Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Eagle Scout 2024
Introduction The Eagle Scout Rank under the Boy Scouts of America is one of the most prestigious accomplishments that a high schooler (of any gender) can earn in preparation for the real world, and entails a great deal of rigorous requirements that manifest to students the key skills they must eventually learn to survive both in the wilderness and at home. Today, we will be walking you through what the Eagle Scout Rank is, how to work your way up to it, how it is useful in your everyday life, as well as some special tips from an Eagle Scout himself on how to thoroughly enjoy and gain the most from your experience along the way. Let’s begin! Scouting had some really big impacts on me… a lot of [my skills are] influenced through random experiences that I had growing up in the scouting program. Rishab Jain, Harvard ’27 What is the Eagle Scout Rank? How do I Earn It? The highest rank or accomplishment in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) program is the Eagle Scout Rank. It stands for the apex of scouting success and is a testament to a scout’s commitment, guidance, and selflessness. Since its inception in 1911, the Eagle Scout Rank has grown in prominence and recognition, yet only a small proportion of scouts have ever attained this feat. A scout has to meet a demanding set of standards involving outdoor skills, leadership, and service in order to get the Eagle Scout Rank. These criteria are meant to test scouts’ mettle and impart citizenship, independence, and responsibility qualities in them. Among these requirements, the most notorious includes earning a minimum of 21 merit badges, 14 of which are the same (sort of) for every Eagle Scout and 7+ of which are a scout’s choice. We highly recommend that you earn more than 21 merit badges throughout your scouting journey, as this enables you to make the most out of your experience and take away something that you may not have been able to assimilate before. Below are the 14 Eagle Required Merit Badges that you need: