Dear Future President,

I am a high school senior in Washington state and I think a big problem in our country right now is the rising cost of a college education. While it is someone’s choice to go to college, many jobs in the US require a college education and without a college education getting a stable job is difficult. With the cost of college so high, many graduating student are saddled with debt for years to follow. This issue is important to me because I plan on going to college next year and I would like to get through college with as little debt as possible and I’m sure every other student has the same desire.

A big part of the problem is the amount of students that are attending college. Back when my parents were my age, college was different. Most people went to college and the cost was incredibly low compared to today. Because of their college experience, my parents are many other parents like them have pressured my generation to go to college from a young age. The amount of people going to college has gone up and so has the price. The problem with this is that college isn’t for everyone. There are people who drop out freshman year and are stuck with thousands of dollars of debt. Trade schools are hardly mentioned but are a great way for people to get jobs out of school. If there was more incentive placed on college alternatives, the price of college would go down and so would student debt.

I believe that students are paying way too much out of pocket for college. The average cost for a 4-year college in 2013 was about $24,000 a year. This cost in addition to the cost of housing and food can put a student into debt for years after they’ve graduated. With these students being the future of the US, I think the government should invest a little more money into them. I understand that making college completely free is pretty much impossible, however any reduction in cost would go a long way in helping these students after graduation.

I feel that if someone wants to get an education they should be able to, regardless of how much money they have. What if the smartest person in the world wastes their potential because they were unable to afford the steep cost of a higher education? The current cost of college creates an unfair wall that stops young people from attending college and if they do attend, they are stuck with years of debt. The cost of college needs to be lowered to improve the future of America.

Sincerely,

Gabe Enberg