Dear future president,

Today in American society, it is expected that everyone goes to college. Community college, online college, on campus, whatever you need to do, but go to college. Bachelors, Masters, Doctors, whatever the degree, but go to college. There is one major issue with this standard though. People don’t have enough money to go to college. How can we expect people to meet such high expectations if they can’t afford it? To solve the problem, college doesn't necessarily need to be free, but it definitely needs to be cheaper so it can be more accessible.

When America was first starting out, our founding fathers created a government of the people, by the people, for the people. “Educate and inform the mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.’’ The words and beliefs of founding father and 3rd president, Thomas Jefferson. Being thoroughly educated with different aspects of life has kept the nation alive all 238 years. But how can we educate the masses if the masses can’t afford to be educated? It is commonly known and said that college is where people truly find out who they are. College is where people become undoubtedly unique. College is where we get to experience several different walks of life. We can’t get the different perspectives from different jobs and lifestyles when people can’t go to college.Some argue that high school education is enough education to make wise choices but most high schools don’t give you raw, experience in the real world. Everyone takes the same Algebra classes and learns the same information whether they are an African American girl that want to be an engineer or a Japanese American that wants to become a plumber. Not to mention most high school elective choices are extremely limited so there isn't a lot of variety that comes out of that. College gives people unique experience that can educate them to make decisions to benefit themselves.

According to the Michigan State University Finances page, in my home state of Michigan, after paying room and board, books, tuition, and other expenses, it costs about $27,188 for one year of college. Multiply that by four years of school to get your bachelor's degree and you wind up owing the school $108,752. I am nearly positive most Americans don’t have a spare $108,752 lying around under the mattress. Not to mention, that is the cost if you are a Michigan resident. People that live in Ohio or around the White House where you now reside have to pay almost $23,600 extra to attend the school. Others will argue to simply get a loan from the bank, but I know I am not alone in saying that I wouldn't feel comfortable officially borrowing $100,000 from the government. Then people will argue that there are scholarships. Well I have a newsflash for the world, not everyone can get a 32 on the ACT or be an unbelievable football player. Most scholarships that the average student with all A’s can get will only pay peanuts compared to the total cost of college. This doesn’t make a big impact regarding college debt. Debt is a serious issue and is the reason that some people are living on the streets and have to scavenge for their next meal. If college was cheaper, Americans would be in less debt and it can easily benefit people’s lives in a positive way.

Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t believe that college should be totally free. When you go to college, you are choosing to be there. It’s like joining a soccer league. You are going to pay for it because you are choosing to be a part of the team. On the other hand, I still insist that simply because you choose to be at a college, doesn’t mean that the college can be outrageously overpriced.

Ever since 9th grade, I’ve been told that I should know where I plan to go to college. My school counselors have lectured me that I need to pick classes that interest me because they set me up for what job I am going to do for the rest of my life. My parents have been putting money in a bank account so I will be less in debt than some of my counterparts. My teachers joke to us about their ’’ramen noodle diet’’ because they couldn’t afford any other food in college. I hear people talk about the fact that they are still deep in the hole several years out of college. In all honesty, college is already terrifying me and I still have a couple years to go.The least you could do for me and others that just about freeze up when the words college and money come up in the same sentence is make college a bit cheaper for us because it will benefit us and America in the long run.

Thank you for your time,

Isabel Holloway

Works Cited

"Sample Budgets." Home. Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.