UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY – Jeff Brackett

As a commuter student, I have found that the steady climb in gas prices has left me trying to figure out each week how I will get to school. There was a study in the past that said the average commuter student spends $800 a year on gas. I drive a Chevrolet Silverado, so each time I go to the gas station, it costs me around $90 to fill my tank. It normally takes 4 days of going to school and back along with driving around in Oelwein for me to get to empty. At this rate, it will cost me $360 to fill up for a month. If we take this dollar amount times 8 months, we arrive at a nice number of $2880. In 8 months, I have spent over $2000 more than the study on gas alone. If it was not for friends, family and work-study, I would not be able to drive to school everyday. While catching a ride to school with someone else is ideal and will save money in the long run. Sometimes your schedules do not match up, and I really do not want to walk home from Fayette.

I would like to give a special thanks to Caroline for nominating me for this blog opportunity. I also want to thank Candace for allowing me to blog for the commuter students at UIU! Most of all, I would like to thank my brother Tim for teaching me the necessity to listen and to write what is on my mind.

Jeffro