Every year, the cost of in-state and out-of-state tuition for college increases. The pressure of doing well in school might distract a student from the fact that college is expensive, with some colleges outrageously so. The amount of money needed to afford college is almost nothing that a regular college attendee can make, which ends with college students taking student loans. This puts them into debt that can take many years to pay off.

Managing the school work received from college while maintaining a job to pay for tuition is an incredible feat. Higher tuition means more money, which in turn means more hours needed to work at a well-paying job. The amount of work from the college itself will absorb a lot of time, leaving little options to work at a job and make money to pay for college.

“I’ve decided to get a part time job now, and work as often as I can out of school. The money that I make will go into my savings account for college. This way I’m at least a little financially prepared to pay for college,” said sophomore Salvatore Polito.

Saving the money that a student will make while in high school is one of the best ways to prepare for college.  This is a time when teenagers do not need to pay taxes, bills or different insurances. The money that they make can go straight into their bank account, which will begin to accumulate. This gives them a good financial starting point.

“I rarely need to pay for anything expensive, and my parents pay for all my necessities. This gives me time and a chance to make the money that I will need for college. I’ve also decided to share an off campus apartment with other guys, and split the cost. This will be much cheaper than the room and board that a college offers,” said Polito.

If in doubt or confused, the counselors are the best people to talk to for advice. They are here to help, and are always willing to. They offer advice on ways to afford college and guide students to success. They offer insight about financial aid to many of the students who gravely need it.

“I think the best way for students of present day to afford college would be to apply for scholarships; any available scholarships, whether it be academic, athletic, or otherwise. These will offset the cost of your fees,” said counselor Glenda Dumas.

Another way to be financially prepared is to research the college, to see what the qualifications for financial aid are, set up visitations and to apply to said colleges.

“We have a new website that has been rolled out that’s called Naviance. It gives students the ability to search colleges, directly from the website. You can click on links to view the universities web pages, find out their admissions requirements, set up college visits and you can track the universities that you have applied to. Those are just a few things that you can do with Naviance,” said Demas.

Many students apply for merit scholarships, which are for academic achievements, though there are an abundant amount for artistic and athletic achievements as well. One specific scholarship is the Siemens Math, Science and Technology Award Scholarships. This is an award for a competition in which high school students enter research projects, whether as an individual or in a group. They go from regional to national levels of the competition as the students compete for college scholarships that range from $1,000 to $100,000. The Coca-Cola company offers over 250 different scholarships annually to students with a minimum GPA of 3.0. The top 50 students become National Scholars and receive $20,000, while the remaining 200 students receive $10,000. These are just a few of the many scholarships awaiting for college students.