To Whom It May Concern:

As a college student, I have a high appreciation for the immense value of higher education. I feel beyond blessed to have the opportunity to continue my studies and further prepare myself to go out and make a difference in the world. The skills I gain in college, both in and out of the classroom, are helping me to grow into a confident adult who is skilled and able in the workforce.

With that being said, I can understand putting a pretty penny on higher education. It's intangible value makes it hard to put a price on it. Knowing how much I am investing in my education is encouragement for me to continue to try my best every day, take advantage of all of the resources my university has to offer and appreciate my parents more than I ever had. No words can truly describe how lucky we are to earn an education.

This is where I start to get frustrated with the extremely high prices of textbooks. In this semester alone, I have spent approximately $750 on textbooks, which are books that I will likely never read again after my current classes are complete. I’m not even a science major, so I cannot imagine the prices of textbooks for other students.

I am already investing thousands of dollars into my education every year, can my classes just come with a textbook?

For classes within my major, I don’t mind spending a small amount of money on books. But why should I spend $350 on a textbook for a general education class?

I understand it takes a lot of work to create a textbook and they are full to the brim with great information, however, I don’t know how I’m supposed to be able to support myself in the real world when all the money in my pockets goes to books.

“You can sell them!” Yes, I know. But the point is I shouldn’t have to be twice as broke as I should be for a majority of the year.

The point of college is to provide us with resources to maximize our success in the future. Unfortunately, the price of textbooks limits that.

Sincerely,

A Frustrated College Student