Parents typically spend years saving up money to send their children to college. Yet CESJDS senior year costs, adding up to about $18,000 on top of the standard tuition for the first semester, are not always taken into account.

Between the Israel trip, prom expenses, yearbook ads, college applications, standardized tests, lifer shirts, senior photos and senior jerseys, the senior class has a lot to balance.

The flat fee of the Israel trip is $14,000, but seniors generally bring additional spending money. With this extra money, the cost of the trip is almost equivalent to the price of one semester at the Upper School.

Interim High School Principal and Dean of Students Roz Landy believes that this price is worth it for those who can afford it, as many students have told her that the trip was a great experience.

“The Israel trip is an experience our seniors often say change their lives,” Landy said.

In spite of the benefits of the trip, senior Noa Dahan is unable to attend the main portion of the trip due to financial reasons. As a result, Dahan will only be attending the Poland section of the trip.

“It is a bit annoying, and it would be great if I could go, but I understand my situation,” Dahan said.

Landy explains that the school does the best they can to give students scholarships, but sometimes the amount given is not enough. Additionally, some families see more value in having their student work for the second half of the year than going to Israel.

“In the best of all worlds, we would love for all students to be able to go on the trip, but in actuality, every senior does not want to go or has other good reasons to choose not to go,” Landy said. “We do our best to try find ways to help seniors who need financial aid to find the help they need.”

While the Israel trip is the most taxing cost for seniors, prom and its price tags are also right around the corner. Twenty-six out of 29 senior girls surveyed plan to spend over $50 on beauty treatments for prom. Dahan’s parents set a budget for her prom dress, which proved to be difficult for Dahan when searching for one.

While these small costs can quickly add up, senior Maital Meloul believes that the end result makes the costs worthwhile.

“You have to buy your dress, your shoes, you have to make your hair, nails and makeup appointments and you question whether it’s worth it in the end, I’ll be happy that I spent the money,” Meloul said.

New expenses also showed up much early in the year. Many of the college applications which seniors spent countless hours working came with an average application fee of $37.88. A survey of 51 students showed that the average JDS senior applies to five colleges, so a senior could end up paying nearly $200 to submit applications.

Seniors also spend money on airfare and hotel rooms for many of their college visits. Because demonstrated interest is a great benefit for applications, some students found themselves spending a lot of time traveling to visit their target schools.

Director of College Guidance Susan Rexford suggests a solution to reduce these costs, which can compound quickly.

“Within an hour you could go visit the University of Maryland and you would see what a big state school looks like,” Rexford said. “If you decided you really didn’t like that feel, then why would you fly to visit the University of Wisconsin?”

In light of the difficulties some face when it comes to paying for the costs of senior year, senior Ellie Mendelson believes it is important to recognize that each student is unique in their respective financial situation.

“I think that a lot of people at JDS assume that since we go to a private school everybody is well off financially, but I think that is not always true, and we are economically diverse at this school,” Mendelson said.