Dear Future President,

As a senior in high school, college is usually one of the most important things in my mind. Of course there is stress to take the ACT or write a good essay, but by far the most stressful thing that I will have to deal with going into college is the cost.

At this point, paying for college without having to make changes in lifestyle is unattainable for nearly all families in the United States. According to Forbes, Since 1982 a typical family income has increased by 147%, while the college education inflation rate has risen nearly 500% since 1985. Today, the United States has over 1.2 trillion dollars in student debt, and a 2014 study found that four in ten millennials are overwhelmed by debt, mostly due to student loan costs.

Although this cycle may seem inevitable, there is another way. Over 40 countries including Germany are entirely publicly funded, and the 2.4 million higher education students in Germany pay absolutely nothing. While this may seem a far stretch for the United States at this point, there are still other things that we can do to help take away some of the incredibly high cost for students.

I hope that during your presidency you'll consider how much college costs, and do something to help fix it because it simply cannot go on much longer.

Sincerely, 

Mimi