Commute or get a dorm?

That is the question many students find themselves asking, and many factors go into this decision.

There are more than 16,000 students registered at UNF.

However, 2,173 of these students live on-campus, according to the UNF Housing Department. So what goes into the decisions to live on-campus or stay at home?

Proximity is often one of the leading factors. UNF has students from nearly every state in the U.S., and many students from other countries as well.

Ali Boley, a junior international studies student, lived in Orange Park, Fla., from 2005 to 2006 but moved when she started classes in 2008.

“As soon as my lease was up, I moved to the Southside. That would take away the reluctance to drive all the way to class,” Boley said.

Ben Giaimo, a junior communication major, decided to live on campus because of the distance between him and his parents.

“I’m taking five classes, and my parents live just outside Orlando,” Giaimo said.

Money, especially in relation to gas, is a frequent topic in conversations about commuting to school. The average price of regular unleaded fuel is $2.95 per gallon, according to fuelgaugereport.com.

A full-time student living in Orange Park or Mandarin commuting to school daily could spend as much as five hours a week simply driving to and from school, and with the cost nearly $3 per gallon, that could as much as $34 per week, according to the U.S. Department of Transporation.

But money, when it comes to living on-campus, seems to be a plus.

“You don’t have to worry about bills or anything,” Giaimo said. “You just pay one flat fee.”

Rates for first-year housing range $1,850- $3,800 per person per semester, depending on how many people live in one dorm.

Social issues are also  factors.

“It would be a lot different … living on your own,” said Josh Oellerich, a junior history major. “You have a roommate, but you don’t have your mom or your sister.”

In contrast, the college atmosphere draws some people to live on the campus.

“You know that everybody around you is a college student, [and] if you need anything, you can just go to your neighbor,” Giaimo said.

Breaking down the numbers

• 23-mile average commute:

2.3 gallons per round trip to UNF. (19.8 average miles per gallon
of all cars and light trucks in America
x $2.95 average price for unleaded fuel per gallon

= $6.78 daily.

• 1 day per week – $6.78 per week, $101.70 per semester
• 2 days per week – $13.56 per week, $203.40 per semester
• 3 days per week – $20.34 per week, $305.10 per semester
• 4 days per week – $27.12 per week, $406.80 per semester
• 5 days per week – $33.90 per week, $508.50 per semester

E-mail Brian Plyler at news@unfspinnaker.com.