Rising Gas Prices Affect Ole Miss Graduates

Students prepare to factor in high gas prices to their new budgets 

Senior education major, Mimi Edge, frowns while watching her gas tank fill up.

             Ole Miss graduates are not only worried about finding jobs, internships, and places to live… they are also concerned about how they will get there. Gas prices are continuing to rise across the United States.

            In Mississippi, the average gas price for the month of April is about $3.80, but the average gas price for the United States is $4.01. Students who are moving to larger cities like Washington, D.C., Nashville, Tenn., or Dallas, Texas can expect prices higher than the average.

            “I am moving to Washington, D.C., in June and I heard gas prices were over $5,” said Lindsey White, senior English major. “I had a talk with my parents, and we decided it would be more economical for me not to take my car with me.”

            Several students have always had their parents pay for their gas, or a gas allowance has been figured into their monthly budgets. Graduates are now starting to think economically about how to save money on gas. If you don’t have gas, you can’t get to work.

            “I can’t afford to fill up my whole tank; I have an SUV and it costs almost $100 to fill up, so I usually just put in $20 or so at a time,” said Derek Hoppe, senior management major. “I always carpool around Oxford, but I am moving to Nashville and I know it is about to cost a lot more to get around the city.”

            Some experts suggest that students and graduates lay out a specific budget plan each month, so they can know exactly how much money they have to spend. Many college graduates will be on their own financial plans for the first time and are worried about the extra expenses.

            “I was only thinking about major expenses I will have to cover, like rent, when my dad reminded me that it’s the little things, like gas, that really add up. My family and I are in the process of laying out all my expected expenses before I move away in August,” said Liz Gift, senior hospitality management major.