As seniors already know, and underclassmen will soon learn, applying to college is a long and tedious process. On top of everything else in your life, you’re encouraged to be applying to a multitude of colleges and universities in preparation for next fall. It starts junior year and plagues us all until our first deposit on 1 May. We all talk about the time spent and the stress college causes, but what about the money?

Applying for colleges doesn’t just cost you your time and sanity, it can cost over hundreds of dollars just to get your application together. There are the practice tests, test prep-classes, and books to pay for. The actual test has a fee, which goes up if you are late or take an additional section. And don’t forget about subject tests, AP tests, score submissions, cancelations, and reports. College Board and other companies that are meant to aid your application process turn a profit at every step of the way. From taking the test, to getting your scores, to sending them, you better believe there is a price.

So is this fair? We at the Current Wave say no, it’s not fair. The consumer rights organization, Americans for Educational Testing Reform, has criticized College Board for violating its non-profit status through excessive profits and exorbitant executive compensation; nineteen of its executives make more than $300,000 per year, with CEO Gaston Caperton earning $1.3 million in 2009.

Now, you don’t have to take the classes or buy the test-prep books, if you can’t afford it you can do without. But for kids who can afford the $700 class or can pay to take the SAT or ACT two or three times until they are happy with their score, they certainly have the advantage. Students who apply for a fee exemption for the SATs also have to pay to submit for the personal finances report, and it’s not even guaranteed that they will get the fee waved.

Students who want to cast a wide net when applying to schools may not be able to. The average student at NKHS applies to about 7 schools. Application fees range from $50-80, with every school the price adds up. It defiantly can ease the minds of students to have many different options, but not everyone can afford that opportunity. Fee waivers are given but in many cases to request one, you have to fill out a personal finances report, which also can have a fee. This step also favors though who are financially well off as students who can, apply to many different schools and some even pay essay-writing services which cost can cost up to $500 for the “perfect” college essay.

College Board and similar companies are making college a game of the haves and the have-nots. It’s not enough to do well in school and apply to a school. It’s a tedious and costly process hampering the American dream.

For more information on college board and the charges against it, check out the Americans for Educational Testing Reform, http://www.aetr.org/