Gas prices force students to alter spending habits


Christina Ellis, a freshman majoring in fine arts, commutes to her internship in the Fashion District upwards of three times a week. To make that trip, she must pay $53 to fill up her gas tank.

“I fill up my tank less often and really push it,” she said.

Up 14 cents from last week and 50 cents from last month, gas prices in Southern California now rival those found in Alaska and Hawaii, the two states with the highest gas prices in the country.

Southern California gas prices are the highest they have been since 2008, when the state average was $4.61.

Gas prices average $3.91 per gallon for regular gas in the Los Angeles Long Beach area, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. The price increase has led many students to change their habits.

“Now I pay attention and know which gas stations are less [expensive] than others,” said Kirsten Resha, an undeclared sophomore. “I’m more aware now than ever.”

Resha, who used to commute to her home in Orange County for the weekend, said she is now less likely to make the drive home because of the increased expense.

Students most impacted by the rising prices are those who commute to school every day such as Genevieve Nguyen, a junior majoring in public policy, management and planning.

“I’ve changed my buying patterns,” said Nguyen, who commutes 30 minutes everyday from her home in Little Ethiopia.

Gas stations near USC are no cheaper than those in surrounding areas.

The Chevron on Figueroa  Street charges $3.89 per gallon for regular gas and the United on Pico Boulevard charges $3.87 per gallon for regular gas.

Changing gas stations has helped Nguyen keep costs down.

“I used to buy my gas at Shell, but now I purchase gas at Costco because it saves me three or four dollars,” Nguyen said.

Some students say they are less inclined to leave campus, and instead look for activities in the immediate area.

“I don’t take unnecessary trips and I try to watch my speed more closely because I know it will waste gas in the long run,” said Jeff Stanley, an undeclared freshman. “Before I didn’t think twice about driving, now I ask myself, ‘Do I really want to drive that far?’”

With no sign of a decrease in the near future, many students have begun to rebudget their expenses.

“I don’t offer to drive my friends around because I know I’ll end up paying for gas more when I could put the money toward things I need for school or food expenses,” Ellis said.

Stanley said the rising cost of gas has a huge impact on student life.

“Everyone is feeling it,” Stanley said. “It doesn’t matter if you commute to school, have a job off campus or do activities away from school, you know that everyone is worried about spending extra money.”

4 replies
  1. Scott Mercer
    Scott Mercer says:

    Get a bicycle and ride there. At 2 miles, it should take you about 15 minutes, comparable with taking a bus. If your employer in the fashion district is nice, they’ll let you bring the bike inside and you won’t have to pay one cent for parking. And of course, you won’t have to pay one cent for gasoline either.

    Save the car for when you have to transport something heavy.

  2. USC Dad
    USC Dad says:

    GO METRO! As a Native NYC’er who attended USC 2010 Parent’s Weekend, I found the LA Public Transit System to be pretty good. Not too extensive but they are working on it. At least the buses are not slowed by Snow as in NYC’s Wintertime. I even took the bus to Disneyland w/ my Trojan Daughter. I might even come out again to LA when they open the Expo Line. There is also the DASH Bus. Go GREEN. GO METRO.

  3. RG
    RG says:

    USC to the fashion district is less than 2 miles…on the other hand others have internships in say burbank or santa monica.

  4. Reed
    Reed says:

    Sorry, but I have no sympathy if you are driving from USC to the fashion district. There’s like a million bus lines that go through the downtown area. And for the VAST majority of students with cars (I don’t have one) driving anywhere is a luxury. Boo-hoo if you’re spending $5 extra a week on gas. Most of you are already getting a free car and unlimited use of your parents’ Amex… I will literally scream if I see a student complaining about gas while driving to their unpaid internship in a $30,000 SUV.

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