As the school year rolls on many AT seniors are thinking about their future, especially how they are going to pay for it.
By now most seniors have already applied for colleges and are now preparing to set off on their own. One of the biggest considerations that seniors have to prepare for is the cost of college. This is because of the exorbitant cost of tuition in the United states. According to the average cost of college in the United States is $35,720 per student, per year. According to the Department of Education, the average cost college has tripled in 20 years, with an annual growth rate of 6.8% meaning that it has become harder and harder for students to pay for college. As a result of this many students have been relying on scholarships to pay for college but this may be difficult as a result of Covid-19.
Despite remote learning, much of the scholarships process is the same process as usual. This is because applying to scholarships is always done online and not in person. Addison Trail has been using a scholarship google classroom for the past year which has been especially useful during remote learning. “We implemented the use of the Google Classroom March 24th of last year and the use continues this year,” says guidance counselor Sofia Daly who helped create the scholarship google classroom when the lockdown first started last year. “The only change is our process of requesting official transcripts. Last year the students had to email/contact our counseling chair, and this year we have a google form,” she continues.
As a result of covid many seniors have also felt that it has become easier to apply and receive scholarships as well.
“Scholarships have been much easier to be granted to students as many students’ financial situations have dramatically changed, providing them the ability to be granted more money by most colleges,” says senior Luis Aguirre. “Furthermore, since colleges are no longer looking at standardized testing it has become easier to apply to colleges and universities overall,” finishes Aguirre.
The real struggle has been getting the information about scholarships out for students. With so many scholarships out there it can be confusing for students to decide which ones are right for them. This is why Addison Trail is holding scholarships workshops every Thursday from 2-3 PM on zoom, where students can learn more about which scholarships are available and how to obtain them. The workshop can be accessed through this link: https://dupage88-net.zoom.us/j/4312357610
It’s clear that although this has been a tough year for students scholarship opportunities are still widely available. Through the google classroom (which can be joined through with the code q35iozt) and the scholarship workshops, Addison Trail has been providing opportunities for students to get the money and resources they need to be successful in college.
