Senior year is known as the year of the lasts, the last homecoming, the last first day, and maybe even the last of your paycheck. On top of the stress from college applications, and the end of this chapter of their lives, a financial burden weighs on many seniors.
Some may have to work long shifts to afford the upcoming Disney Trip, or others may simply just have to ask parents. Some may not be able to go at all.
In the beginning of the year seniors have to pay for homecoming ($55-80), cap and gown ($90), a yearbook ($70), the Disney Trip ($215), and football games ($5). Just in the first two months of the year on average seniors might spend around $470.
For seniors applying to four year schools, college applications cost around $80-100 each.
Later in the year, seniors can plan for another round of spending for prom and its related expenses, along with Grad Nite.
Senior Intisar Suliman has a job, but because of the high prices of these extracurricular senior events, more than 30 percent of her paycheck is used for school activities. She thinks that a percentage of school funding should go to students who are unable to pay for leisure activities.
“I think I should be able to freely spend the money I work for, instead of spending it on just enjoying senior year,” Suliman said.
Senior Alexandra Miller is grateful that her family pays for her expenses because she does not have a job. Yet, she believes “this is an issue because all these events cost hundreds of dollars, and they are all expensed at the beginning of the year,” Miller said.
To help, she thinks there should be more fundraisers for the senior class specifically.
A common misconception is that ASB sets all of the prices. Most prices are based on how much the venue costs. ASB director Erica Rangel says that ASB is like a business, and gets no funds from the school.
Nevertheless, she does think that the school should help seniors plan for costs.
“In the future, I would love to give students in their junior year a breakdown to what they should be expecting,” Rangel said.
