“I’m scared. There’s so much to think about. I’m still in high school. I want to relax but its hard thinking about everything I need to know.” She said.

The junior isn’t even ending her last year in high school, and already she is concerned about the economy.

So is her friend, Josh Platt, 18, who wants to be an athletic trainer.

“Money’s tight. I’ve got two brothers in college. It will be a challenge, but I’m ready for it.”

And many college students are gearing up to apply for financial aid.

At Clark College in Vancouver, 20 percent more students apply for assistance, according to Karen Driscoll, Director of Financial Aid.

“We’re in session only two weeks and already we’ve seen a lot of activity. “ Driscoll said.

She says the federal “Pell Grant” is bottomless, but smaller pots of state and institutional money will run out by the end of the year.

She suggests applying 9 months in advance of the semester. She also advises getting online and accessing free financial forms, instead of the $80 forms.

Scholarships also heat up between November and February for those students interested.

Parents with young children should invest in a 529 Plan, where money can be invested tax-free.

Josh Platt is overwhelmed. “It’s stressful. You have all these applications and there are so many papers”

He’s considering George Fox University in the fall.