Freshmen Move-In Day is quickly approaching, which means soon classes will begin at universities nationwide. This being the freshmen's first semester, they will be overwhelmed and just do what seems easiest when it comes to getting prepared. That's where the universities make hundreds of dollars off each student just for textbooks. Freshmen have been spending too much money on textbooks for years, only saved if someone shows them the alternative options they have.
Do you really need the book?
While a class may have a textbook listed, not all professors actually use the textbook. Usually, on the first day of class, the professor will mention the book and whether or not you will need it. Do not buy the book before you hear directly from the professor. Some classes have a book that is recommended not required, or even just has a textbook listed so it looks appealing to the university. But still don't buy the book just quite yet. After the professor tells you that you need it, ask a student who's taken the class before you. Some professors require a textbook that you only use once, if that. In that case, you can look up the textbook online or see if the library has it so you don't have to buy an overpriced textbook for one use.
Upperclassmen sell cheaper than the bookstore.
Upperclassmen tend to have piles of books from past classes they took that they no longer have any need for. Rather than just letting the books sit and collect dust, your average upperclassmen will sell another student their old book for a heavily discounted price. This way the upperclassmen makes a little money back that they can use for textbooks (or food), and it saves the freshmen money as well.
Check the bookstore for a "rent" option.
Many college bookstores have an option to rent a returned book for a discounted price. While the price is cheaper, it's usually not by much. This still is an option to keep in mind if you want to support your campus bookstore and still save money. If you're worried about the quality of the books, there's no need, the textbooks the bookstores take back have to be of a certain condition or else they deny buying the book back.
The Internet is your friend.
The Internet is full of different sites that offer college textbooks at heavily discounted prices. You can rent or buy all your textbooks from different sites for the same amount of money that one textbook can cost you at your university bookstore. These rented or bought textbooks from the Internet tend to have highlights already in them, so as long as you check to make sure the information that's highlighted is important, you also save time when studying! Some of my favorite sites to rent from are Chegg, Slugbooks, and Amazon. Most sites will pay for your return shipping if you rent from them as well, just another incentive to save money!
Make money off the books you already have.
You may be a little late to reading this article, and you already bought your books. Don't worry! You can always make some money back off of them when you're finished using them! You can sell your books back to the bookstore for a little (and I mean a little) money, or you can sell and rent your books to other students. Selling may seem like the easiest thing to do, but if you rent your books to fellow students (and can get them back) you can make money every semester off of your book you no longer need.
Share a textbook with a friend or classmate.
The worst case scenario (which has happened to me) is that your required textbook was written by your professor and is only sold at your campus bookstore. This is a really annoying way that both the university and the professor make money off anyone who takes this class because the textbook will be used in the class a lot. They may think they've beaten the system of saving money on textbooks, but they haven't. Find a group of reliable friends or classmates and split the cost of the book amongst yourselves and share it. Establish who keeps the book, or how you rotate the book amongst yourselves and you not only saved money, but also found a group of people with whom you can study. It's a win-win!
