According to counselor Shelly Rubenstein, this is a good time for seniors to apply for scholarships for college.

“With the economy as it is and the cost of college fees going up,” Rubenstein said, “scholarships should be a consideration for everyone.”

After all, Rubenstein said, fees for state schools are almost $20,000 a year, and about $50,000 for Ivy League schools. There are many opportunities for students to alleviate these fees with scholarships. According to Rubenstein, a representative from the Carmel Foundation said that there will be 60 available scholarships just for CHS students. These scholarships will go online on Feb. 1, 2012 and will have a deadline of March 15, 2012.

On Nov. 16, Rubenstein led the Financial Aid Night, an information night regarding scholarships and financial aid that students can receive when paying for college fees. Though the next activity like this will be Scholarship Night on May 17, when the school recognizes students for scholarships they receive, seniors have been, and still are busy with applying for scholarships, Rubenstein said. According to her, students at this school have been highly successful in obtaining scholarship money.

According to senior Terry Ming, “There are a lot of scholarships out there. There’s something for everyone.”

Both Rubbenstein and Ming said that there are benefits to starting early with scholarships. Ming received his first one in sophomore year and said he recommended that students start looking for scholarships during their senior year.

But according to Rubbenstein, “Start early; don’t wait for senior year.”