Applying to college is an excruciatingly long process. Aside from that, it is also ridiculously expensive. Beyond  the costs of attending one of the schools, students still have to pay for the application and score sending fees. Itt all adds up. The motto for junior and senior year was best said by our dean, John Fanning, who yelled at the seniors in the theatre to “use other people’s free money!!!” This article is going to let you know how.

The first thing juniors and seniors should focus on in the college application process is taking the SAT and/or ACT. The cost of the test, each time a student takes it ranges from $50 to $70 dollars depending on if one chooses to take the optional essay. My greatest tip to overcome this cost is to use the SAT/ACT waivers. Not many students know about these but I am here to tell you that the counselors have stacks of these waivers in the counseling suite and have no problem in giving them out. Once a student  inputs her  waiver in the college board website, it will also offer her 4 free score sends and 4 free college application waivers that can be used on the common application. Some universities will also offer their own waivers but make sure to check their eligibility rules and submit the waivers on time!

Applying for scholarships is equally as important as applying to college. Loans should not be an option as there are tons of people and organizations on the internet wanting to give you free scholarship money.. It can be overwhelming to find the ones that individuals are eligible for.  My favorite way to combat that struggle is through a resource called Scholly. Scholly is a website/phone app that allows students to create a profile where they input different interests and things about themselves.  The site will show you the scholarships they have in their database that fit you. Scholly also allows students  to use the same essay for multiple scholarships for convenience and productivity. There is a monthly fee of $2.99 but I‘m sure it will be worth the millions of free dollars that the app has to offer.

Applying to college doesn’t have to be as expensive as it is made out be if students find shortcuts around the costs. Use the waivers that are available and apply to as many scholarships as possible!