“To commute or not commute?”
Although living at
home and maintaining a car
can be a costly endeavor, room
and board isn’t getting any
cheaper.
Ryan Rightley, 18, a fine arts
major, from Levittown, drives
to Bucks in a car her parents
bought for her. Her 1993
Camera Toyota is completely
paid off, leaving only insurance,
gas and maintenance.
Rightley pays about $924 a
year for insurance, $20 a week
for gas, and she’s hoping to get
a new paint job soon.
Rightley says “I don’t like
driving. I’d rather just be here
and go back to a dorm if I forgot
something, rather than
have to drive an hour away.”
But what about students who
bought their own cars and are
still make payments? Ryan
Ball, 19, a liberal arts major
from Levittown, is now financing
his second car. A 2009
Chevy Cobalt is costing him
$187 a month in loan payments,
$130 a month for insurance,
and $20 a week for gas.
Ball says, “I like living at
home,” and wouldn’t prefer a
college with on-campus housing.
“That’s why I chose
Bucks,” Ball said.
Anistasia Haggermann, 18, a
music major from Feasterville
who can’t afford a car on her
own, takes the $2 Septa Bus
Route 130 to get to Bucks. She
currently works in retail making
around $7.25 an hour.
Haggermann says if Bucks had
dorms “I’d love it, I just
wouldn’t drive.”
Haggermann takes Septa
from Bucks to the Neshaminy
Mall and then gets someone to
give her a ride home from
there.
“I don’t know about dorms. I
feel weird living with a total
stranger,” said Karen Forth,
19, a business administration
major from Feasterville. She
drives a 2003 Subaru Forester
that her parents are paying to
maintain. Forth used to pay for
the car, but recently lost her
job. With $60 a week for gas
and $1,200 a year for insurance,
Forth is glad her parents
are helping her pay the expenses.
Some believe commuters
lose the typical college experience
and are under more stress.
The stress comes from having
to factor in the time it takes
them to get to campus to arrive
on time for class.
On the other hand, commuting
can be beneficial in that it’s
easier to save money when living
at home, especially with
how expensive dorms can be.
According to the Temple
University website, the average
price for housing for an
undergraduate student in a single
room is around $3,611.
Most area college campuses
have a bus of some sort that
travels near campus; most
times a single fare is $2,
according to the SEPTA website.
Business Administration
major Anthony Furjanic, 18,
from Morrisville, says, “Yeah
it would be nice if Bucks had
dorms, but I’m ok with the
commute. If I had to choose.
I’d want dorms on campus,
though.”