For most underclassmen, senior year is seen as an accomplishment: proof of surviving three years of high school. Seniors, however, are noticing some unforeseen aspects of their final year of high school.

“I didn’t expect it to be so expensive,” senior James Nguyen commented. “And thinking about the future makes me anxious. Prom is probably going to cost a lot of money, and other events could come up at any time during the year.”

Seniors at Seminole have discovered the undesirable fact that senior year, even at a public high school, is incredibly expensive. From club dues to SAT score reports, a successful final year of high school exerts a considerable strain on the wallet.

“It seems like I’m spending all my money on dues for clubs,” senior Fakhri Shekarchi said. “One due doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re in five or six clubs it starts to get really hard on your budget.”

To kick off senior year, students take their senior portraits, for a cost varying by package. To drive to school, seniors also need to buy a parking pass for sixty dollars. From there begins the cost of club registration: twenty-five for Young Politicians, sixty for Beta Chi. Then, seniors are swept into college application season. College applications average around forty dollars each, not including the costs of sending test scores and transcripts. Finally, seniors have to invest their part in the graduation ceremonies, including caps and gowns.

These charges may seem benign individually, but they can combine to serious amounts of money being added to the student’s family’s financial burden, which will undoubtedly increase even further during college.

“I definitely hear it a lot from my parents,” senior Cameron Celeste said. “We’ve been cutting back on going back to eat, and I actually had to start looking for a job to help pay off these hundreds of dollars that I’ve spent already this year.”

Some students decide to pick up part-time jobs during their senior year, which could help cover these costs. However, their minimum wage earnings and scant hours due to schoolwork render their paychecks inefficient. While all of these charges have their purpose, the financial requirements of senior year should be anticipated. Underclassmen beware.