If your son has recently filled out the Eagle Scout Rank application, I would like to PM with you. There has been a recent addition to have the Scout write a Life Statement/Purpose/Ambitions type of essay, and my son is very confused about how to tackle this.
His deadline is in 2 days, so there is an urgency. We are communicating with his scoutmaster, have gotten a copy of another scout’s essay as an example, and will ask a former scoutmaster in his troop to review the essay when it’s done.
There is not much material online to give details about this new requirement. I have gotten great cc help in the past, and am hoping to connect with Parents who have recently been through this New Requirement with their son.
I do not want to share any information in this thread, but would like to PM with anyone willing to share their son’s experience with completing this essay.
My S is an eagle. When he was a BS over a decade ago, I was on the parents committee and sat in on all the Eagle reviews. I suspect it’s similar to what we asked all the boys being reviewed–what do they want to be/do in the future. Just don’t over-think it and have your son provide something of what he wants to do going forward.
Hi power cropper I don’t know the answer ,being a leader on the girl scout side. I just wanted to send my sympathy to you a s a parent of a scout on a tight deadline…somehow this happens pretty often
Hmm, my son finished up his Eagle Scout application in 2009, and I thought he had to write a statement like that. He talked about his desire to become a physician and research cancer. He also talked about wanting to do volunteer work in the community. Bittersweet memory since he fell ill.
I don’t think your son needs to agonize. The Boy Scouts just want him to think about his future.
My two sons are Eagle Scouts and wrote this essay. They each wrote about their experience with Scouting and what they learned that they wanted to apply in their future lives. One wrote more specifically about his goals. His Scoutmaster suggested he address his educational goals, career goals, and personal goals. The other son just wrote more generally about the type of person he wanted to be and the ways he hoped to give back to the community.
My oldest son made Eagle in fall of 2015. Holy paperwork! The essay was not terribly difficult. He wrote pretty much what NorthernCaliMom’s Scoutmaster suggested. I think it may have been two typed pages. It was good practice for the college essays he was writing at the same time. I had no involvement other than to proof read. My youngest has the application and the big project to complete. He’s 17.5 so time is of the essence.
edit: If you Google enough I bet there are some examples out there.
Our son earned his Eagle rank the summer of 2014 just before his senior year. He wrote about his desire to serve as an officer in the military and why he was applying to service academies for college. His reasoning and the depth of what he wrote broke my heart. I learned a lot about my son as he went through that process.
Good luck to your son. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.
Same as above @ChoatieMom except that my son filled in out in fall of 2014.
It wasn’t that hard to do. He just put down what he expected to do in school, career, life and why he picked those areas and how scouting helped him arrive at those ideas.
Update…we finally got my S over the hump of confusion. Essay is about 2/3 complete.
He will finish up this afternoon and show it to his Troop leaders tonight. The actual turning in for Eagle Review is later this week, so he will have time to fix any typos or make changes suggested tonight.
Thanks to all who chimed in in this. Special thanks to those who PM’d me. Your words and advice were helpful.
Update. Today my son interviewed and was promoted to Eagle Scout. He was not nervous and was very confident in answering all but one question.
I laughed to myself when I heard that the Board Members really liked his Book, and suggested that my son should mentor all the life scouts in his troop to show them how it’s done!
Thx to all who chimed in. The essay turned out fine, and I sensed that it really was his voice telling his story.
Wonderful! Congratulations to you and Mr. too! That is what our troop does – we have recent Eagles mentor Life and others so we can keep them involved a little longer. Also when potential families see such interaction, it gives them confidence that the troop really is scout-led, and not so much adult-led. At the same time the Eagle grows in leadership abilities. Win-win! Can’t say enough about the scouting program. We’re still involved as Eagle advisor and other small positions!
