Emily G. New York

Lower the cost of college tuition

The cost of college is a major issue for many teens applying to college. It affects their present lives as well as their future.

Dear President:

Hello, my name is Emily and I go to Sanford H. Calhoun High School. I am writing this letter to you about the cost of college tuition. I am currently a junior in highschool, so I will have to be looking for colleges pretty soon. But as of now, it is difficult to chose a college that provides a well rounded education and is cost effective. There are many reasons for this issue. For example, about a quarter of the increase in college tuition since 2000 is due to an increase in faculty salaries, improved amenities and administrative bloat. Comparatively, there was a decline in state support accounts for about ¾ of the rising cost of college according to Doug Webber of fivethirtyeight.com. Another reason for the rise in college tuition is due to the lack of public funding. According to Doug Webber, by far, the single biggest driver of rising tuitions for public colleges has been declining state funding for higher educations. All of these causes put together greatly impact whether or not a student decides to go to college. The effects of the rise in college tuition greatly impact students current and future lives. For example, if a student would like to go to an ivy league college, they most definitely will be paying off student loans for a good amount of their lives. This is not ideal for most individuals. Another effect of this is that students may decide to drop out of college because they cannot afford the school in which they are attending. If this issue gets any bigger, it could be catastrophic for our future as a country. There are many solutions for this problem. One idea is, according to Robert Farrington of forbes.com, alignment of incentives for borrowers and schools. The best way to do this is through a tuition gap and student loan borrowing limit. Another idea is to just simply lower college tuition prices so that students do not have to take out loans or not go to college. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this letter. I hope you accomplish great things during your presidency that benefit our country,

Sincerely,

Emily 

Sanford H. Calhoun H.S.

Ms. Finneran's U.S. History Class

Although the news on all the problems in the country can be depressing these days, the ideas of the students in my first period U.S. History class fill me with hope and optimism every morning. I love starting my day with them! They are a group of young people with passionate ideas and concern about the future. I am excited that they have this platform to share their ideas with you and hopefully our next president!

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