I swear, every time I check, there’s something new to pay for. Senior year is like this endless cycle of discovering yet another “small” expense that somehow piles up into a mountain of payments. It might start as something trivial, maybe a $10 shirt here, or a $25 fee there, but before you know it, you’re left sitting there wondering if you just got mugged. 

Take AP tests, for example. I know the payment window is the same every year, but those exam fees have become increasingly expensive each year. In 2019, the amount was $94. Now, in 2025, they’re $99. Sure, it’s only a $5 difference, but it feels like they’re inching closer and closer, dollar by dollar, year by year, to the $100 mark. And it really makes me wonder: how much is too much? Still, you just end up paying anyway because what else can you do? After sitting through a challenging class all year, it almost feels like you have to pay the fee just to prove it was worth something. 

Then there’s the cap and gown. Somehow, that’s a separate expense, and it’s required to walk the stage at graduation. People should be able to rent the gowns rather than purchase them. It makes absolutely zero sense to pay money to keep a gown. The cap, sure, I can understand. You can hang it up, keep it as a memory, or let your mom frame it somewhere. But the gown? Besides using it as a killer Halloween costume, what am I supposed to do with that? 

My parents actually suggested that my brother reuse mine when it’s his turn, and my friends looked at me like I’d lost my mind. But honestly, in this economy, why not? Shouldn’t reuse, reduce, recycle apply to graduation robes, too? Or do recycling methods suddenly become obsolete when it comes to senior year? 

And don’t even get me started on college application fees. I was lucky enough to apply during ApplyTexas’ Free Application Week, but most of my friends aren’t. They’re all applying to what seems like way too many schools, and those costs add up fast. 

But what really gets me about senior year is that not everything you’re paying for is technically mandatory. There’s almost this unspoken pressure to take part in everything. Football games, spirit days, senior merch, and “last” events that make you feel like you should care even though you really don’t. It’s your last year, after all.

And this is where it gets weird. You start spending money on things that are more about belonging than genuine necessity like buying college merch just because it’s college day and everyone else is repping their “future” school, even though you’re not 100% sure where you’ll end up or painting jeans with “SENIOR” and “2026” across the back, which sounds fun in the moment until you realize you bought brand new jeans just to ruin them with paint and never wear them again. And when you hesitate, the FOMO wins every single time. 

What makes it worse is that the year isn’t even halfway over, and I already feel like I’ve spent more than in all my previous years of high school combined. Between senior photos, events like homecoming, spirit days, and all of those “once in a lifetime” moments I’ll probably forget by next year, the price of being a senior just keeps going up. 

At some point, it gets ridiculous. Senior year is supposed to be this exciting, celebratory moment, but sometimes, it feels more like a really expensive subscription that’s also a hassle to cancel. 

Before I Lea-ve, 

To all underclassmen, please save up.