October 13, 2016

Dear Future President,

Almost my entire life I have been asked what college I wanted to go to, and I would say The Ohio State University. However now that I am a sophomore in high school, college is looking to be a hard goal to achieve. Today people look at having a college degree is mandatory for even an entry level job. For children living in poverty, even with great grades, will most likely never see a college campus. Fortunately I get good grades and live with parents that have well paying jobs. For America to move forward, the up coming generation needs to be educated, but attaining a good education is too expensive for the average person.

Not only is college a challenge to get to, but once you obtain the grades next is the bill. College tuition is not a small problem; tuition has raised 440% in the past quarter-century (Forbes). Wanting to go to college is 4.4 times more expensive than in 1991 .Thinking that students should just take on debt for their education is ludicrous. In the year 2016, 43.3 million Americans have a total of $1.26 trillion in student loan debt (Student Loan Hero). If someone looks at those numbers and thinks that everything is okay, then I do not want them to be my president.

The first things I was told by my parents when I started school was that I needed good grades so I can get into a good college and get a good job. My dad did not go to college and worked at different places trying to just make a living. He found a joy in CAD and pursued a career in that, without a college education. My mom did not go to college and worked at different super stores such as target and where she is currently working right now at Walmart. Because of their decisions, they have been telling me to ¨take the easy road¨, but with their income I can only rely on a scholarship to make it to college.

According to the New York Times, the reason why college tuition is going up because ¨public funding for higher education was slashed. These radical cuts forced universities to raise tuition year after year¨. So it should be clear, the way to bring college prices down is to add more funding for higher education. I have always wanted to attend college, have a good job, and be able to support my future family, but I cannot do this without attending college. So I ask of you future president, please add funding back to higher education.

Sincerely,

Nick Newton

San Diego, California