The deadline to apply for California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) entrance for next year is fast approaching. To prepare for this deadline Riverbank High School has offered a workshop each year organized by Counselor Maritza Alvarez to assist in the application process. The most recent workshop was hosted last week on campus.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the assistance that many people need and getting through the application for financial aid can be a struggle. There was a high attendance of people at the workshop that filled a classroom and then overflowed into the library.

“We had over 100 people,” said Alvarez. “All students came with at least one parent, some with both parents. I had two former students, as well. This application must be submitted each year, so I offer help to former students. It was a great workshop.”

The applications are submitted online and many began working on them weeks in advance since there may be some questions that are difficult to answer or that they don’t know the answer to. This helps the high school seniors with pursuing a higher education and getting the financial assistance they need.

Alvarez explained that the application is very in-depth and requires a lot of pertinent information such as parental income tax information.

“We had a great turnout this year though,” said Alvarez.