The costs of going to college have been exploding, and for a high school student the tuition alone is staggering. As the season of applying to college comes to a close, a new season is beginning to open. Financial Aid is a process in which a specific college gathers the financial background of a student in order to establish how much money the parents are expected to pay.

This process is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is obviously that if the student qualifies for certain Financial Aid grants then that student will have a more affordable college experience. The curse is more intricate, besides the fact that the simple act of applying is harrowing in and of itself , it also entails the risk that a college might not feel so willing to dig deeper into their pockets.

For students going into college with no contributions from trust funds (which they very ironically ask for in the FAFSA), or their par

ents’ blue collar saving accounts, the fees necessary to simply be admitted to college are daunting.

Once a student factors in the cost of the application, which is on average $50, and then the cost of sending out SAT or ACT scores which is another $10 per school, multiply that by the average 5 colleges a student applies to and now only two actions are costing a student $300. Keep in mind we have not even touched the costs that apply to AP students. If a student plans to be responsible and take AP tests for college credits during his/her high school career that responsibility will cost them $87 per test. This turns into $174 if the student decides to take 2 tests which is the average. Be sure to note that paying does not ensure a passable grade on the test. The student is still only paying for opportunities not finite decisions. $474 is the staggering cost for an average opportunity for success.

For the average blue collar family almost $500 is a lot to pay for uncertainty.