May 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

6 in-depth <strong>May</strong> 11 extra effort pays With students panicking over higher education expenses and receiving financial aid award letters, obtaining enough money to pay for college has become a common concern for almost every student and family. In order to reduce the financial pressure for students, outside organizations and colleges provide scholarships -- free money that does not have to be repaid -- for students that meet certain requirements. Certain scholarships may be awarded through the admissions office when a student is accepted into the university. “A merit scholarship is a specific type of scholarship that colleges give automatically to students based on factors in their application,” college and career resource counselor Gilit Abraham said. “Most often it’s the GPA, or the SAT/ACT student score; sometimes it might also be based on high school participation and leadership roles.” For most students, a merit scholarship from their college is a great chance to receive a lot money without the hassle of filling out a special application. “I was awarded the Père Marquette Award program from Marquette University which covers a quarter of my tuition,” senior Prachi Patel said. More competitive, generous scholarships are also given by universities, such as “Presidential” or “Deans” scholarships. “The more competitive scholarships will be based on academic achievement; students should have a certain GPA and SAT/ACT score to even apply. Students might also be required to write an essay, gather a transcript, or perhaps have an interview if they’re one of the finalists,” Abraham said. Though nationwide organizations have huge pools of people who apply after finding their scholarships listed on fastweb.org or collegegreenlight.com, scholarships that are offered by local organizations have smaller pools of students and therefore increase a student’s chances of winning. Senior Vrutik Patel applied to an independent foundation in Palatine, the A. Franklin Pilchard Foundation, and received the $32,000 scholarship. “It was a paper application with some short answer questions about the career that I wanted to study in college, in my case mechanical engineering,” said Vrutik. “All I had to do was answer the questions and mail it to the address that was indicated.” The more competitive that a scholarship is, the longer the application will be; some have “rounds” where the pool of students reduces down to semi-finalists and finalists. “When I was the semi-finalist for the scholarship that I was awarded, I had to do an over-the-phone interview, which made me nervous,” senior Katelyn Aragon said. “It was scary because I couldn’t see the person’s expressions or hand motions, so I didn’t know how they were reacting.” While applying to college and scholarships in general can be time-consuming and difficult, Patel explained how, in the end, effort is key. “It is competitive. Scholarships make students work harder and colleges and organizations expect students to work hard for money,” Vrutik said. “Do some extracurricular activities to make your application stand out and prove you are a well-rounded student. If you want money, there’s an abundance of money available. You just have to work hard for it.” COMMITMENT TO ESSAYS AND APPLICATIONS RESULTS IN MORE MONEY FOR STUDENTS BY IVONNE SANCHEZ asst. in-depth editor 11%* OF SENIORS PLAN TO TAKE OUT COLLEGE LOANS COSTING $15,000+ FINANCING YOUR FUTURE BY DANIEL DAOOD in-depth editor Most high school seniors find themselves facing the same dilemma -- paying for escalating college costs. Since 1980, the average price of college has grown 260%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This leaves students questioning how they are going to come up with the money to pay for higher education, including taking out student loans. American students are taking out more loans than ever to be able to afford the increasing prices of higher education. Currently, “the U.S has roughly $1.31 trillion in student loan debt, spread amongst about 44 million SAVE YOUR BANK BY BE WITH COLLEGE FINANCIAL student aid, loans re borrowers,” according to Forbes Magazine, “with the average student having $37,172 in student loan debt.” In a survey conducted of Maine West seniors, nearly a third are planning on taking out student loans for college, with another 30% unsure on whether or not they will be. The amount of money one takes out in loans can have a drastic impact later in life, since loans are generally very hard to pay back. Among West seniors, 32% will be taking o student loans, and 11% p than $15,000. Whether t or not, the price of college for 83% of seniors in dete go to school. There are many other ing for college such as one earns through fi includes Pell grants repaid and loans that do ha are necessary -- whether t or a private lender, “you sh minimal amount of stude out subsidized loans, whic back until you graduate, loans, which you start payi out Federal loans instead o stitutions, and figure out have once you graduate so back as quickly as possible, Allyson Adams said. Whether or not yo from the federal g your college depe sets and income. Th Federal Student Aid (FAFS
, <strong>2018</strong> in-depth 7 making the most of what you’ve got UNIQUE TRAITS & EXPERIENCES QUALIFY FOR EASY MONEY ING ARMED STRATEGIES ut more than $5,000 in lan on taking out more hey are taking out loans was a significant factor rmining where they will ways to get aid in paythe federal financial aid lling out FAFSA, which that do not have to be ve to be repaid. If loans hrough the government ould take out the most nt loans possible. Take h you don’t have to pay instead of unsubsidized ng back right away. Take f loans from private inwhat kind of job you’ll you can get loans paid ” Maine West counselor u’ll qualify for a grant overnment or aid from nds on your family’s ase Free Application for A) is one form that the DARCY BUCHANIEC quire detailed prep federal government, states, and colleges use to determine eligibility for financial aid. Some colleges go farther by having students’ families complete a College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS). The CSS Profile, administered by the College Board, is used by around 300 colleges and scholarship programs to determine eligibility for their own aid dollars, according to NerdWallet. How much aid one receives may vary greatly depending on whether the college uses the FAFSA or the CSS Profile to determine need. In addition to aid packages, the federal government partners with colleges as part of the Federal Work Study program. Work Study jobs are set aside specifically for students in need and the money one earns goes directly to pay for college expenses. Adams advises looking for ways to supplement your income and cut costs. “Becoming a Resident Assistant, finding a job during college, and applying for scholarships on campus are all great ways to find money for college,” Adams said. BY XIAO HE reporter Whether you’re coming to the end of your freshman year or counting down the last days of high school, the impending due dates for college applications hang over the heads of millions of students. It’s only a matter of time before another question pops into those minds, adding onto the heap of worries: how to pay. With U.S. citizens in over a trillion dollars in debt from student loans, society has responded with a way to honor our unique traits and fund part the population’s money problems. In the depths of all these scholarships are those given by private organizations for things ranging from The Paramount Tall Club’s height requirements of 5’10” for females and 6’2” for males to talents such as being able to create a prom dress or tuxedo out of duct tape. In fact, according to College-Career Counselor Gilit Abraham, “There are scholarships for all sorts of categories: red hair, left-handed, ethnic and religious affiliation, areas of interest, and more.” 26% OF SENIORS HAVE RECEIVED SCHOLAR- SHIPS THIS YEAR* 33% OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS SENIORS HAVE RECEIVED WERE MERIT OR ACTIVITY BASED* For being a caddie and giving fellow golfers expert advice, senior Monika Walaszek won the Chick Evans Scholarship which will cover her full tuition and housing at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign.“Being a caddie means that you must be prepared for any situation and help your player compete at their top performance. In order to apply for this scholarship, you have to caddie for at least two years, have high academics, demonstrate financial need and have outstanding character,” Walaszek said. Colleges likewise offer scholarships for students who bring unique life experiences with them. At Elmhurst College, for example, they’ve just recently held The American Fellowship Competition, which was established for first generation college students. What started off as an idea at a round table, drinking coffee, lead to having “students come in for the competition from California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, so it was a nationwide event” as described by Elmhurst assistant director of admissions, Morgan Ryan. “I think what is really unique for our application is a lot of other applications are very basic: they require you to write an essay and submit a resume. I wanted these students to be creative with what they were doing, get a video camera and tell their story. It was so cool because it brought these students to life and they were able to tell their story in their own way as opposed to writing it down on paper.” Kelsey Plefka the financial literacy coordinator at Elmhurst, advises that students should apply for these unusual scholarship opportunities,“If it’s helping you pay for college, it’s worth it to explore.” Students put themselves out there in order to give themselves this opportunity to be able to participate in such events and possibly gain something in return for their efforts, where they find that “overall it is looked upon as an engaging experience,” said Ryan. “Students really loved being a part of something that was almost bigger than themselves, to see all those kids of different races and backgrounds and ethnicities standing together.” *FROM A WESTERNER SURVEY OF 250 STUDENTS
Page 1 and 2: W westerner breaking news @mwwester
Page 3 and 4: W May 11, 2018 news 3 burial of the
Page 5: W May 11, 2018 features 5 GOT THAT
Page 9 and 10: W May 11, 2018 opinions 9 ZAC ABERO
Page 11 and 12: W May 11, 2018 sports 11 Setting hi

May 2018

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?