As I'm about to enter my sixth consecutive semester as an undergrad college student, I once again find myself worrying about how much cash I'm going to have to dish out in order to purchase the textbooks I "need" for all my classes.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind having to purchase a textbook to go along with each class; in some cases, I wouldn't survive the class without my book. No, what really bothers are two specific things:
1. When a professor feels it's necessary to have three or more textbooks needed for ONE CLASS
and
2. When I purchase a not-so-cheap textbook and then NEVER OPEN IT ONCE.
As for number one, COME ON, PROFESSORS. I understand if we need one or two chapter books, as well as the textbook, for class, because regular reading books tend to be pretty inexpensive. Although, if you assign two or more TEXTBOOKS for a single class, that's when I start to get slightly infuriated. Wouldn't it be so much easier if you could just find a SINGLE textbook that would suffice for all the material?
For one particular class, I am taking this semester, I need three books. Two textbooks and one digital book. A friend of mine, who has previously taken the class, told me that I definitely need both books, but one of them I only need for a single subject in the class. Other than that, I'll never use it.
This kind of ties into number two as well. I am buying a textbook, that is most likely extremely over priced, to use for about a week throughout the entire semester? I find this absurd.
And then we have the classes where I find myself NEVER using the textbook. To be fair, this isn't really the professor's fault, since they're assuming that everyone is doing the reading... But let's face it, professor, if every day in class you're making a powerpoint of everything that will be on the exam... We're going to use our notes as study material, not the $150 dollar textbook you insisted we needed.
This is so frustrating to me because buying textbooks is something that really stresses me out. Sometimes I may contemplate not buying a certain textbook, but then there's always this nagging voice in the back of my mind saying, "But what if you really end up needing it?!"
I have learned a few ways on how one can save when it comes to purchasing school books.
Firstly, always know your options. There are several textbook sellers besides your school bookstore. My two personal favorites are Chegg and Amazon. They almost always have the books I'm looking for and tend to be cheaper than my school's book store. Another tip is to always buy used or rent your books if you're able to. Let's face it, if you're not going to open the book again once the semester is over, do you really need a shiny new book to collect dust on your bookcase? I think not.
Another option when it comes to buying textbooks is to see if anyone on your campus is selling the books you need. If your class has a Facebook group, there's almost always posts asking if anyone is willing to buy textbooks. Most of the time these students are just wanting to get rid of their unwanted books, so they may be selling them for cheap. Lastly, something that I was hesitant to do before, but turned out to work just fine, is using the edition below what your professor listed. For example, if your book is "Nutrition For Beginners, Edition 3" try to check out how much less it would cost to get the second edition instead. If there's a major price reduction, I'd go for the older edition, because honestly, not much has changed, and if you are paying attention in class, the slight differences in the book won't affect you. There's also digital "E-books" that tend to be a little cheaper than having a hard copy of a textbook, but for me personally, I find it difficult to read off a screen. Although, if it works for you, E-books can be a great, more affordable textbook option.
So, there you have it. Even though the textbook industry is insanely over priced, there are some ways you can get all the books you need without having to take out another loan.
Good luck to all my fellow college students this semester!
May the odds be ever in your favor!
