When it comes to holding the title of “Biggest Waste of Space” it’s safe to say college textbooks would be right up near the top. I mean come on, could these things be more obsolete? On top of that, some can be up to a couple hundred dollars and change. It genuinely puzzles the living crap out of me that these thing still exist at all. Now let me be clear, I direct these thoughts specifically toward school textbooks, not books in general. What I mean by this is, the main purpose of a college textbook is to look up information (aka one the major purposes of the internet). Thanks to the world wide web, many college textbooks are now available as a downloaded file that you can choose to buy or rent from sites like Amazon and Chegg. Not are only they usually cheaper than their physical counterparts, but you can also search for a keyword and get page results instantly as opposed to hunting down a term in the index and flipping back and forth through pages.
Another factor that’s contributing to college textbooks’ obnoxious existence are the lectures and classes themselves. Many colleges now have digital platforms such as Blackboard where professors share assignments and projects and any other information that in the past has been shared through countless copies and sheets of paper. So ultimately, using these digital platforms is not only more efficient it’s also better for the environment! Also. it’ll be much tougher for one to misplace or lose assignments since you can always find them online whether it be on your laptop or at a computer lab. With those examples being mentioned, it’d be tough to argue in favor of the more traditional methods of learning (which include the use of heavy textbooks.)
Of course, the example I mentioned earlier that pretty much makes textbooks the most repulsive objects on the planet, is the price tag that comes with them. According to an article on campustechnology.com that the average number of textbooks a student needs per year (both semesters) is 9 for which they spend about $602. I had mentioned earlier in the article that there are plenty of ways to find cheaper digital versions of textbooks all throughout the internet. Amazon, which I also mentioned earlier, is one the of best resources to find these alternatives to perhaps the biggest ripoff anyone will experience not just in their college careers, but their entire lives. In a time.com article that questions whether or not students really save money by renting the digital textbooks offered by Amazon, it turns out they can save as much as 80% off regular textbook prices. The article also states that renting these e-books (as they’re commonly referred to) are about half the cost of buying them, same applies to used textbooks as well.
So when it comes down it, there’s no disputing that our society is desperately trying to move away from (physical) textbook filled world. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, they do still exist for the time being. To help tip toe your around the textbook blues, take a look at this list on today.com that covers just how to do that.
