Have a junior this year? Start saving now. And by saving, I mean putting away a sizeable chunk of change every week, because if you think you got nickled and dimed to death in elementary school, you're not going to believe senior year.
Before school even starts they start with the "BUY THE YEARBOOK NOW" emails and snail mail. Before school even starts, they want a check for $100 for the yearbook. Welcome to senior year.
Most of the dunning I just toss in the circular file. Class rings? TOTAL waste of money. And they cost hundreds of dollars.
Senior portraits? A $35 sitting fee, then offers of packages that run from $295 to over $1000. For a photo of your darling special snowflake taken by a hack photography studio that only does school photos. Our school does not accept any other portraits.
Let's not forget the Prom. $100 per ticket, tux rental at $125+, new shoes, a corsage and lapel flower at around $50, a haircut, makeup, a new dress, underwear, and then there is the freaking transportation. A limo? Could cost every kid $100 just to ride in a limo. One with a fireplace is more.
Oh, how about those prom photos. You know, the posed ones you parents want to put on your coffee table right next to the b'nai mitzvah album and your wedding album? Check out the cost.
Prom pictures are from 6:30-7:30 at the Copley before Prom starts. If you would like pictures taken you must bring a check the night of prom. Tomorrow, during advisory, a brochure will be passed out with the different photo packages, which range in price from $29-95.
Cap and gown? $35. And they are ugly and barely clean.
And then there are the guilt costs. In our school we have two papers, the Lion's Roar and the Denabola. Plus we have a local city newspaper. And the yearbook. You get dunned for every single one of those pieces of great literate. They call you on the phone with this whole guilt speech about how you want to honor your graduate with a congratulatory ad in such and such publication. Every parent is doing it, you want to do it too. You're poor? We have tiny ads for your poor people. Look at the costs just for the school papers:
Our special section devoted solely to the Class of 2009 will be distributed at graduation on June 11; we want to include your tribute to your son or daughter. A graduation tribute in The Lion's Roar has many advantages:
- No extra charge for photos
- An award-winning design staff that has won major national awards will design your ad at no extra cost
- We distribute at graduation, in school, in the community, and mail home to subscribers
Full page (11x17): $220 Half page (11x8.5): $170 Quarter page (5.5x8.5): $120Eighth page (5.5x4.25): $80 Ads can be printed in color for 50 percent more than the black and white price.
Support Your Senior By Advertising in Denebola
Attention parents of seniors! Congratulate your son or daughter on graduating with a Senior Ad in Newton South's Official School newspaper, Denebola, in its award-winning, 64-page graduation issue! Offering the largest-sized ads of any Newton South publication, Denebola's graduation issue will not only be distributed at graduation and in school, but will also be mailed home! Prices start at $65, and we will design your ad for FREE! You can also include as many pictures as you'd like at no extra charge!
Pricing and Sizes
Back page (11 x 21 in - *Boston Globe Size*) Full Color: $340
Full page (11 x 21 in - *Boston Globe Size*) B&W: $260 / Color: $300
Half page (11 x 10.5 in) B&W: $180 / Color: $215
Quarter page (6 x 10.5 in) B&W: $120 / Color: $140
Four by five (4 x 5 in) B&W: $95 / Color: $105
Business Card (3.5 x 1.75 in) B&W: $65 / Color: $80
Online Ad (150 x 600 pixels) $20 with print ad
Photos (as many as you want) FREE!
Design my Ad FREE!
ALL SIZES LISTED AS WIDTH x HEIGHT
I don't even know what the yearbook and city weekly are charging, but I can promise you it's more.
You know what I haven't mentioned yet? The most costly expense of all? The dreaded SAT prep. What a frigging racket. There are a million of the professional places like Kaplan and Score and there are a lot of smaller, private tutoring business that promise more increased points than the professionals. And then there are private tutors that come to your home. Since most juniors take the SAT in June, and then again in October or November, many parents do two rounds of prep. Average prices seems to be $1500 to $3000 per course. Gulp. The schools all offer a prep class but it's not good. Not good at all. Too many kids, too little time, no individualized instruction.
Don't forget the college applications, which can average about $100. Some kids apply to 10 colleges. Not mine! College applications come after college trips to visit various campuses. I don't think this is necessary but I'm apparently in the minority. I never visited any of the three campuses I eventually studied at. And we didn't have the internet way back when, so the only thing we got from the college was the bulletin. It wasn't that interesting. Now there are DVDs and all sorts of web sites and discussion groups for applicants. Since most people do take the trip, don't forget to pack away some bucks for hotels, meals, gas, and college hoodies. One MUST get the hoodie.
Of course, after you've gone completely broke senior year, and are still reeling from all the end of the year activities that are picking your pocket, you kid has to choose where he or she is going to college. And you? You get to write the first of many tuition checks. Jokes on you when you see just how much this is going to cost you.
I'm thinking that plumbers, electricians, and carpenters have the right idea. Because this whole college experience is not for the weak of heart. Believe me on that!
Amigo will have two senior years. Yikes! Maybe I can spread out the costs...
Posted by: Daisy | May 30, 2009 at 11:44 AM
My daughter applied to 13 (count 'em) colleges!
Then there was a parent/kid senior brunch. And all the senior teachers seem to have this thing about going out to breakfast with their classes.
I hear you; I'm broke!
Posted by: Maureen at IslandRoar | May 30, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Heh...my parents said:
1. You want a yearbook? Better save your money!
2. Class rings are a waste of money.
3. We'll pay for three (3) college applications. Want to apply more places? Fine, save up for it!
4. SAT prep? HAHAHAHAHA -- just study!
5. Prom sounds lovely. Hope you've saved enough to pay for it all...and be home by 1am. Forget getting a hotel room with your drunken friends. That's what college is for.
6. Class photos? Stand still -- let me get out the Polaroid.
7. What scholarships will you be getting?
8. You have college expenses that won't be covered by scholarships? Better get talking to the financial aid people!
9. If I'd asked them about an ad in the school paper, my father would have laughed until he choked, and my mother would have trotted out the old "there are only three appropriate times to be in the newspaper if you are not a public official or a performer -- when you are born, when you marry, and when you die." Well, first she would have said to the ad salesperson, in response to the "all the parents are doing it!" with "and if all the parents jumped off a a cliff, do you think I'd follow them?"
Bought myself a yearbook, skipped the class ring (I thought my parents were horrible and cruel at the time, now I'm grateful we didn't wast the money!), skipped the photo packages, had a blast at the prom with hair and make-up by yours truly wearing a dress I already owned (from a wedding), snickered at the kids with the big "Congratulations to our little Jodi for graduating!" ads, did very well on the PSAT and the SAT, got some scholarships, worked my ASS off to put myself through four years of college accepting less than $1,000 TOTAL from Mom and Dad.
Don't let anyone tell you all those expenses are necessary!
Posted by: Carolie | May 30, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Oh, I know those expenses are mostly not necessary. I didn't have any of them at all but the yearbook when I graduated high school. But when you live in a town where all this excess is NORMAL and EXPECTED and the message is you're a terrible parent if you don't tow the line and spend spend spend, then it becomes a constant source of irritation for both parent and kid.
It's difficult enough just getting out of high school these days, with all the special requirements and constant reminders to return your latin book or you won't graduate (1st year latin and we had to tear the house apart to find it), but when all your friends are getting all the extras and you aren't, the guilt is out there. Even my son, who KNOWS that not only am I bullshit with him for screwing up his senior year with the worst case of senioritis ever recorded, wanted me to put an ad in the paper congratulating him. As if!
Posted by: margalit | May 30, 2009 at 06:29 PM
This is the first time I've been glad my Senior step-daughter doesn't bring home all the fliers (they get lost at mom's house), and that she's a bit anti-social about big events, and that she's an underachiever. We've paid for no yearbook, her brother took some amazing senior pictures (don't think she's even going to be IN the yearbook and she doesn't care -- only been at the school two years and only cares about ART), she thinks a class ring is stupid, and hates the music they play at dances so her boyfriend took her on a picnic to the park instead, and she's all, "What SAT's? I was supposed to take them? AND apply to a college? I just can't go?" Unfortunately, we have to match the $1,200 laptop we bought older brother as a grad present. And pay for the entire grad party because mom never has money. Unless it's for crafts and trips. Oh, did that sound snarky? Sorry!
Posted by: Katie | May 30, 2009 at 06:42 PM
That's even worse, all that pressure! Seems they've lost sight of the actual goal! Glad you haven't!
Posted by: Carolie | May 31, 2009 at 11:04 AM
been there, lived it ... 4 times now.
but mostly with kids who just didn't care one way or the other.
roo-girl will be there in 3 years. she? will be the one who cares.
kill me now.
Posted by: the planet of janet | May 31, 2009 at 12:51 PM
my older daughter just finished her freshman year at college, my younger one is a high school junior. I feel like I just finished dealing with senior year and I'm starting all over again.
the only good news -- Becca took the SAT in March, the ACT in April and took the SAT a second time in May, and has now moved on to SAT II's next week...so we're probably done with testing and won't be revisiting the issue in October.
Posted by: songbird | May 31, 2009 at 04:26 PM
Holy crap. It's waaaay more expensive where you are than where I am. My kids' school yearbooks cost $30 if you pre-ordered; $40 if you waited till May.
Prom? No idea. The oldest paid her own way (and wore a dress she already owned), and I'm not even sure my son went to his, though since he had a girlfriend, he probably did. No limos for either of them.
Here, it costs in the order of $100 to apply to three universities (through a central applications processing website). Don't know about extra applications: my eldst only applied to three, and my son to one. (He got in.)
No ads in the papers. (For heavens' sake.) No SATs here either, thank goodness.
But pictures? HUGE rip-off: you had to purchase them, SIGHT UNSEEN! In the same price range you cite! They want me to shovel over hundreds of dollars without even SEEING them first? Are they NUTS? We took our own, thanks.
Posted by: Ilona | June 01, 2009 at 03:10 PM