Dear President of the United States,

Congratulations on your new role as president. As president, I would like you to know how I feel about an issue in our world. I am very upset that we have to pay such a large amount of money to attend college. I feel the cost of college should be reduced, or better yet, college should be free. I am very passionate about this topic, because it’s hard for my family to afford a good college education.

To start off, I would like to let you know why I feel we should have free college. My dad never went to college; he was a farmer. My mom earned her college degree by age 35. My family's income is still unbelievably low today, which makes it hard for me to achieve my dreams of going to college and getting a bachelor's degree. If my parents would have been able to afford college, they would have had much better jobs in the beginning and then maybe would be able to pay for my college education. But, that is not the case. Now, I must pay for college myself and be left with thousands of dollars of debt for years to come, with this pattern continuing to my future children.

Unemployment rates are way too high. If college were cheaper, more people could afford to earn a degree and unemployment rates would drop. The unemployment rate for people who graduate college with a bachelor's degree is about 7%. Statistics show that if people had a higher education, they would be more fit for a job, which would increase employment rates.

If college was affordable, everyone would have better jobs, making almost all Americans more wealthy. If we had more money, we could afford to pay higher taxes which in turn would go toward college funding. It would be like paying for college after you’ve attended. A study done by Michigan State University shows that with a bachelor's degree the average person makes about $1,100 dollars a week. This is enough to support a growing family and pay taxes.

“In Germany college tuition is free. In America college tuition is increasingly unaffordable. In a highly competitive global economy, which country do you think will have the best educated workforce and a competitive advantage? We must make tuition free in public colleges and universities and substantially reduce interest rates on student loans.” This was said by 2016 presidential contender Bernie Sanders. I 100% agree with Mr. Sanders. I think Germany would have a much better educated workforce. If college was free, why would you not better your education knowing you can make more money in the end?

Now that you have read several different reasons why having free college would benefit our country, I would like you to consider my proposal. I think we should start by lowering the cost of college. Everyone should have the opportunity to chase after their dreams. By lowering the cost of college, the United States will have higher workforce standards, making us a better nation overall. In addition, unemployment rates would decrease and America could stand as one united nation. Please consider lowering the cost of college, or better yet, giving Americans a free college education.

Thanks for your consideration.

Kelsey G.