17. The

BREAKING THE BANK FOR

SUCCESS

art by ANNA LINER

how wealth affects various aspects of education for Ladue students

LADUEPUBLICATIONS.COM IN-DEPTH 13 U nder the harsh glare of white LED lights, senior Eyob Tewelde sits among rows of tables at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters. Eyes squinted, his focus is directed on the sheet of equations in front of him. The only sounds breaking the churn of the air conditioning are the occasional scratching of a pencil on paper and the rapid taps of his fingers on his computer keyboard.

Tewelde will continue his homework routine for another couple of hours until the sky darkens. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. This fall, Tewelde will be attending one of the selective universities he has been accepted to, with options that include The University of Chicago and the University of Michigan.

Tewelde is one of many high-achieving students that shape the Ladue School District. Due to Ladue’s reputation as a extraordinarily competitive school in the St. Louis area, achieving academic success in the form of acceptance to a highly selective school is no small feat. While stellar GPAs and Advanced Placement-studded course loads may appear to come naturally for some students, rarely are the costs — whether they be monetary or time-based — discussed.

Not only has the cost of attending college increased each year, but the expenditures necessary to get into college have risen as well. In addition to built-in costs such as supplies, standardized testing and college application fees, optional costs such as AP tests, which cost $100 each, have become fixtures in the image of academic competitiveness. In fact, the College Board reported that 2.8 million students took at least one AP exam in 2019. Most Ladue students end up taking more than one AP exam annually, which can accumulate to an exorbitant sum.

“[I spent] $100 during sophomore year and $500 junior year,” senior Kashish Dhawan, who will be attending Northwestern University in the fall, said. “I already paid the deposit of $40 per test this year, so that’s $160 [so far this year.]”

Additionally, services such as tutoring and college essay editors add an extra cost for students who wish to achieve the score or acceptance they desire. This extra aid can cost a significant sum, and this cost can put a strain on those who do not have extra money to spend on enhancing their education.

“There are fee waivers, but if you can’t pay for a tutor, if you can’t pay for books — if you can’t pay for that, then of course you’re at a disadvantage,” Dhawan said. “If you have trouble paying for the AP tests, that’s not fair.”

While money is a highly quantifiable cost of education, another important aspect of academic success is time. The burdensome process of preparing and completing college applications has become increasingly arduous. The Pew Research Center reports that students are applying to 10.2 percent more colleges than they were in 2002, meaning that the time spent on applications has also increased. Tewelde, while not having spent nearly as much money as other students of similar academic caliber, is an example of how much time students often spend on college applications.

“The week of the early action deadline, I went to the library every day,” Tewelde said. “I did one college a day … I spent two or three hours on each one.”

Despite the expenses involved with earning the components of academic success, it appears that many students believe that the benefits of their work have outweighed the costs.

“I really wanted to get into The University of Chicago, so my acceptance was worth it,” Tewelde said. “I did [everything] perfectly.” GRACE HU in-depth editor

SCHOLARLY SPLURGING:

a cost analysis of the average amount students spend on various aspects of education information from: the new york times & the college board

which is equivalent to working Missouri minimum wage 151 hours 30—hour Princeton Review ACT prep course =$1,000-$1,600 ACT

which is equivalent to 4 Macbooks a 4-week summer debate camp =$4,325 based on the $1,200 retail price DEBATE

which is equivalent tobased on a $17 average restaurant a high-quality tennis racket =$250 16 meals while high quality cleats =$315 SPORTS

throughout high school, for which the =$700-1,200 a difficult courseload may include 7-12 AP courses which is equivalent to 20-34 full tanks of gas on a car with a 17-gallon tank in Missouri

AP

and also equivalent to of rent for an average St. Louis apartment a high quality violin =$5,000-50,000 5-50 months MUSIC which is equivalent to 1-10 used cars

02. EXTRACURRICULARS

As senior Anna Zhong elegantly pulls her bow across the strings of the violin, a melody of soft, harmonious notes emits from the instrument. Suddenly, her fingers slide up on the string, and her bow movements become more violent and dynamic as the piece switches from delicate to vivacious.

Zhong is rehearsing Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D Minor ahead of her solo performance at Powell Hall with the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra March 15. Having played the violin for 12 years, Zhong is among the most accomplished of young classical musicians in St. Louis.

“I like the violin because it allows me to express myself,” Zhong said. “Also, I have been able to meet so many people through my experience with the violin.”

However, Zhong’s path to musical excellence has been defined by various expenses required to develop and maintain her violin skills. Rehearsals, lessons and travel demand frequent costs.

“I do weekly lessons,” Zhong said. “Sometimes people who take violin seriously may do even two lessons per week, and chamber music — there’s a fee — HUGH CHAN a&e editor

and the enrollment for the Youth Orchestra has a fee as well. And of course, the instrument is a huge part of it.”

These costs are not only limited to violin; many extracurriculars necessitate exorbitant amounts of time and money for participants who hope to be competitive. Junior Gabe DiAntonio, who is a nationally qualified debater, has participated on Ladue’s Speech and Debate team since he was a freshman and has experience with the dedication needed for the club.

“I work on debate before school, during classes if I think I can get away with it, at lunchtime and after school for two and a half hours,” DiAntonio said. “Then I might listen to political podcasts while eating, and before I go to bed I’ll do more debate if I’ve done my homework.”

For those who wish to truly excel at extracurriculars such as debate and music, practice during the school year may not be enough. Pricey summer camps have become increasingly popular destinations for students to enhance their extracurricular skills.

“The most useful thing that debate camp does is teach you a massive amount about that topic right before it actually starts, which gives you a massive advantage,” DiAntonio said. “The first camp I went to was a bit over $1,000, and the other one was maybe twice that.”

Success in extracurriculars can greatly bolster a student’s college application. This benefit may drive students to dedicate gargantuan amounts of time and money into their activities in hopes of out performing their peers.

“Music is a huge part of my college application,” Zhong said. “It shows that you’re passionate about something and that you put a lot of time into it.”

The costs of activities may seem slightly daunting to both parents and students. These fees raise questions over inequality within the opportunity for success in various extracurriculars.

“Debate has quite a few barriers to entry,” DiAntonio said. “If you work after school, or if your parents work after school, then you don’t have a way to get to and from tournaments.”

Although the various inequalities in extracurriculars may seem bleak to those who are disadvantaged, it is important to note that individual success is self-defined. Scott Cornwell, a Ladue college and career counselor, offers a more optimistic view on the state of competition within extracurriculars.

“Some people have more time, and some people have more money,” Cornwell said. “This isn’t going to change, but how people choose to spend their time and money can change. The definition of success is very individual. There is not one ideal up to which we must all live. Ultimately, how we individually define success defines us.”

03. SPORTS

With practice on Saturday and Sunday, frequent out of town tournaments, 15 hours of practice per week and an average of five hours of sleep every night, the life of senior tennis player Jeremy Ouyang is hectic. Ouyang has to deal with the responsibilities of high school and sports. This commitment has made him the top tennis recruit in the state of Missouri.

On top of all the time he has spent training, Ouyang’s parents have invested a significant amount of money in equipment and travel. While his rackets and bag cost over $1,000 retail combined, this cost pales in comparison to his travel fees. For tournaments across the country, Ouyang’s parents must pay for gas, hotels and food.

“Usually [for a tournament] we will drive for five to seven hours, and then get a hotel for three nights,” Ouyang said. “[It costs] around $110 a night.”

While this spending is not necessary to play tennis at a recreational level, the competition is much higher at the events Ouyang attends. In addition, he practices at Creve Coeur Racquet Club, a top facility, to hone his skills. He sees this as a main component to becoming a strong player.

“It depends on where you are because who you practice with has a lot to do with how good you DOMENIC FENOGLIO sports editor

end up being,” Ouyang said. “So if you’re somewhere where there’s a lot of good players, and you don’t have money to pay for lessons, you should be fine — if you’re practicing with people that are better than you all the time.” Because of constant travel — none of the 15–20 tournaments Ouyang goes to every year are local —

Ouyang finds it hard to connect with his friends. Instead, he has chosen to use a large part of his four years of high school working to improve his tennis skills over being with friends.

“Since I’ve been out of town every other weekend the past three years, it’s been tough,” Ouyang said. “I can’t really do anything on weekends. We practice from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., so I don’t [go out] before that because why would I?”

While Ouyang chose to dedicate his free time to tennis, senior Carlos Puyo went through a period in his youth where soccer, his sport of choice, was too much for him. Even at a young age, commitments to soccer prohibited him from pursuing his other athletic interests.

“[I was in] fourth and fifth grade,” Puyo said. “[Practice] was three or four times a week. And I was 8 or 9 years old. I wanted to play baseball and basketball as well. Not being able to play those because of soccer being every single day seriously burnt me out.”

Puyo regrets choosing to take a break from soccer. While he has

received numerous accolades, including three all-conference team recognitions and an all-state nod, he knows he could have gone even further if he had spent more time on his sport.

“If I could go back and tell my younger self, I probably wouldn’t quit just because I could have been really good,” Puyo said. “I played with a lot of the kids that are on the best team in the city now. If I would have stuck with it, I probably could have been with all them.”

Ultimately, Ouyang does not regret choosing to put his time and resources into tennis. He understands and accepts that in order for him to succeed at a high level, he must invest himself fully.

“You don’t have to spend as much money as I have, but the time is definitely necessary,” Ouyang said. “But it’s good to have something that you want to get better at every day.”