Life? eagle? palms?

[Eaglestudent]

I'm going to admit right now that the ranking in the BSA makes no since to me. Ok so i get the fact that when you are young your a cub scout and that when you get older you can be an eagle but what about all of those other names? Are there really so many things you can learn that you can keep going up and up and up etc? I mean i did a research paper on the BSA and i saw some of the badges you can get the main ones first aid and camping etc.. but now i don't think i would be surprised if there was one labled "lost in desert with horse with no name" how many badges are there? And are they really all crucial? I understand we live in a society where the response to everything is like "i called 911, what more do you want?"but is there such a thing as being overkill?

[PaulSWolf]

There are 121 merit badges, covering a wide range of topics - personal development, hobbies, vocations, personal growth, arts & crafts, sciences, conservation, sports, etc.

An Eagle Scout must have earned at least 21 of them, in addition to various Scouting and leadership skills.

There are also a number of other awards and badges Scouts can earn, including badges for various aquatics skills, and awards presented by a wide range of religious groups.

Try reading the information on advancement on my web site, starting here: http://usscouts.org/advancementTOC.asp

[riverwalk]

Well, I would have earned the Lost in desert with a Horse with no name, but all horses I recruited said they had names, and wouldn't go. Hmmm, they're pretty smart I guess.

Overkill? Nah, even though I'm one of those that can't see someone trying for all the MB's, more power to them. It's more about exploring various careers, learning lifesaving skills (for the rest of their life), and getting out of their shell by working with others and meeting obligations. Having over a hundred of them, offers different Scouts plenty of opportunity to earn some. Those required are those deemed to have value to anyone. Others are more appealing to one's own interests.

[Mrw]

The different ranks are just different steps on the way to earning Eagle.

Most boys that join earn the first few - Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class. These are centered around learning the camping skills and the basis citizenship and service type principles.

The Star, Life and finally, Eagle follow that with requirements focussing more on leadership, citizenship and service to others. These also require earning merit badges in various subjects. Some of these are required specifically, but the others are chosen by the boy according to his own interests.

For example, the boy in our troop who is interested in the Air Force earned Aviation, the one who wants to teach music earned Music and Bugling.

The number of boys earning each rank decreases as the need for committment and follow-through increases. The requirements for Eagle really do make it a special award.

Palms are for time and merit badge achievements above what is required for Eagle. A boy who wants to earn Palms, needs to earn the Eagle early enough to still have time for them.