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Jonah Keough, a senior at Ashland High School, fills out one of the many college applications he plans to submit within the next few months. AP College applicants race to fill forms Application forms and scholarships on many families' minds By Mercedes Binh Ly Ashland Daily Tidings This time of year can be stressful in more ways than one. Not only is it a time of giving and sharing as the holiday season approaches, but it's also a critical time for high school seniors and their parents in determining how to finance their teen-ager's college education. Jonah Keough, a senior at Ashland High School, has successfully found time and a way to do it all. In addition to a 10-credit course load this semester, he's holding down a part-time job at Project A, a local computer company. He's also involved in several school activities, while simultaneously working on applications to eight colleges. Keough has his sights set on Tufts University in Medford, Mass., where he intends to study computer engineering. "It's challenging. I find spare moments between homework to work on the essays during the weekends," the 17-year-old said. "What I haven't gotten done yet, I'll finish over winter break now that I have free time." Of Keough's eight choices for college, seven of the applications will be completed and submitted via the Internet. Keough said submitting personal information over the computer initially concerned him but he found it advantageous to not have to fill out the forms by hand. "I like it because I have bad handwriting and it looks professional when I apply on-line," he said. This is the Keough family's first experience working through the college and financial aid process. "My parent's biggest stress is making sure that I'm doing everything that I need to be doing and that I keep up with my classes," he said. AHS senior Shey Yearsley is the first child in her family to attend college. She's receiving help from her school counselor and parents, in addition to working through the process of applying for financial aid on her own. "My parents are figuring out whether or not it's affordable and how we're going to make it work financially," she said. "Mostly I'm on my own in terms of the decisions I make and what scholarships I'll apply for." Each college has its own scholarship deadline, according to AHS Counselor Randy Rogney. Approximately $50,000 worth of scholarships are given out by the Ashland community annually. Seniors have until April 1 to submit their applications to groups, such as Kiwanis, Soroptimists and the Elks. Two areas of concern to seniors and their parents have to do with whether the student gains acceptance to the schools he or she has applied to, and whether parents will receive the financial aid needed for their teen to attend the college. "For parents it's, `How do I afford it?'" Rogney said. "For students it's, `I've got to get accepted.' And for teachers and counselors it's, `I've got to gather all this information as early in the process as possible to write the best letter of recommendation for that student.'" Yearsley has applied to five colleges, including Southern Oregon University, but her school of choice is Lewis and Clark College in Portland, a small liberal arts college known for its international affairs and foreign language programs. "I love language, speaking it and learning it," she said. "I want to be able to use my language skills and knowledge to help develop bonds between countries and cultures." Senior Anna Voskes, 17, said it was important she make an informed decision about where she would be spending the next four years of her life. "It's a big decision. It's also a big investment," she said. "It's not something you want to jump into and find out you're not prepared for." Voskes plans to major in agriculture and has applied to four colleges with strong programs in that field. She has pored over college catalogs and program rankings in her intended course of study, as well as sought out the advice of professors and advisors in the field. She has also visited several of the colleges accompanied by her father. "It's been stressful because I know what I want but I don't know exactly what I want in the next four years of my life," Voskes said. "But it's fun to investigate all the different things and see what you can do." In order to finance her college education, Voskes is considering applying for 25 local and national scholarships, which include those based on leadership skills, athletic ability and ethnic heritage. Voskes' father is from Holland, and Anna Voskes plans to apply for a scholarship benefiting Dutch women. Meanwhile, Yearsley is also applying for school activity-based and community service-based scholarships, including those related to her intended majors. "I'm nervous," she said. "It's hard to find time through all my activities to apply for all the scholarships because there are so many essays required." Keough, Yearsley, and Voskes, like many seniors, will work on their college applications and scholarship essays during the weekends and over Christmas break. But Yearsley said the process shouldn't be too stressful for seniors. "High school is a really great time. It's important not to stress out about the future but to keep in mind it's another exciting avenue to explore," she said. Visit our back issue library Email your... 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