High school grads seek more scholarships, funding

June 30, 2009

By Christopher Huber

Although he’s headed to an expensive college in the midst of rising tuition costs, a more competitive application process and the worst economy in decades, recent Eastlake High School graduate Aakarsh Gottumukkala doesn’t let it bother him.

“It definitely had an effect on how other students chose a school,” he said. “I didn’t really let it bug me because I knew there were (financial) resources for out-of-state.”

As cliché as it has become, as much as the media has beaten the dead horse, the economic downturn continues to affect, in some way, virtually everyone in the United States.

College-bound high school graduates in Washington have begun to feel the pinch as well, according to students, high school career specialists and college financial aid officers.

More students applied for financial aid this year than in years past and local students paid closer attention to their college search and finances, taking on a stronger role in their quest for the ideal college experience.

“For our students, as of the beginning of June, we’re seeing an increase (in applications) of 16 percent over this time last year,” said Kay Lewis, director of student financial aid at the University of Washington. “It’s both more people looking for aid, and students are more eligible for aid. With the downturn in the economy, there are people whose income has gone down, so that makes them more eligible.”

Not only are they applying for more loans and grants to fund their college education, but Sammamish students, most of whom have already committed to colleges, said they spent more time scrutinizing their choices to attend in- or out-of-state and public or private schools.

“I have seen more kids coming in for more scholarships this year,” said Karen Edgar, Skyline High School career specialist. “People have been searching far and wide. If a student wants to go out-of-state, more people are thinking more about in-state.”

With the uncertain economic climate weighing on their minds, students generally took the college-search process more seriously this year, Edgar said. The tough economy hasn’t changed their desire to go to private or out-of-state schools, though.

“It really is still across the board. They’re becoming better informed and more discerning,” she said. “I’m seeing more and more students that recognize, ‘I’m part of the process. They’re working together with their families to make the process successful.”

Skyline graduated 388 seniors from the class of 2009. And of the 397 who graduated from Eastlake in June, 204 are staying in-state and approximately 94 will head out-of-state for college, according to data from the school’s newspaper, The Edge.

Gottumukkala is headed to the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. He said he began researching colleges and financial aid options in early 2008. He went through numerous books and college guides, advising on everything one needs to know about any one of the approximately 3,000 higher-education institutions nation-wide.

He ultimately decided on a small, liberal arts college with a respectable math program – one that fits his vision of the well-rounded college experience.

“You need to be in a place where you thrive,” Gottumukkala said.

But with a $44,000-per-year price tag, he knew he had to apply for financial aid — loans and private and school-funded scholarships.

“There was definitely a push to look for extra help,” he said.

Although his parents told him he could go to any college he got into, Skyline graduate Chris Helgeson said the national recession put the financial aspect in perspective as he searched for the most appropriate college. He landed on Santa Clara University in California.

On Sundays throughout his college search, Helgeson presented specific information about his favored schools to his parents. The process helped him figure out which schools would work best and fit his desire to study accounting, he said.

“They really supported the idea of private education,” Helgeson said.

Tuition and other fees will cost him up to $48,000 per year, he said, but he worked diligently to win three large annual scholarships to supplement his parents’ hard-saved college-fund money.

“Those scholarships were huge,” Helgeson said. “Even if you can afford it, you feel bad coming to your parents and saying, “I want $50,000 a year for college. It’s nice knowing I helped out by getting scholarships.”

As much as the troubled economy has put a damper on some incomes and changed the prospects of some college-bound seniors, local career specialists said students came away with a stronger appreciation for the cost of higher education.

“We may be in a recession, but it doesn’t mean that if you don’t plan properly you can’t go to the school you want,” Gottumukkala said. “If you plan your grades and your school profile good enough, you can definitely go to the school you want. It’s definitely possible … there’s millions (of dollars). There’s a lot out there still.”

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.sammamishreview.com.