Stacks of papers fill the counselor’s office and messages flood schoology containing different scholarships for seniors. 

Seniors have the opportunity to earn scholarships for college that will earn them money to be taken off. They will have to do certain assignments, including essays, to be able to be chosen.

Colleges can be around $25,000 per year, which can be hard for most students to pay normally. These scholarships are one of the most accessible opportunities for students and can reduce the price by thousands. 

“They help a lot of kids with families in financial need to be able to afford college,” senior Caroline Marcus said. 

As senior Maranda Fosse finishes her college application, she, like many other seniors, starts looking for scholarship opportunities. One of the main places she is looking for opportunities is through the school.

“The school is providing many resources on scholarships and where to find them,” Fosse said. 

With the high competition for these rare opportunities, students will pick up multiple scholarships, so they have a higher chance of being chosen. This is causing for more stress and work for seniors during the college apply process.

“Every time that you think that you are done with college work, there’s something else that you need to do and there’s more scholarships that shown to us,” Fosse said.

New scholarships provided by the Edwardsville Community Foundation were placed in the guidance counselor’s office and posted on schoology over Halloween weekend. There are over 30 different scholarships provided that students can apply for if they are eligible.

Edwardsville Community Foundation granted $116,600 in scholarships to over 60 local seniors just last year.

“Without scholarships, a student can be stuck in debt for decades after graduating,” Fosse said.