January 2020 Issue

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14opinionJANUARY 2020 • EDITOR JADA INGLETONCollege application fees create unnecessary financial burdenAPPLY YOURSELF: Senior Kione Forrest begins his application processby looking up the undergraduate requirements for University of Miamiadmissions. Forrest spent nearly $100 on applying to his top universities forfall semester. Photo by Gillian StewartJada IngletonFeature and Opinion EditorAs early as Oct. 1 until mid-spring, collegeapplications become prominent as deadlinesarrive, and it is time to start deciding whereto go and when to apply. Along with severalother aspects that go with the process,one of the most consistent and expensiveis needing to pay an application fee to theschools you are seeking to get into. Unlessoffered a fee waiver by the school or somesort of academic program, almost every collegecomes with an application fee that canrange from $30 to as much as $70. Manyof the top, more prestigious schools willcharge an application fee of $75 or more.On average, according to “College Enrollmentin October 2016”, approxiamately69.7 percent of students who graduate fromhigh school enroll in a college or universitythe following fall term, and many studentswill apply to multiple colleges before beingaccepted and deciding upon which one to goto.The obvious opinion coming from a studentand possibly even a parent perspectiveis that application fees are beyond unnecessary.Some students aim to apply to 7or more schools, which allows the optionsfor target schools, reach schools and safetyschools. Regardless of the knowledge thatback up plans are vital, Guidance counselorand college parent Michelle Bellamy believesthe choice of how much money wespend on pre-acceptance criteria is a familydecision, and also one to not be taken lightly.“College is costly. There’s a lot of moneythat goes into just trying to get into college.Students have to be very selective and cautiousabout which and how many schoolsthey apply for,” Bellamy said. “You neverwant to crush a kid’s dreams, but you haveto be realistic. With SAT’s, you should havea max amount of times you will take it, andwhen it comes to applications, you need topick your top schools and always have aplan B.”With the already thousands of dollars thatwill eventually have to go to paying for tuition,room and board and more, applicantsshould not be forced to pay $30 or morejust to apply to a school without even theguarantee of acceptance. Even communitycolleges like Valencia and Broward College,where the probability of getting acceptedare more likely than not, have a minimum$35 application fee. The efforts of just tryingto get into college are costly, includingthe money paid to take and retake entranceexams which also play a role in the admissionsprocess.One perspective of the need for collegeapp. fees is that the inclusion of a fee forcesstudents to take their future serious.“If there were no fees levied, studentswould just send out applications to everyschool possible in the hopes of increasingtheir odds. Having to pay a fee forces studentsto put more thought into where theywant to apply,” said an anonymous representativeof College Raptor in an article onthe application fee requirements and why itis necessary.The staff and many other college admissionoffices also argue that the money fromapplication fees go into paying the admissionsspecialists, who spend a tremendousamount of time every year researching applicants.The admissions and assessmentprocess can be very long and critical, andthe people who are hired for this particulartask make their paycheck off the moneythat scholars send when they apply for eachschool.“The counselors went to a meeting in Septemberwith all the in-state schools and wesaw a map of all the departments and thepeople who work on certain parts of theapplication- they even had to hire additionalstaff because of how high the demandfor college has become,” Bellamy said, insupport of the need for application fees. “Iagree that college is like a business. In orderto run a business, you have to bring in money.Money for faculty, money for technology,beautification- upgrades that will attractstudents to the school. The colleges needAdvisor:Gary DolhonSTAFF BOXthis money to make their school thrive.”Granted that finances are a major factorin the overall look and capability of colleges,certain application fees go above andbeyond. Students should still not have todevote much, if any, money to just simplyapplying to a college. The admissions officesdo need to be rewarded for the timeand effort they put into reviewing each applicant.However, colleges should find otherresources to supply that money, such asdedicating tuition amount or other fees.The bigger picture is that an applicant, orthe applicant’s parent or guardian, is givingmoney to essentially be rejected. Granted,rejected or accepted, the review process stilltook place. Regardless, most schools requirea down payment from a student oncethey have accepted them and that money initself could go towards the admissions specialistswho reviewed any and all applications.With the average tuition ranging from$11,000 to as much as $41,000, surely someof that money could be used as compensationin the place of application fees.College is already expensive as is. Withoutthe support or guarantee of a scholarshipor student loan, paying out of pocket to justattend an institution can be costly and brutal.If application fees are truly necessary,the least that can be done is reducing theamount to a price that will not run applicantsup near or over hundreds of dollars.Editors: Paula Colon, Natalie Maronas, Jada Ingleton,Gillian Stewart, Brandon Vasquez, Diego PerdomoStaff Writers: Joao Lucas Argenta, Kiera Cerino, Tadhg Holder, NathaniaMullings, Andrea Palmieri, Izabella Perez, Sarah PerezPUBLICATION DISCLAIMER:The Lynx is West Broward High School’s student newspaper. Allopinions are not necessarily those of the school. The Lynx isrequesting that students submit letters to the editor addressingany appropriate subjects. The final draft of the letter should be nolonger than 300 words. All letters will undergo editing. Studentscan submit letters to Mr. Dolhon in room 723.
life&artsJANUARY2020 • EDITOR GILLIAN STEWART 15Choir prepares for their upcoming annual Candlelight showTIMING IS EVERYTHING: Choir director Javier Diaz rehearses the choirclub’s timing in the chorus of “Joy to the World” for Disney’s CandlelightConcert on Dec. 27 in Orlando, Fla. The club has participated in Candlelightsince being selected by Disney in 2014. Photo by Gillian StewartGillian StewartLife and Arts EditorKiera CerinoStaff WriterFor 12 years, West Broward has seen studentsexcel and rather shine in Choir. Singersranging from altos, sopranos, bass andtenors have produced beautiful harmoniesthat are presented to the school as well asthe Pembroke Pines community in eachevent they perform. Choir, led by chorusand music teacher Javier Diaz, are continuingto show off their skills as they preparefor Disney’s 61st Annual Candlelight Processional.Candlelight is an event put on by Disneywhere the story of Christmas is musicallytold by a choir consisting of high school students,adults and Disney’s Cast Choir. Theevent is held Dec. 27 at Epcot Center in Orlando,Fla. This year will be West Browardchoir’s fifth year participating in the show.“Being apart of Candlelight is importantfor all of us in the club,” said senior veteranchoir member Xavier Salazar. “Candlelightbrings so many people together like professionalsingers, students and the audiencewho came for a good experience. It gives usa sense of pride for being a part of a selectiveshow that shows off the group’s talent.”Throughout the first half of the schoolyear, the West Broward Choir has preparedfor the upcoming showcase. The club triesto build their vocal skills through practicesalong with local performances. Studentshave dedicated their time and effort intoperfecting their singing to create a gracious,effortless-sounding group comprised of adiverse range of voices.“We rehearse from late September untilDecember because the students havethe commitment to learn 14 songs and areexpected to read the music, know the music,and then sing those songs by heart onstage,” Diaz said. “I want students to havethe opportunity to perform in different venuesand develop their individual talents indifferent scenarios.”Choir has used many of their home-basedevents to help rehearse their material. Inparticular, Choir’s annual winter concert,Ugly Sweater Holiday Concert on Dec. 19,allows them to familiarize themselves withChristmas songs like “Hallelujah” and “Joyto the World” performed at Candlelight.This concert is a way for novice and veteranchoir members to showcase their talents andapply the skills they have gained throughoutthe year.“Our winter concert consists of all levelsof chorus from beginner to advanced,” saidsenior club member Jose Oro. “We are goingto be on our A-game, but also be practicingfor Candlelight considering the songswe sing in the auditorium will be the oneswe do in Orlando.”Following their winter concert, the choirhad their final performance before Candlelightat MargaritaVille on Dec. 22. Theysing songs performed at the Disney-basedconcert such as “Rejoice with ExceedingGreat Joy” and “Silent Night” for therestaurant customers during the annual TreeLighting event. The support from the audiencegave the choir members motivation toperfect their craft as they finished preparationfor Candlelight in the coming days.“It feels great to be part of such an amazinggroup with extremely talented individuals,”said junior Chorus Secretary MatthewCleveland. “Performing by myself is myworst nightmare, but when I’m on stagewith the rest of the choir, I feel like I can doanything.”Performing at Candlelight gives choirmembers an opportunity to advance theirperformance skills. The Disney event, alongwith other events held, allows the studentsa chance to bond over their experience andhelp each other become perfectly connectedin their singing at the concert.“This is my first year going to Candlelightand I’m really excited to perform with myfriends,” said junior club member NicholasGabella. “I’ve only done small choir performancesso far, but everyone in choir hasbeen really welcoming to me and the othernew members.”“ “Candlelight bringsso many people togetherlike professionalsingers, students and theaudience who came fora good experience.-Xavier SalazarChoir has impressed not only the Bobcatcommunity but also attracted a new set offans. From adults to children, the choir clubhas had the opportunity to increase theirsupport with their involvement in Candlelightevery year since 2014 as audiencemembers return to watch the choir perform.“We have beautiful music that we cancelebrate with the fans each year at theconcert,” Diaz said. “These kids are ableto show everyone the work they put theirheart and soul into. I love Disney’s conceptof bringing schools from different backgroundswith diverse students in order to puton a magical show for families.”THE RIGHT NOTE: Choir director Javier Diaz conducts his advanced choirduring their Ugly Sweater Holiday Concert on Dec. 19 in the West Browardauditorium. The concert followed numerous school-based performanceswhere the members sang Candlelight songs for the audience.The club has been practicing for Candlelight since late August. Photo byKiera Cerino
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January 2020 Issue

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