Question

Write a cover letter to a Congressional member and include your reasoning for reaching out to them in particular in the letter regarding College affordability.

Answer 1

College is said to be a way to the American dream, but this dream looks like a mirage with the increasing cost of college fees which is making difficult for an average American to send their kids to college. In past generations, Americans could work through the summer to save enough money to pay their tuition and living expenses. Their children and grandchildren today face a much different reality. Students today often must take out tens of thousands in debt to cover their costs and pay their living expenses which is very difficult.

The cost of attending college has skyrocketed over the last few decades. In the 1971-1972 academic year, attending a public four-year college for a year cost $1,400 on average in tuition, fees, and room and board. Today, that year costs more than $20,000. At private colleges, the total cost exceeds $45,000 a year on average, more than doubling since 1971-1972, even taking account of inflation. As a result of this high cost, the U.S. has now lost ground to emerging nations like South Korea and China. In 1990, the U.S. ranked first in the world in four-year degrees among 25-34 year-olds; today, the U.S. ranks 12th. Two-thirds of American college students graduate with college debt, and that debt now tops $1.2 trillion. College is now more expensive than it has ever been, out of reach of not only poor Americans, but even middle class ones. Taking the example of Germany whose scenario is opposite to that of US, where higher education is public funded and students pay next to nothing for their college degrees. Due to this many American students are preferring foreign universities which offer courses in English at a significantly reduced cost.

Recently, the college affordability act (CAA) which lowers the cost of college for students and families by reinvesting in higher education has provided some relief to the students in US. The CAA provides relief to the 44 million Americans with student loans by giving existing borrowers access to more generous repayment plans, lower interest rates, and an expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The CAA holds all schools accountable for providing students a quality education that leads to a rewarding career. However, the changes seems like an eyewash if one delves deeper. The Pell grant which comes under CAA covered 79% of fees in 1970's but today it covers only 29% which is not a substantial amount and from this it appears the students still have to pay a huge amount as college fees. There are also rumours that there are candidates with better proposals that would eliminate student loan completely and do away with tuition at all public colleges and universities.  

In conclusion it is important to bring about a decrease in fee structure in colleges of US, otherwise once a great hub for education it would loose out to other upcoming countries who are providing degrees at a significantly lower cost.