Two issues surface as the most important and pertinent topics for college students in the upcoming presidential election.
"Jobs and education are the two main ones I'm worried about," said Thomas Baker, freshman in pre-aerospace engineering. "They're definitely the most important in this election."
Political organizations across campus agree but have different ideas on how to tackle the issues and who the ideal candidate is.
"If you look at each candidate through the lens of a college student you will almost immediately grasp who holds the interest of college students, and that's clearly Barack Obama," said Jacob Dean, president of College Democrats.
Sergio Gallardo, vice-president of College Democrats, agreed.
"One of Obama's biggest priorities is education," Gallardo said. "That's evident in the restructuring of student loans."
Not everyone believes that Obama's presidency is a good thing.
"Many conservative Republicans believe government has gotten too big." said Charlie Smith, president of College Republicans. "As a conservative Republican, I believe in hard work and earning what I work hard for."
Smith plans to vote for Romney mainly because of America's weak economy and the president's handling of it, among other reasons.
"The economy is the biggest concern for college students," Smith said. "Romney has had a career turning around companies such as Staples and Sports Authority, and I believe this is why Romney is the better candidate."
Democrats tend to disagree, and many believe his upbringing somehow negatively affects his ability to lead.
"Mr. Romney has been privileged his whole life," Dean said. "The disconnect Romney has with most American people is very big. I don't begrudge him for being successful, but I do think that lifestyle has led to the disconnect with American voters."
Smith cited several reasons why four more years of Obama would be unsuccessful.
"There has been 43 straight months of over 8 percent unemployment, and there is currently a rough estimate of 23 million U.S. citizens unemployed," Smith said. "For all the families that are hurting in this country, it is hard to be happy about Obama's presidency thus far."
Dean has a different list for why Obama is the ideal candidate.
"(Obama) has made our country more safe," Dean said. "He has brought our troops home from war and killed Osama bin Laden."
One thing unites most voters: the need to be informed and have a say in what goes on in the government.
"The more kids are informed on college campuses, the more they have a sense of political identity," Gallardo said.
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