Next President

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Next President,

My name is Aliya Routine. I am 16 and a junior at Science Leadership Academy Beeber. I am writing you to talk about education and how everybody deserves one. Education is important because it is how you get good paying jobs and have knowledge in the world. We live in a world where you need money just to get a good education. Since I am a highschool student now, this is concerning me. Currently there are so many people who have potential but can’t afford to get an education. This is why I think we should start free colleges.

College is important for people who want to prove themselves and get better jobs. Unfortunately college is not accessible to all because of the cost. An average college tuition is around $32,405. The outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. is $1.2 trillion, that’s the second-highest level of consumer debt behind mortgages. How would you feel if you had a child who was accepted to a great school, but couldn’t go because of finances. My mom went to college as an adult back in 2012 and still pays student loans each month. That is money that we could be using for more important stuff.

A few states like Oregon, Washington, and California started looking at funding public universities. Some European countries already offer free college education. This has proven to be popular among those students. One reason why is that these students have lower levels of student debt. For example in Finland, the average student loan is 12,000 dollars, in Norway it is 9,381 dollars, but in the US the average student loan is about 15,500 dollars. Since those states and countries started, I feel it should be something that all states do. There are three big goals that people try to achieve after college. A job, a home, and raising your child/children. Having a college diploma is important for getting a job. Without a job you won’t be able to pay for taxes or have the money to raise a family.

I understand that there are many other important things to cover as president, but I feel this is important as well. Today the cost of attending public college is so high a lot of students can’t afford it. This results in fewer students from lower income families attending college than those in higher income families. But if we can go to high school for free, why can’t we go to college for free? People need an education to get good paying jobs in the world and to make a difference. I know that there are many other important things to focus on as a president such as gun control, Isis, and taxes. I feel though that this should also be a priority.

Free colleges is something that would make America a better place to live in. It will help people accomplish their goals easier. There would be more consumerism because people would not have to pay their student loans. Without the burden of student debt, families can use the money for things essential to them. I hope you take my idea into consideration.

Sincerely,

Aliya