Ca-Ching: Senior Year Expensive

Wed., June 5, 1996

Clark Brunkow-Mather, Mead

As freshmen, sophomores and juniors, we’re fed tons of advice about what to expect in our senior year. As I depart high school and finish up my senior year, I have come up with a few pieces of advice to help you get through your senior year. In fact, here’s the main thing you need to know:

Get a job and save, save, save.

This will be your most expensive year in school by far, so be prepared.

It starts out innocently enough. SAT and ACT tests are a necessity to go to college. Those will put you back between $15 and $50, depending on the time of your registration. This comes at the same time as ASB fees and parking fees at most high schools.

Then the plans for the culmination of your high school years, and graduation, begin. You’ll get hit with the cost for your cap and gown, announcements and all the other “senior amenities” that seem to be so necessary at the time. Another $100 out of your wallet.

By this time, you have to start applying for college and for scholarships. Applications will run between $25 and $50 per college. Scholarships cost money as well - between $10 and $50 per application, to be exact. That free money of scholarships turns out to be not-so-free after all.

Now we get to the senior activities. A cruise, a breakfast, and an all-nighter come in one nice and tidy little package, for just $60 to $80. Did I mention some of the optionals, like senior pictures and class rings?

I’m not sure what I will remember about Prom, but I will try to forget the great expense. A tuxedo or a dress, corsages, dinner, tickets and pictures ran in the neighborhood of $225.

That was cheap compared to the figures of $300 and $400 I heard tossed around. This doesn’t include the $100 to $200 spent on other dances during the year.

So now it comes to the end of the year, and don’t look now but there’s a $40 annual in your hand. You’ve also spent around $700 on stuff that was just extra - activities, trips and all of the other vacuum bags filled with your money sucked inside.

So, juniors, have your wallets, purses or checkbooks ready, because they’re about to be used like never before.

xxxx

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