Dear Next President,

I was not able to vote in this election, but I will be able to vote in the next election. So I have begun to think about my opinion on a very specific subject, the rising cost tuition for colleges.

I am a freshman in high school and in the lower middle class of life. The rising cost to go is concerning me and my family members because of financial issues. According to an article by Chris Pumphrey, “Only 66% of students with parents very concerned about finances applied to college, as opposed to the 90% of students whose parents are not concerned with finances.” This shows that people like myself are less likely to apply to college due to conflicts with money.

Also, even if you go to college with the help of student loans, the cost may still be too much people can afford, like myself. According to the article, “Rising costs also influence many students to drop out of college entirely.”

Due to going to college by using student loans but eventually dropping gives you degree and just causes more financial issues. According to the article, “Not only have these students already amassed large quantities of debt in their time at school, but they also have no degree to show for it – without that degree, it will take them even longer to pay off their student loans.”

These issues student loans create is like a chain of problems, from debt to your possible future life. According to the article, “Often, young adults delay buying their first home due to rising debt. Unable to live on their own, many graduates are forced to move back home with mom and dad. Also, when students are forced to delay buying their first home because of student debt, they are more inclined to delay getting married, having children, and pursuing medical/dental care.”

If you manage to graduate with all the debt the job choices where you may be happy are slim due to the debt being higher than the salary. According to the article, “In some cases, student debt outweighs starting salaries in some fields, making it difficult for college grads to pursue a career in their field. This leads to graduates choosing to work in other fields where they may be unhappy, but at least the demand is higher.”

But, if a student gets a scholarship it helps tremendously and will allow a student not to worry about financial issues depending on the scholarship.

However, it is like a competition getting a scholarship and some students don’t have the grades or accomplishments like other students with more opportunities or resources. Sometimes these opportunities and resources are only accessible by people with money or a more fortunate life.

Overall, the cost of tuition is devastating and is still rising as time passes. By the time I go to college, my choices may be limited to just whatever is local for a cheaper cost, unless I am able to obtain a scholarship if I try my best.

Sincerely,

N.T.