Dear College System,

I want you to know that you are broken. I realize that you make billions a year from all the tuitions from all the students that attend college, yet you are still broken. You have turned bright-eyed freshmen who come into college looking for a new start into tired, desireless zombies over the course of only one semester. Revived from winter break, we all come back for another semester only to turn into zombies again.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love college. I have met some of the most amazing people and some of my forever best friends, had some of the best professors I could ever dream of and experienced so many things that have made me stronger and a better person as a whole. You have changed me for the better, college, and I am thankful for that. But there are also so many flaws in your system that simply need to be addressed.

The first thing on my mind is the cost that it takes to attend you. An education should not be a luxury, affordable only by those who are wealthy enough to pay a small (actually, large) fortune. And for those of us who plan to attend some kind of graduate program (whether that be med school, a DPT, a PhD, you name it), we have to put forth another small fortune on top of undergrad.

Now, I know what you are going to say: "You don't necessarily need to go to graduate school, or even undergrad." But society tells us differently. Society tells us that in order to achieve our dreams, we need to achieve a higher education. Either society needs to change its thinking, or the cost of college needs to change.

Someone shouldn't have to give up their dreams because they cannot afford an education. Like I said before, an education should be something readily available to everyone, not a luxury reserved for the rich. I also realize that there are scholarships available and financial aid for those who are deemed eligible, but even the process to receive such funds is clouded. Many people who need the money do not receive it.

The price of college needs to be lowered, or eventually, we will not be able to supply an education to much of the younger generations as prices keep rising. Is this what you really want? Only the upper class to be able to afford an education?

Something else that needs to be addressed is the amount of stress that you put young adults under. I speak for myself and many other college students when I say that my utmost priority when I am at school is my schoolwork. My grades are the one thing I care more about than anything. Not that I don't find time to have fun, but school takes up most of my life.

With the constant stress of keeping all A's on our transcripts, the stress really gets to us college students. Because of this, many of us allow our mental health to become our last priority, making it impossible for us to thrive in school. Before we know it, we are losing sleep, our grades suffer, and it's all a downward spiral.

Please, try to put less stress on grades. This intense focus on grades is doing so much more harm than good to college students. We may be working as hard as we can and still receive a low mark despite the fact that we poured our heart and soul into the assignment, exam, etc. If all else fails, stop giving us five labs, three group presentations, and four exams in one week. Please, for the love of God. Try to space it out. We are dying.

Not to go back to money, but it would also be amazing for you to try to stop sucking every last dime out of us. It seems like everything on campus comes at a cost. Need to get some water at the on-campus store? Get ready to pay $5 a bottle. Need some pain medicine because you feel really sick but can't get to the doctor? Get ready to pay double the amount you would pay at Walmart. There are costs that serve as subcosts to main costs.

I look at my bill each semester and wonder, "Why in the world am I being charged a fee for this?" It seems as though everything I do on campus comes with a fee. It's like I'm charged a fee to even walk from one building to another. We are broke. Please stop. We are begging you.

Lastly, we need to see a change in college culture. In the media and in stories we are told that much of college life revolves around alcohol or drugs. Sometimes it feels as though if you don't want to spend your weekend nights at a party or a bar, you won't have fun. This leads many college students, many of them alone and on their own for the first time in their lives, to make decisions that they will undoubtedly regret in the morning.

Because of drugs, alcohol, and the overall college atmosphere, college rapes are at an all-time high. Hospitalizations due to alcohol are not an infrequent occurrence each night. The safety of the students is in trouble. You need to act upon this and do something to change.

Like I said before, I love you, college. You are one of the best things to have happened to me. You have brought great people and opportunities into my life. Thanks to you, I have made memories that I know will last an eternity. However, that is not to say that there are not things that need to change as well. I hope you take all these concerns into serious consideration, as they are true concerns that put your students' safety at risk.

Sincerely,
A College Student