| Mike3yo @ I am not from USA, and being a boy/girl scout isn't a popular activity in my country, so I have no clue what kind of achievement an "eagle scout" would be. But since you mention it, I'm sure it's quite an achievement. (but I can't help you here, sorry)
Demonstrating passion and exploring it on a deeper (higher?) level (and, if you will, for a longer period of time) certainly helps as it shows commitment and hard work. So you should mention ANY kind of achievement you think that could help you. (I am sure adcoms know what Eagle scount means, but if you have some activity or an achievement not really known to many, you -or your counselor- should DEFINITELY write an explanation to make it clear about what it means)
Or if you're not sure how much eagle scout means, write about it in your essay: how much it means to YOU, or what kind of better person you have become thanks to it.
Catalysis @ from what I've gathered:
+ initiative is a big plus
+ doing activities related to your future major is a plus
+ winning awards in things related to your future major is a plus (plus+plus if it's on national or international level)
Your activity certainly won't be the one that will stand out (especially so if you apply to Wharton) but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. You should definitely do it, because adcoms love seeing initiative (leadership, blah, blah) and through your activities you'll show that you're that passionate about getting into business that you even founded a club -- and even lead them to competition!
Your initiative, dedication and success should impress adcoms (if you manage to do what you planned to do with it, of course. But even if it fails miserably, you should write about what you got out of it in your essay. One kid who got into Yale wrote about a club that he founded but eventually had to be shut down because of lack of interest from his peers - it's on Princeton Review's "Eye on apply" section from few years back. I think he said something like "Everyone will write about their big success, but I will do something different - I will write about my failure")
So I say, go for it, good luck!
Infinite_Truth @ You should definitely make it clear that it's beyond high school level and explicitly note what level it's on.
ANY notable achievement should be named in your application (it can only help) |