Going into the general election, both of the United States’ major parties are having their stumbles. The Democrats have to deal with possible DNC favoritism and debates scheduled so that literally no one watches them. The Republicans, on the other hand, have a camp of 12 candidates that not many ordinary members of the party are particularly proud of. In fact, the RNC hates their own front-runner, Donald Trump.

Now that Fox has announced it will permit only the top seven candidates to perform in the primetime debate, here is where they are on the issues.

1. Immigration

Trump: Deport undocumented immigrants. Build a wall with Mexico.
Cruz: Do not legalize undocumented immigrants.
Rubio: Provide a path for undocumented immigrants to stay (with no citizenship) in the United States.
Carson, Christie, Bush, and Kasich agree with Rubio. None of the candidates who didn't make the top three add anything special to this issue.

As students in college, chances are we've met people outside our hometown. The United States is built on immigrants -- what makes these candidates so sure they know a country without immigrants is better than the incredible country we've all built together? Illegal immigration is problematic in many ways. It is a waste of resources for the border police who have to worry about it, it is a dangerous journey for immigrants who love our country so much they are willing to risk their freedom, and it is a huge threat to national security if we do not know who is crossing our borders. This problem needs to be addressed in a common-sense way -- not building a wall between the United States and Mexico. Also, Cruz's plan lacks any kind of real impact -- illegal immigration doesn't slow down, and we remain unknowing of who is in our country. The candidates with a plan for enabling the immigrants to stay legally in our country are on the right track, addressing the problems mentioned above.

2. Guns

No candidates support tightening gun laws of any kind and oppose all incoming restrictions. Bush even authorized the "stand your ground" law in 2005, which enabled Florida residents to use deadly force if they felt threatened by another person.They also haven't addressed what is seen as the root source of gun violence by most Republicans, the black market for guns and other firearms. The common argument Republicans and anyone opposing new restrictions to gun laws is that the guns will still be available and all those looking to wreak havoc will still have access, even if that access is more underground. And yet, none of the candidates have addressed this pressing problem in the minds of Republican voters.

3. Climate change

Carson, Cruz, Rubio, and Trump all doubt man-made climate change, even though 97 percent of scientists agree it exists. Bush, Kasich, and Christie oppose new efforts to address adverse effects on the climate. As college students who (hopefully) have more decades ahead of us on this planet, we have a vested interest in ensuring our Earth doesn't deteriorate. I doubt Eisenhower and Reagan would be turning their backs on one of the most obvious global crises, after one of the warmest winters in human history. Kasich did make an interesting point, though. He said private companies rather than the Environmental Protection Agency should regulate carbon emissions, so as not to jeopardize jobs. Bush stressed the role of the private industry as well.

4. Healthcare

All Republicans oppose the Affordable Care Act, which has insured more than 6.5 million people who would have otherwise been unable to afford healthcare. It also provides insurance for more women than ever before, since women are more likely than men to be living in poverty, due to issues like the wage gap, "pink-collar" jobs, and being a single parent. However, Kasich does support the Medicaid expansion of Obamacare - just not the rest of it. Trump called Obamacare a "catastrophe."

Regardless of one's views on Obamacare, with our country's growing population and increasing health risks, we should be looking for candidates who plan to make healthcare more accessible -- yes, it's possible for conservatives to do as well.

5. Abortion

Kasich and Bush: Ban after 20 weeks, unless in cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother was on the line. Rubio, Cruz, and Carson mainly agree.

Trump and Christie oppose abortion in all cases.

All candidates are in favor of restricting abortion -- to whatever extent -- because they believe life starts at conception, and the life of the fetus and mother are equal. Thus, it seems contradictory to believe abortion is in some cases permissible and others not, because the whole idea grounding the opposition is that citizens and doctors do not have the right to end the life of a fetus. Candidates who selectively support abortion have to ground their argument better or realize they're being contradictory. Same goes for voters, in this case -- especially college students for whom abortion is a very real concept, regardless of in what light or capacity.

6. Taxes

Carson and Cruz both support a national, flat tax rate. Given income inequality is extreme, this proposal would reduce social mobility by ensuring the poor remain poor. Other candidates - Bush, Christie, Kasich, Rubio, and Trump - who support a reduction in existing tax rates, are more on the right track.

For people just about to enter the workforce, for people in transition, and for people in low-paying jobs, they need as much of their income as they can keep -- especially if the benefits for which it is taxed are out of reach. Kasich favors moving away from income taxes and moving to sales and consumption taxes, which seems fair. As college students, we often scrap for cash and if not us, our peers are working jobs while studying in order to be able to get by. It's important that we're able to keep that money and use it -- or at least ensure it's going to something substantial and meaningful for us.

7. ISIS

Trump: Bomb and put troops on the ground in Iraq, but not Syria. Ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Ted: "Idk if sand can catch fire but let's give it a whirl" Cruz: Bomb.
Rubio: Form a multinational NATO coalition to defeat ISIS, and increase the number of special ops forces to assist and advise Syrian forces.
Carson: Troops on the ground in Iraq, not Syria, to push ISIS into a corner and make them more easy to defeat. Also, block Syrian refugees from entering the United States.
Christie: No-fly zone and Middle Eastern coalition, as well as a removal of privacy protections from National Security Agency efforts to gather intelligence.
Bush: Ground troops, special ops troops, no-fly zone, and alliances with surrounding Arab countries.
Kasich: Put U.S. boots on the ground.

This is a national and global security issue and our response to it could impact conditions in the United States for the rest of our adult lives, and certainly the lives of our kids and grandkids.

8. Sex and Gender

Kasich: Time to put the gay marriage debate behind - the SCOTUS has made their decision. He had a particularly touching moment at the first GOP primary, where he talked about how he would still love his child if they were gay.

Cruz, Rubio, and Carson: Sign into law legislation permitting businesses to openly discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people within the first 100 days of Presidency.

Trump, on the other hand, is heralded by some LGBTQIA+ Republicans, who support his crackdown on Muslims coming into the U.S., because they believe Muslim beliefs are incompatible with queer rights. Trump affirms the SCOTUS decision, which doesn't hurt.

This year, we need to ask ourselves -- as the up and coming generation - are we doing the most we can to protect and treat with respect our friends, family, and fellow citizens?

9. Weed

While none of the Republican candidates are as pro-weed as Bernie Sanders (kidding, I agree we need to legalize to prevent young people from going to jail), Jeb Bush (who admits he smoked pot 40 years ago) and Ted Cruz support leaving legalization up to the states. Trump, Carson, and Rubio support medicinal marijuana. Chris Christie, on the other hand, has made clear he'll enforce a federal law prohibiting all marijuana, regardless of what individual states want.

The reality is that there are many kids in high school and college, and other young people, being thrown into prison for something others can do with no real consequences. We know this disproportionately affects black and Latino men, even though the racial breakdown of who smokes weed is equal. Is that really fair?

10. Syrian Refugees

Cruz and Bush: Christian refugees are chill, Muslim refugees are not.
Everyone else is against allowing Syrian refugees into the United States. Trump takes it a step further, saying he'll deport all Syrian refugees currently in the United States -- but make up for it by building a "beautiful" safe zone in Syria.

Mike Huckabee's not in the big kid debate, but it's worth noting he brought up a smart point -- Syrians would never survive in America's non-desert climate.

No major Republican candidates support the entrance of Syrian refugees into the United States (save for Cruz and Bush, who are being super picky), even though it is a major tenant of the Geneva convention. This makes me question their knowledge of America's stance in the world, given that we cannot simply stop accepting refugees and expect other nations to do so. Also, I wonder if all the Republican governors running, who vowed their states would not allow refugees in, know that's not an actual constitutional power they have...

11. College

Rubio: Student investment programs where investors pay for students' tuition in exchange for a portion of students' future income and an income-based repayment program.
Christie: Increase Pell grants and assistance for students of low income and income sharing agreements aka Rubio's student investment programs.

Other candidates have not yet addressed the monetary impact and accessibility of college in general. As college kids ourselves, we see how critical a college degree in this country is for maximum opportunities. We also see how hard it is to pay for college, and how much that impacts us later on. The fact that most candidates haven't addressed these issues should be drawing outcry. All Americans pursuing college education deserve better.