When most college students are fishing change out of their couches to barely afford fast food, some may find themselves facing the additional burden of emptying their wallets at the corner gas station.
Commuter students and even those who simply use their cars often are spending an increasing amount of money as the price of gasoline has skyrocketed over the last few months, now up to $4 per gallon.
When fourth-year history student Razmik Novshadyan began commuting to UCLA after transferring two years ago, he said he paid less than $3 per gallon, a price that has since been climbing steadily.
“It drains your bank account; there’s no doubt about it,” Novshadyan said.
He now spends anywhere between $80 and $100 per week paying for gas.
Fourth-year business economics student Ronald Tang, who also transferred for his third year, said that, as a result of spending more money on gas, he can now spend less on other items.
As a result of only having a monthly allowance from his father to fund his driving expenses, Tang does not eat out as frequently as he used to or spend as much money buying clothes.
But some students have been more subtly affected by gas-price increases.
Jenn Hyman, a third-year economics and psychology student who lives on campus and uses her car for convenience, said she finds herself walking more frequently.
“It hasn’t been the worst, but I definitely have noticed … I try to drive a little bit less because gas is way too expensive to afford on my current college-student budget,” Hyman said.
But many students also take several other measures to conserve both gas and time when driving.
Zach Meyerowitz, a first-year ethnomusicology student, says he only drives during certain hours of the day.
Meyerowitz drives in the morning or night to afford traffic on his way home or to his job in Beverly Hills.
“I’m already a pretty aggressive driver, so I want to accelerate and break more gradually when there’s less cars on the road because that reduces your car mileage,” Meyerowitz said.
Because he finds himself usually spending all of his income on food and gas, Meyerowitz said he will drive farther from campus to find lower gas prices.
“I avoid any gas station in Westwood, Sunset Boulevard or near the freeway, so I’ve driven to Pico just to get gas. If it’s 10 or 15 cents per gallon, it’s worth it, I think,” Meyerowitz said.
Stephanie Cabrera, a first-year political science student, also lives on campus but drives to get to her job at a middle school in Inglewood. She says she tries to drive cars with better gas mileage, such as her current Kia Optima.
Some students have found themselves taking public transportation to avoid gas prices.
First-year history student Benji Azizian now takes the bus to school and said he used to drive on Fridays before gas hit $4 per gallon.
Having to take the bus has required him to wake up an hour earlier than usual.
Cabrera also said that, if gas prices keep increasing at the current rate, she could see herself taking public transportation, though she said it will likely increase the time she spends commuting.
But many commuter students say they are willing to endure high gas prices because they find public transportation to be a hassle.
Novshadyan said buses are stuffy and not always on time, so he would prefer a subway system.
Meyerowitz said public transportation would inconvenience him because he generally drives to rehearsals, and it would be difficult to carry large instruments and other equipment on a bus.
Many students are willing to pay gas prices to experience the comfort and convenience of having a car.
“I like the freedom. I like being able to go wherever I want whenever I want,” Hyman said.