS, and it came up at two of my interviews (what was your project) and one of those interviews is pending and the other one turned out as a top 1/3rd waitlist. Of course that’s nothing to what happened to my dad, at his Tufts interview (in 1977) for early admission his interview was 100% about his Eagle Project and was offered an acceptance at the end of the interview (his interviewer was the dean of admissions.) Now I realize that times change, but as we all know the adcoms likes to resist changes (outside of science,) you should never be afraid to list this on anything and it should be listed on every application you ever complete, its an award that shows you are proactive in your community, and enjoy service (boy sounds like the kind of person med schools are looking for.) If anyone were to question you on why you put it there, just tell them that you are still an Eagle Scout today and therefore was one your entire career in college as well, you simply attained that position pre-high school graduation.

 

[Trail Boss]

I listed it, and I got asked about at the Mayo clinic (interviewer eagle scout) and the University of Washington (interviewer eagle scout) and at MSU (interviewer eagle scout). Judging from my experience, I'd say that you would be a damn fool to not list it. I didn't even dedicate an amcas entry to it, I just worked it into one of my 15 blurbs about something else. People who are Eagle Scouts knows what it means, and people of our parents generation have way more respect for what it means than on peers. If you, like me, get interviewers who are also ealge scouts, it is an automatic bond.

 

[Wait-tastic]

I think I mentioned that I started shadowing this surgeon that I was introduced to at my banquet. I had a lot of good stories with one interviewer he was an eagle scout and we were both scout masters. So we talked about camps. I had this same question about it not being a big deal compared with other things I've done, but it makes for great light conversation on the off chance that the interviewer might be involved or was involved in scouting.

good luck.

 

[nmnrraven]

Only the 4% of all Boy Scouts (not Cub Scouts, that would be even higher) get their Eagle Scout, all most every President since the Boy Scouts were initiated, and 90% of the Apollo Astronaut corps attained this difficult award.

You're totally misusing statistics here my friend. The vast majority of people who are in scouts who do not get eagle scout do so because they did not try. The great thing about the boy scouts is that gaining ranks is about effort rather than ability. Only 4% of those in boy scouts have the dedication to get eagle scout. That dedication is commendable but perhaps you should lay off on the attempts to make it seem like a lifetime achievement. It is much less difficult to get (on an absolute scale) than many other things, including a 3.5 GPA in high school. I'm fairly sure you know this to be true yourself.

Misusing statistics and implying incorrect causalities weakens your argument. It's like someone saying that veterinary school is harder to get into than medical school because there are fewer of them. I'm sure most people can see the bias in that statement. So, let me just conclude by saying that getting eagle scout is good but not all that difficult. It reflects your dedication and citizenship but not much else.

 

[PharmD2MD]

ok, i'm looking to sneak this in under awards/recognitions, however I accomplished this before college. This is an honor I'd like medical schools to see, so i feel compelled to list this regardless of the date. any other eagle scouts that did this, or listed it in another manner? thanks

I listed it under awards. It seemed like the most appropriate thing to do. It was a big deal to me at the time, but I don't recall anyone asking me about it during interviews. I think schools are more concerned about your recent past, i.e. college or what you have doing professionally if out of school for a while. I wouldn't expect eagle scout to open doors by itself, but it's certainly worth a brief mention and maybe a little description of your project.

 

[Taus]

easy to get/hard to get....who cares.....most people recognize it as a "good" thing.....it was mentioned at 2 of my interviews...

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I plan on placing my Eagle Scout award somewhere on my AMCAS. Though, being gay may make for some interesting topics of conversation about the USA Boy Scouts as they exist today.

 

[OSUdoc08]

ok, i'm looking to sneak this in under awards/recognitions, however I accomplished this before college. This is an honor I'd like medical schools to see, so i feel compelled to list this regardless of the date. any other eagle scouts that did this, or listed it in another manner? thanks

I did it. You should do it too!

 

[Touchdown]

Nmrraven, its not weither or not the award is hard to get or not, its the fact that we chose to devote time to not only go camping (that was a weekend once a month) but also vollenteered and took time to earn merit badges (many of which involved learning about government structure and helping out the communittee) as a high school student. While you were home playing video games, I was picking up trash on the highway, attending town meetings, and organizing the assembly of new desks for an elementary school. The award is about commitment, and it shows that the person is an informed, involved citizen; thats why its valued and thats why its a big deal. While other organizations aspire to the same goal, the fact is this is the most well known one with the longest commitment in order to achieve the award. It is not a lifetime achivement award, its a childhood achivement award. I one of my interviews this year when I was asked what I considered my greatest achivement to be, I said that (and Im a college graduate allready) the only thing I will consider bigger is my eventual medical degree and hopefully marriage.

 

[PariPari]

LizzyM said in past threads:

Phi Beta Kappa does impress some adcom members. The rest are less impressive unless you have become active in the organization, assumed a ledership postition, etc.

Funny thing about Eagle Scouts. One adcom member tells me she sees dozens (particularly from Utah) whereas I see a couple per year. Mentioning it could be a jumping off point at an interview of the project that qualified you for the Eagle Scout designation and your leadership of that project.

Some people list things that they did in H.S. No one will stop you from doing this.

Applicants do this either because they want to list something impressive (liking winning an Intel Science Talent Search prize or becoming an Eagle Scout) or because they didn't do much in college & feel the need to pad the AMCAS. If you do enough in college, you may not have room for the overseas trip on your list of experiences (or you will fold it into a description of subsequent overseas trips).

Generally, one should not include H.S. activities on the AMCAS although some applicants do sneak a few items in there such as becoming an Eagle Scout our winning the Intel Science Prize (major accomplishments). You should have done enough in college (and beyond, if applicable) to fill out the EC section of the AMCAS.

 

[nmnrraven]

Nmrraven, its not weither or not the award is hard to get or not, its the fact that we chose to devote time to not only go camping (that was a weekend once a month) but also vollenteered and took time to earn merit badges (many of which involved learning about government structure and helping out the communittee) as a high school student. While you were home playing video games, I was picking up trash on the highway, attending town meetings, and organizing the assembly of new desks for an elementary school. The award is about commitment, and it shows that the person is an informed, involved citizen; thats why its valued and thats why its a big deal. While other organizations aspire to the same goal, the fact is this is the most well known one with the longest commitment in order to achieve the award. It is not a lifetime achivement award, its a childhood achivement award. I one of my interviews this year when I was asked what I considered my greatest achivement to be, I said that (and Im a college graduate allready) the only thing I will consider bigger is my eventual medical degree and hopefully marriage.

I agree with that. 👍 Like I said, it is about your dedication and citizenship. Just so you know, you shouldn't assume I was at home playing video games while you cleaned up garbage on the highway. I was in the scouts too and I picked up trash just like you and made park benches and wooden bridges and did all the merrit badge jazz too (although I did play quite a bit of video games). They were good times. I don't think it's as huge of an accomplishment as you do to get the rank of eagle scout but no one is saying that it's a bad thing.

Someone just posted that putting it in your amcas is good if you just want to let people know about your involvement in your community but might be a bad thing if you are using it to fill in space. I would agree that you should stay away from high school achievements on the amcas unless they're outstanding awards. Eagle scout may qualify as that depending on your perspective. Anyway, its good to see so many out-and-about future doctors around. 🙂

 

[Tiger26]

List it without question. I was wavering a little bit about it last year whether to put it under the awards section or not, but a similar post convinced me to put it on. I forgot it was on there until I sat down with my first interviewer. He shook my hand with the scout handshake and said he was an Eagle Scout too. It was one of those "light shining down from above" moments where I pretty much knew I got in right there. Where I interviewed at, they said the only thing that mattered at that point was the interview, and I got my acceptance a week later. BTW, the Eagle got me promoted when I joined the Army too (which also went over real well at the interview). Basically, make sure to PUT IT ON UNDER THE AWARD HEADING.

 

[Touchdown]

I agree with that. 👍 Like I said, it is about your dedication and citizenship. Just so you know, you shouldn't assume I was at home playing video games while you cleaned up garbage on the highway. I was in the scouts too and I picked up trash just like you and made park benches and wooden bridges and did all the merrit badge jazz too (although I did play quite a bit of video games). They were good times. I don't think it's as huge of an accomplishment as you do to get the rank of eagle scout but no one is saying that it's a bad thing.

Someone just posted that putting it in your amcas is good if you just want to let people know about your involvement in your community but might be a bad thing if you are using it to fill in space. I would agree that you should stay away from high school achievements on the amcas unless they're outstanding awards. Eagle scout may qualify as that depending on your perspective. Anyway, its good to see so many out-and-about future doctors around. 🙂

Sorry, I just got a little inflamed when I thought you attacked it, once again another case of misunderstanding on the web 🙂

 

[LizzyM]

deleted - duplicate post

 

[LizzyM]

Counted among the alumni of Boy Scouts of America:

85 percent of FBI agents

72 percent of Rhodes scholars

68 percent of the West Point graduates

64 percent of the graduates of the Air Force Academy

26 of the first 29 United States astronauts

The problem with these stats, (and they are likely to change over time, I think) is that ~50% of the population is ineligible to belong to the Boy Scouts.

Being a Scout, or an Eagle Scout, is nice but when a large proportion of applicants are closed out of the program (due to gender) then it is hardly a "must" for any applicant (because it is discriminatory).

 

[Trail Boss]

The problem with these stats, (and they are likely to change over time, I think) is that ~50% of the population is ineligible to belong to the Boy Scouts.

Being a Scout, or an Eagle Scout, is nice but when a large proportion of applicants are closed out of the program (due to gender) then it is hardly a "must" for any applicant (because it is discriminatory).

Duh. No one said it was a requirement, the discussion about wheter or not to list it. It sounds like all of us that listed it got asked about it, I got asked about it three times. So what is your point?

 

[rajastallion]

edt

 

[maestro1625]

luckily for me i finished my eagle scout as after my freshman year ( i was 17 as i entered college). therefore i have no probs putting eagle down on my ambas. why not? apparently, its met well across the boards. the truth is, being an eagle does show uve made commitements to serve the comm, through a project and through ur troop. Also it says a good deal about ur character. all this information can come across through one simple award, why would u not list it? Plus with the limited number of people that have this award it will definetly make u stand out at least somewhat.

While saying that it's on par with "who's who" is borderline trolling, It really seems to be an easy thing to list, even if you havent been involved in active scouting in a while. Either way, people love the award.

Now if you're like one of my roommates who's a college sophmore and is STILL involved with OA, then that trumps all Eagle scout applications...

 

[Trail Boss]

There is a very thin line between being proud of your eagle scout mabe even remaining active as a leader and being a total nerd (cOAugh)

 

[LizzyM]

And there is a thin line between being proud of your Eagle Scout award and thinking that it will confer upon you a "light shining down upon you from above".

Most adcom members know that it is most commonly awarded while the applicant is in H.S., they also know that one must do a project so it is an easy topic for a conversation at interview.

Put it down if you must but if you are running out of room, don't be afraid to deep-six it. No one will note that it is "missing".

 

[QuantumMechanic]

I am rather hesistant to mention it since I earned my Eagle when I was in middle school (yeah, I was an early bloomer) and I essentially quit being an active scout at that point. I understand the desire to place it on the application as it can be viewed as a kind of "proof" that you are dedicated to service. However, activities in college are probably given a much greater regard.

In a way Im thinking of it like gpa: a 4.0 your freshman year is less impressive than a 4.0 your junior year right before you're applying. Likewise, more recent ECs are probably viewed more favorably.

 

[dbhvt]

Put it in a misc awards/scholarships spot if you're crunched for space. But definitely put it in there. I got positive feedback too.

Edit: and I got mine more than 14 years ago. It doesn't matter when you got it doofus. Just put it down.

 

[tch001]

I earned my girlscout gold award in highschool (equal to boy scout's Eagle, had to do a big project and everything), but I hesitate to put it down because a lot of people don't know that getting it was actually a big deal....thoughts?

 

[Trail Boss]

And there is a thin line between being proud of your Eagle Scout award and thinking that it will confer upon you a "light shining down upon you from above".

Most adcom members know that it is most commonly awarded while the applicant is in H.S., they also know that one must do a project so it is an easy topic for a conversation at interview.

Put it down if you must but if you are running out of room, don't be afraid to deep-six it. No one will note that it is "missing".

What exactly is your problem? Do you have some sort of vendetta against eagle scouts or are you just some gunner out to deter people from putting something on their application that you don't have. There is a girl scouts you know, and their rank equivalent to eagle scout would likely carry just as much weight with some adcomm members that had achieved that. I believe that having eagle scout on my app. helped me alot, now that I think about it was actually the thing on my app. that came up the most, and there is alot of stuff in my app. that is way more important to me. The fact that I remained active as a assistant scout master had something to do with it as it showed continued dedication to something I cared about, but I really belive that even if I hadn't remained active it still would have been an important thing to list being that three of my interviewers were also boy scouts. I even wore my eagle scout tie tack, and would advise others to do the same.

 

[LizzyM]

What exactly is your problem? Do you have some sort of vendetta against eagle scouts or are you just some gunner out to deter people from putting something on their application that you don't have. There is a girl scouts you know, and their rank equivalent to eagle scout would likely carry just as much weight with some adcomm members that had achieved that. I believe that having eagle scout on my app. helped me alot, now that I think about it was actually the thing on my app. that came up the most, and there is alot of stuff in my app. that is way more important to me. The fact that I remained active as a assistant scout master had something to do with it as it showed continued dedication to something I cared about, but I really belive that even if I hadn't remained active it still would have been an important thing to list being that three of my interviewers were also boy scouts. I even wore my eagle scout tie tack, and would advise others to do the same.

I've been on an adcom for six (?) years. I hear what other adcom members say about applications that they read and what impresses them. I've been interviewing applicants for med school and other programs for 10 years. I know that asking about Eagle projects is an easy question that can loosen up a candidate and make him comfortable in the interview.

Girl Scouts have nothing equivalent to Eagle Scout. 🙁

So, if you attribute your success to Scouting's old boy network, good for you. I would suspect that participation as an adult volunteer in Scouting or any other community service organization is a far bigger plus than being an Eagle Scout.

 

[deuist]

What exactly is your problem? Do you have some sort of vendetta against eagle scouts or are you just some gunner out to deter people from putting something on their application that you don't have.

Before you pop off on people on this board, realize that not everyone is a gunner pre-med out to rob you of your rightful acceptance into medical school. Lizzy is an adcom member and a valuable source for information. A few other adcoms routinely read the threads, but Lizzy is by far the most active.

As said above, I also say that you should not list your Eagle Scout on your AMCAS---and I'm an Eagle, too. When I saw so many people saying that they had listed the award, the first question I had to ask is: were your college years really so uneventful that you had to resort to writing about high school achievements? Certainly you won something during the last 3 years or so that would impress a med school.

 

[laboholic]

I listed it and also briefly mentioned it in my personal statement. It was brought up positively in many of my interviews. It is a good thing 👍

 

[dbhvt]

were your college years really so uneventful that you had to resort to writing about high school achievements? Certainly you won something during the last 3 years or so that would impress a med school.

The Eagle Scout award is not a high-school achievment. It is a significant life acheivement that most people happen to get while they are in high-school. It is not like being captain of the high-school football team or academic all-american or #2 in the state Math bee.

The reason you put Eagle Scout down are:
1) It shows continuity of commitment to the community--you're not just doing community service because you have to.
2) Fellow Eagle Scouts who interview you respect it.
3) It doesn't need to take up the space of another activity if you are smart.
4) Really, why wouldn't you list it?

 

[tch001]

I've been on an adcom for six (?) years. I hear what other adcom members say about applications that they read and what impresses them. I've been interviewing applicants for med school and other programs for 10 years. I know that asking about Eagle projects is an easy question that can loosen up a candidate and make him comfortable in the interview.

Girl Scouts have nothing equivalent to Eagle Scout. 🙁

So, if you attribute your success to Scouting's old boy network, good for you. I would suspect that participation as an adult volunteer in Scouting or any other community service organization is a far bigger plus than being an Eagle Scout.

Yes we do! We have the Gold Award!!
You can only start your gold award after completing years of pre-requisites and usually eaning a Silver Award, you have to plan and complete your own project to benefit the community, you get a ceremony when it's completed (complete with a plaque and cake!) How is it different?

 

[deuist]

4) Really, why wouldn't you list it?

Because the AMCAS specifically states that you should list EC's that occurred after high school. If you were an assistant scout master, then by all means mention your Eagle Scout rank and the subsequent desire to stay on with the Scouts so that you could continue your community service.

Back my original question: What have you done in college and beyond to show service and academic achievement?

 

[Trail Boss]

I've been on an adcom for six (?) years. I hear what other adcom members say about applications that they read and what impresses them. I've been interviewing applicants for med school and other programs for 10 years. I know that asking about Eagle projects is an easy question that can loosen up a candidate and make him comfortable in the interview.

Girl Scouts have nothing equivalent to Eagle Scout. 🙁

So, if you attribute your success to Scouting's old boy network, good for you. I would suspect that participation as an adult volunteer in Scouting or any other community service organization is a far bigger plus than being an Eagle Scout.

I apologize for "poping off", I wrongly assumed that you were just some angry person--I have bumped into more than one of them on SDN (and yes I know that sometimes I come off that way aswell). Having said that, I still disagree with you. My eagle scout was in my mind far from the most impressive thing on my app., but right or wrong I believe that it helped me connect with my interviewers and establish some character baseline, I think we can all agree that that is at least half the battle by the time you make it to the interview stage. My impression from my many interviews was that they are primarily just trying to make sure you are what you said you are and not some psycho, liar or socialy inept gunner and are capable or intelligent conversation in both passive and combative situations.

 

[Trail Boss]

Yes we do! We have the Gold Award!!
You can only start your gold award after completing years of pre-requisites and usually eaning a Silver Award, you have to plan and complete your own project to benefit the community, you get a ceremony when it's completed (complete with a plaque and cake!) How is it different?

Yes, my mother got the gold award and is just as proud of it as I am of getting my eagle scout--granted these are not major life achievements, but it getting eagle scout/gold award were certainly mile stones in the lives of most people that earn them.

 

[Touchdown]

Because the AMCAS specifically states that you should list EC's that occurred after high school. If you were an assistant scout master, then by all means mention your Eagle Scout rank and the subsequent desire to stay on with the Scouts so that you could continue your community service.

Back my original question: What have you done in college and beyond to show service and academic achievement?

I havent looked at the AMCAS instructions this year, and it did say this in 2004 (so I worked it into my Personal Statement) but last year it did not. I dont understand all the venom on this board towards the award, every Eagle I know (adults included) mention it on every application they make for JOBS why shouldnt it be put on your AMCAS somewhere, especially when a bunch of people have brought up how positive a reaction (and no one has mentioned a negative reaction) in an interview?

As for the Girl Scout question, I would put it down too and in your description add that this is the equivilant to the Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts to avoid any confusion. I know someone who got that award and its certainly as difficult to attain as the Eagle, be proud of your accomplishiments and ignore the naysayers 🙂 .

 

[OSUdoc08]

And there is a thin line between being proud of your Eagle Scout award and thinking that it will confer upon you a "light shining down upon you from above".

Most adcom members know that it is most commonly awarded while the applicant is in H.S., they also know that one must do a project so it is an easy topic for a conversation at interview.

Put it down if you must but if you are running out of room, don't be afraid to deep-six it. No one will note that it is "missing".

It was mentioned at my interview. You have no clue how helpful it can be.

 

[LizzyM]

Yes we do! We have the Gold Award!!
You can only start your gold award after completing years of pre-requisites and usually eaning a Silver Award, you have to plan and complete your own project to benefit the community, you get a ceremony when it's completed (complete with a plaque and cake!) How is it different?

It is different in that almost no one has ever heard of it.

It has been called the Gold Award since 1980. Consequently, no one over 45 (most of the adcoms) has a contemporary who has earned the award under that name. Even the previous name (First Class) was not commonly used by my generation in scouting.

 

[LizzyM]

Back my original question: What have you done in college and beyond to show service and academic achievement?

this is the central question that adcom members ask themselves when they read the EC section of the application (along with wondering if the applicant has had research or work experience and what clinical exposures the applicant has had).

 

[Eamonn]

I mentioned my Eagle status in round-about way because I'm still a part time leader with my old troop, taking kids camping and stuff. And I think it is DEFINATELY worth mentioning. My take:

worst case scenario: it gets ignored

best case scenario: your interviewer in an Eagle Scout, you both bond over it, he admits you, sets you up with his 21 year old model daughter

likely scenario: interviewer vaguely recognizes that this is hard to do, bumps you up a level in her/his mind

 

[littlephiLLy]

thanks for all the replies. i'm definetely going to list it now, not because i haven't done anything significant in college, but rather because i am proud of it. BTW it may have been easier to obtain than a 3.5 college GPA (which someone had posted), but the vast majority of applicants will have > 3.5 and far fewer are eagles. I certainly have worked harder to maintain a high GPA than finish my project, but its tough to compare the two because they're two completely different things.

 

[JayQuah]

The problem with these stats, (and they are likely to change over time, I think) is that ~50% of the population is ineligible to belong to the Boy Scouts.

Being a Scout, or an Eagle Scout, is nice but when a large proportion of applicants are closed out of the program (due to gender) then it is hardly a "must" for any applicant (because it is discriminatory).

oh stop crying Lizzy, you could have been a Brownie.

eagle fo life!