Dear Future President,

Everywhere you go, there are people struggling. People that don't have homes, family, or a good education. The basis of these challenges come from money. Maybe you didn't grow up having a prosperous lifestyle, you can't help it. It's not your fault for growing up in a society where people can't provide for themselves, let alone an entire family. Kids that grow up like this should have the same educational privileges as any other student. They should be able to live a successful life and go to college, even if all they’ve been exposed to is poverty. Because of the financial struggles people go through to pay for college, we should find ways to operate colleges more economically to lower tuition.

Colleges keep spending money even when it is not available to them. They feel that they have to keep up with all the advancements that other colleges are working for. “Ehrenberg argues that tuition increases arise from the “cookie monster” nature of leaders at the top universities and the “arms race” competition that has developed among them.” Colleges keep spending money they don’t have, they are putting students in a bad position as they try to compensate for the loss of money by raising tuition. When running a college, these people begin to think about the success and values for the colleges, but don’t take the students into consideration. This leads to student debt, putting students at a disadvantage as they try to pursue their career in the future.

Colleges need to put more time and effort into creating a bigger and better university, not just money. Students are paying more money, and not always getting a proper education. “The fact that 40 percent of college students do not graduate within 6 years may suggest that we actually over-invested in higher education in the first place.” Colleges are investing too much money, and not getting the results they are looking for. The money isn’t all that makes a college successful, there are other elements that make a college prosperous. When students pay all of this money for a great education, that’s what they deserve. As a college that’s overpriced, it is expected to be successful, but it’s different when a college is charging a lot of money, and they don’t live up to the expectations. Colleges need to lower tuition, and focus on the reality, on the needs of students.

The government is not funding enough for colleges, resulting in higher costs. This is making it harder for people to afford school, leading to dropouts and less students. “While recent increases were larger than in the past year, this is an overall pattern that continues to repeat itself, Where college costs persist in rising because states do not place a high enough priority on providing money for public colleges,” The patterns of the increase of tuition has gradually gotten more expensive throughout the years, and that pattern is not going to change if you don’t do something about it. Colleges need help with finances as well. In order to give students help with their money problems, we need to start from the root of the problem. Giving to the colleges will lead to giving help to future students in terms of tuition.

So, it’s up to you Future President. Do you want to see people living in poverty not be able to reach their full potential? People growing up in a struggling society should have the same privileges and opportunities as everyone else. If we do something about this, we can make a difference, more students can be enrolled and have a chance at receiving a good education. As the president of the United States, you can help to lower tuition or give vouchers to those who need it. With your help, we can help, and give back to people living in difficult conditions who have a hard time paying for a proper education. They deserve it.

Sincerely,

Elise L.

Citations

Vedder, Richard. "Ugly truths about runaway college tuition." The American Enterprise, vol. 15, no. 8, 2004, p. 50+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_accessmich&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA125066862&it=r&asid=0aac580a88ad549690c41b08b47c2682. Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.

Clotfelter, Charles T. "Tuition Rising: Why College Costs So Much." Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Oct. 2001, p. 176. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_accessmich&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA79306450&it=r&asid=ae5b2c6c3546b6bccb1cc1466723a1c4. Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.

Farrell, Elizabeth. "Public Colleges Tame Costs of Tuition." The Chronicle of Higher Education, 28 Oct. 2005. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_accessmich&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA147067608&it=r&asid=5b66caaec3e618c0bb0507e6827eed34. Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.