Before you can begin Eagle Scout rank requirement 7 and hold your final board of review, youâll be tasked with writing a comprehensive essay that discusses your long-term goals and values. This piece of writing, which must be submitted with your Eagle rank application, is called a Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose!
What is an Eagle Scout Statement of Ambitions And Life Purpose? An Eagle Scout Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose is a short essay, written by an Eagle Scout candidate, that describes their goals, values, and mindsets. Often, these statements are about 500 words in length and are broken into 4 parts: Intro, short-term goals, long-term goals, and life purpose.
PS. This article is based on the experiences and research of Eagle Scout, Kevin A and Cole đ
While most Eagle Scouts (myself at the time, included!) usually aren’t aware that they even need to write this essay until the last minute, it’s actually an incredibly important thing to do. Why? Well, the Chair of your final Eagle Scout Board of Review will be reading your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose and asking you questions, accordingly!
Additionally, writing a Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose gives you the chance to start thinking about your life’s vision. What do you hope to give to the world? Where do you see yourself in 3 years? These are all very important questions, and this essay might be one of the first times in your life where youâre directly asked to critically think about what you want your future to hold!
Plus, your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose is a great foundation upon which you can write an amazing Eagle Scout college application. (Click the link for my ultimate guide to getting Eagle Scout college acceptances)
Kill two birds with one stone by using this statement to outline your thoughts for college and beyond! Trust me, my own Eagle Statement of Ambitions really set my sights in the right direction. I promise it’ll help you too if you put a lot of thought into it, dig deep, and keep an open mind.
With all that being said, youâre probably wondering how to write a great essay of your own. Not to fear! In this article, I’ll be using my own Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose essay as an example to get your writing juices flowing! Then, I’ll give you some questions to reflect on, so you can make your essay even better than mine was. đ
My Example Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose Essay
First, take a second to read through my example essay. This is a bit shorter than the typical essay of 500 words (2 double-spaced pages), but it should give you a good idea of what’s required. Then, in the following sections, we’ll be reviewing each component, from the introduction to your life vision, so that you can create an incredible statement of your own!
Without further ado, here’s Kevin and my example Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose:
1. Introduction:
âReflecting back, as I’m now applying for Eagle, the highest rank in Scouting, I realize just how far I’ve come. Not only have I learned how to light a fire with a single match, tie a bowline around myself with one hand, and sell ungodly amounts of Trail’s End popcorn — no, Scouting had given me much more. Scouting has given me the core values and principles that I now carry with me through my life.â
2. Short Term Goals:
âIn my high school life, I am planning on taking two Advanced Placement courses: AP Environmental Science and AP English Language and Composition. These courses, though challenging, will hopefully help me expand my knowledge into areas that I may be interested in pursuing while at college.â
“My next big hurdle comes in the form of college applications. Between club responsibilities, AP classes, Scouting, and friends, I’ll be hard-pressed to find the time. However, like earning Eagle, nothing worthwhile comes easy. To achieve my short term goals I’ll set a schedule, make a plan, and check things off one requirement at a time.”
3. Long-Term Goals
âUpon graduating from high school, I want to attend a four-year college within the University of California system. I have not decided what studies to pursue in college, but I am leaning towards majoring in the chemistry field.â
“In college, I hope to develop the skills and connections to land a chemical engineering job where I can directly help others. I want a comfortable salary, and the expertise to have my ideas be heard within the workforce. I won’t be satisfied simply remaining a follower in my field and intend to lead others to help bring about breakthroughs that improve human wellbeing.”
4. Life Purpose
“My ultimate vision for life is to become an individual who lifts others up. Growing up an only child, I always felt best whenever I was able to contribute to the people around me. Whether it’s making scientific breakthroughs, leading a team, or even teaching scouts, my life’s purpose will always be to do good for others.”
âAlthough my specific goals will probably change as I grow older and experience the world from a different perspective, I know that the values I learned from Scouting will forever remain in my mind and heart. Regardless of what I end up doing, while I’m doing it I’ll be physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.â
If you’ve read through our essay, by now you should have a few ideas bouncing around your head about what to write in your own Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose. Write them down ASAP! Those ideas will serve as your essay’s foundations. đ
Now if you’re like most teens, you might instead be thinking, âIâm worried that I wonât be able to stick to my goals and ambitions that I wrote down because Iâm not sure what I truly want to do with my life!â Yup, I’ve been there too. However, if this is something youâre worried about, donât fret!
- Firstly, your Eagle Board of Review team wonât be making you promise to fulfill every single goal you set in your essay, as they realize that most Eagle Scout applicants (and most teens in general) donât have everything figured out in terms of their life goals.
- Secondly, in the following sections, I’ve prepared some questions for you that might give you a better idea of your actual ambitions and life purpose!
Here’s a tip: When reading the questions we pose, take your time. Try to think critically and come up with any answer. Then, ask yourself, “is my answer true, for me?” If it isn’t, question why you thought of it. Ask if it’s true in any way.
Doing this exercise will help you succeed in one of the most important areas of your life: knowing yourself. Now, it’s time to read through a detailed breakdown of our essay and answer the questions we’ve posed so that you can create an amazing statement of your own! Let’s go!
Introducing Your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose
Your introductory paragraph should go over some of the most impactful experiences youâve had in Scouting thus far, as well as what youâve learned from those experiences. Some experiences you can highlight are times when you acted as a leader, times where you learned an important value, or even things that you learned in Scouting that you’ve applied to a situation outside of Scouting.
The important part here is to consider what you’ve learned from your Scouting career (Hopefully, a lot). The Eagle Rank is the highest rank in Scouting, and with it comes a wealth of experiences and wisdom that you’ve had to learn along the way. Here is how I chose to tie in what I learned from Scouting:
âReflecting back, as I’m now applying for Eagle, the highest rank in Scouting, I realize just how far I’ve come. Not only have I learned how to light a fire with a single match, tie a bowline around myself with one hand, and sell ungodly amounts of Trail’s End popcorn — no, Scouting had given me much more. Scouting has given me the core values and principles that I now carry with me through my life.â
Your introduction shouldn’t be long-winded, as you’ll have many other parts of your essay to get into more detail. Keeping it brief and to the point will likely be the most effective approach to completing your introduction. When writing your intro, here are a few questions you could ask yourself:
Introductory Questions to Consider
- What part of the Scout Oath and Law means the most to you? How have you lived by it in your Scouting and non-Scouting life?
- What is a specific Scouting experience youâve had where youâve learned something of great value? What did you learn? How did you end up learning it?
- How have you most changed from when you were a new Scout? Think back to who you were, as a person, when just entering Scouting.
- When you hear the word “Scouting,” what comes to mind? Why?
Short-Term Goals for High School
The focus of your next section should be the goals you’d like to complete before finishing high school. These short-term goals can be academic (like getting all A’s), extracurricular (Like making varsity), or even personally-related (such as a hobby, interest, or side-business).
This section can also be used to describe how to plan to achieve these goals. Success comes from making solid plans and then executing on them, so make sure you think about how to achieve your goals. This way they won’t just be dreams! Here’s how I wrote about my high school goals:
âIn my high school life, I am planning on taking two Advanced Placement courses: AP Environmental Science and AP English Language and Composition. These courses, though challenging, will hopefully help me expand my knowledge into areas that I may be interested in pursuing while at college.â
“My next big hurdle comes in the form of college applications. Between club responsibilities, AP classes, Scouting, and friends, I’ll be hard-pressed to find the time. However, like earning Eagle, nothing worthwhile comes easy. To achieve my short term goals I’ll set a schedule, make a plan, and check things off one requirement at a time.”
While I highly encourage you to talk about your extracurricular or personal goals as well, I’d highly recommend that you mention your high school academics in some way when writing this section.
Even if you donât have plans to continue your education after high school, the main point of this part of your life is likely to become educated and graduate with your high school diploma. As such, a portion of this section should be dedicated to discussing your academics (it could even be one sentence stating that you plan on finishing high school!).
Short-term Questions to Consider
- Are there any classes you want to take before you graduate, such as any AP or IB classes? Why do you want to take these classes? How do you think they could help in your future?
- Do you have any goals you want to complete in your extracurricular activities? How can you take on more leadership in your teams, clubs, and community service groups?
- Are there any personal interests youâve developed while in high school that might steer you towards a certain career? Consider things you’re good at, love doing, and might make you money.
Long-Term Goals For After Graduation
This section focuses on your long-term plans after graduating from high school. There are many avenues you could pursue after your graduation! Will you be going to a trade school? The military? Continuing your education by attending a four-year university or a community college? Heading straight to the workforce? The possibilities are endless! đ
Iâd recommend considering how you want your life after high school to look (especially since itâll be happening eventually). Think not just about continued education, but also the values and jobs you’ll be taking on. Here’s how I discussed my own plans in this section of my Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose:
âUpon graduating from high school, I want to attend a four-year college within the University of California system. I have not decided what studies to pursue in college, but I am leaning towards majoring in the chemistry field.â
“In college, I hope to develop the skills and connections to land a chemical engineering job where I can directly help others. I want a comfortable salary, and the expertise to have my ideas be heard within the workforce. I won’t be satisfied simply remaining a follower in my field and intend to lead others to help bring about breakthroughs that improve human wellbeing.”
This section gives you a lot of freedom to express yourself; you can go into as much detail as you’d like when explaining your post-graduate plans. For example, if youâre sure that you want to enter a trade school, feel free to talk about the steps youâre going to take in order to get trained, certified, and hired for the trade of choice!
Since you’ll be earning your Eagle Rank soon, it’s vital that you learn how to Properly List Eagle Scout On Your Resume. Not only does this improve your odds of landing a job and getting into a good school, it’ll also help you to more effectively describe your Scouting experiences (and learn from them, too)!
Here’s a Tip: Be realistic, but also dream big! Since in this section you can talk about your desired career, feel free to set a big, hairy, audacious goal (I call this a BHAG). Setting a huge, motivating goal for your future can spur you into action and help you to accomplish anything!
With your BHAG in mind, here are a few questions to consider that can point you in the right direction when writing this section:
Long-term Questions to Consider
- If youâre planning on entering the workforce, what type of job are you looking for? What steps might you take to increase your chances of being hired for the position youâre interested in?
- If youâre planning on joining the military, what branch of the military are you interested in joining? Why do you want to join this section of the military?
- If youâre planning on going to trade school, what type of trade interests you? Do you know any schools that excel in teaching this trade? Do you want to start your own business with this trade or join an existing company?
- If youâre planning on continuing your education, will you be going to a community college or a four-year university? What do you want to get out of your continued education, and how will you make it happen?
- If none of these options apply to you, what will you be doing? Do you have plans to do one of the previous options eventually or are you planning on sticking to your original plans for a long time?
- In a perfect world, where do you see yourself in 5 years? What do you want to (and not want to) be doing?
Your Life’s Purpose and Values
The final section of your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose should be used to describe your ultimate life’s vision. What do you really want out of life? Good topics to consider for this section could include plans about a future family, community involvement, and bucket-list experiences.
One thing you should try to mention in this section is how you plan to use the lessons youâve learned from Scouting when youâre older. You donât have to promise to return to Scouting in the future (although if you do see yourself volunteering, be sure to mention it), but you should try to discuss how youâll use what youâve learned to better the world.
Here is how I chose to describe my life’s purpose and values:
“My ultimate vision for life is to become an individual who lifts others up. Growing up an only child, I always felt best whenever I was able to contribute to the people around me. Whether it’s making scientific breakthroughs, leading a team, or even teaching Scouts, my life’s vision will always be to do good for others.”
âAlthough my specific goals will probably change as I grow older and experience the world from a different perspective, I know that the values I learned from Scouting will forever remain in my mind and heart. Regardless of what I end up doing, while I’m doing it I’ll be physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.â
If youâre having trouble figuring out how to write this last section, keep in mind that your goals are only half of the question. Consider what values you feel are most important to you as well. What brings purpose and meaning to your life? Thereâs no right or wrong answer here, so feel free to expand on these points as much as youâd like!
You can honestly take any direction you’d like when writing about your life’s purpose, but I’d recommend asking yourself the following questions to first gain some clarity:
Life Purpose Questions to Consider
- Think about when youâll be 30-40 years old. What do you picture your life will be like at that age? What will you have accomplished? What part of doing that will make you happy?
- How will you stay involved with your family when youâre older? Do you have plans on eventually having a family of your own?
- What would you most like to do in your free time? Do you plan to travel, volunteer, or maybe even do something else?
- How will you stay involved in your community when youâre older? How close do you want to be with others in your community? Do you want to be a mentor?
- If you could assign yourself a life ‘theme,’ what would it be? Some ideas include creativity, integrity, resourcefulness, or anything else you can come up with. How will you embody this theme in your life purpose?
Conclusion
Although the ideas you’ll cover in your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose will likely change as you get older, I really encourage you to be as detailed as possible when writing your essay. Believe me, when youâre older youâll look back on this essay and appreciate the glimpse it gives you into your life right now!
Your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose is essentially a time capsule of your teenage self, so it’s vital to do it right. By using the structure we covered in this article, and asking yourself important questions about how you want your life to look, I’m sure you’ll create an awesome essay! đ
Chances are this won’t be the last essay you write. In fact, your Statement of Ambitions and Life Purpose may just be the start of an awesome college application essay! To make your college goals a reality, check out my complete guide to Writing An Eagle Scout College Essay That Gets You Accepted.
Congrats on making it to the end of this article, as well as for your upcoming Eagle Rank! Hope to see you back at ScoutSmarts again soon and, until next time, be the best individual you can be!