Any time you turn on the news, there is at least one story concerning the candidates in the upcoming presidential election. As a first-time voter myself, I have started to pay more attention to what is being said about each candidate and what each candidate has to say for themselves. It is important to consider the media you are watching (FOX vs. ABC) and not to let the opinions of those around you influence yours. If your parents are strongly against one candidate you may find yourself having the same distaste, but it's important to think for yourself. It is also important to do outside research on both candidates. The media can present a story with a bias, and many of the presidential ads only focus on that candidate's positives. Here are some points to consider for each candidate.

If you listen to Donald Trump speak at rallies or conventions, you will realize he mostly spends his time insulting "crooked Hillary Clinton" and throwing out crowd-pleasing one-liners such as "I will make America great again!" When people ask him what his plan is on how to make America great again, he really doesn't have a solid answer; thus he really doesn't have much of a plan at all.

You should also take into consideration Trump's frequent and numerous offensive remarks he has made to various social groups such as women and minorities. Is this the person you want as the next president? Someone who offends first and thinks about how it could be hurtful later? Certainly all candidates and people in the spotlight have made comments that they later regretted, but it seems Trump makes such comments far too often and regrets far too few of them. In my personal opinion, someone wishing to win a presidential election should be able to treat all people with respect.

Hillary Clinton is still plagued by her email scandal and her decision on Benghazi. Despite this, she has been able to lay out a plan for what she will do as the next president. The decisions she made during the email scandal may not have been the best, but she has addressed the comments from the media and is trying to move on.

Clinton is a well experienced politician. She has spent many years working in politics and at the White House. She has a solid understanding of how things work and how difficult it can be to pass legislation.

When Clinton is at a rally or press conference, she is able to spend more time speaking about herself than bad mouthing her opponent. For the most part, she has taken the high road both verbally and on social media outlets.

Before November, make sure you do your own research and think before you check.