By Jovani Figueroa
Another day. Another struggle for college students; gas prices. With prices soaring to an all time highs, college students are left to try and figure out ways to pay. Add that to students trying to balance the finances of school, textbooks, bills, and now gas. For commuter students, the struggle is even greater.
SUNY Brockport senior Salena Miller is a commuter and she is trying to figure out how to pay for gas.
“One of the ways I save on gas is walking to class but I work full time in Rochester so I have to drive out there and that becomes really expensive. My tank only holds 15 gallons of gas but it cost me around $60.00 just to fill it,” said Miller.
The national average gas price is $4.24 and the average cost of gas in New York is $4.32. Students like Miller who have cars with bigger tanks are paying a lot more than $60.00 in order to still drive. However, due to the ingenuity of college students, they have been able to find different ways to save money and still be able to travel. Some students carpool and split the cost of gas while others take advantage of the free rental bikes that SUNY Brockport provides to its students to get around.
SUNY Brockport junior Satti Ibrahim says he’s trying not to drive as much.
“ I know that I need to drive to school and work so I try my best to save gas by only going to places that are essential. Now if I want to go hang out with friends or need to travel to the store I usually just bike there to save some money. Before the jump in gas prices I just use to drive everywhere because of how convenient it is,” said Ibrahim
Each student has a different financial situation so people have to do different things in order to save money. For example, Miller is a commuter but also pays for bills, rent, groceries, and other essential needs. She said that a lot of it comes from her having to work overtime at her job in order to get the money she needs to still drive her car. But when she can’t get overtime a lot of the time the money comes straight from her savings account. Miller says she hates dipping into her savings because that money is for emergency situations. But like most commuters, she is trying to make the best out of her situation.
Gas prices are just one more expense college students have. Many students are trying to figure out “is it even worth it?” when they put the keys in the ignition. If gas prices continue to soar, students might have to find more creative ways to get around.
