College text books $$$

[Staggerlee]

How did you not know what books you needed? When we registered, we were given class codes, and then went to our online blackboard, and all the Proff's already had a list of books, what editions, any other essentials (graph paper, graphing calc, rulers, lab coat, scrubs, etc...), down to what kind of pencils/pens/paper they prefered their assignments to be turned in.

The day after late enrollment, the bookstore opened, and we had out books about a week before class started.

In theory you know what books you'll need right after you register because you have the class numbers and the campus bookstores separate the books by class number. However, more times than I care to remember I've gone to classes on the first day and the professor says "you don't really need to buy this book as we'll just be reading a few sections from it so I'll post it online" or "Oh the edition they have at the bookstore is actually the wrong edition you need this edition".

This happens OFTEN, and this isn't a small college I go to mind you. I go to Ohio State.

The only sure fire way to know exactly what books you'll need is by reading the syllabus, which isn't available until the first day of class

 

[golfergirl]

In theory you know what books you'll need right after you register because you have the class numbers and the campus bookstores separate the books by class number. However, more times than I care to remember I've gone to classes on the first day and the professor says "you don't really need to buy this book as we'll just be reading a few sections from it so I'll post it online" or "Oh the edition they have at the bookstore is actually the wrong edition you need this edition".

This happens OFTEN, and this isn't a small college I go to mind you. I go to Ohio State.

The only sure fire way to know exactly what books you'll need is by reading the syllabus, which isn't available until the first day of class

Makes sense then, what's your major? My classes are so detailed, I HAVE to have the books to review constantly or I will forget it all, lol.

 

[Staggerlee]

Makes sense then, what's your major? My classes are so detailed, I HAVE to have the books to review constantly or I will forget it all, lol.

I'm a history major with aspirations to obtain my phd eventually and become a professor (cue the pragmatic crowd telling me what a waste of money/time/life history is).

If I remember correctly aren't you in nursing? I would imagine those books would be quite a bit expensive and you would most certainly need them all to learn and retain the information.

I do quite a bit of extra-curricular reading so in most classes I already know 75% of the material we cover anyway. The problem is I can never be sure when something I haven't read about comes up.

 

[golfergirl]

I'm a history major with aspirations to obtain my phd eventually and become a professor (cue the pragmatic crowd telling me what a waste of money/time/life history is).

If I remember correctly aren't you in nursing? I would imagine those books would be quite a bit expensive and you would most certainly need them all to learn and retain the information.

I do quite a bit of extra-curricular reading so in most classes I already know 75% of the material we cover anyway. The problem is I can never be sure when something I haven't read about comes up.

Yup nursing, although my History professor wants me to switch majors, lol! I love history, and I'm with you, I already know most of it, that's why I picked that class, it's an easy A. I had to have a Heritage/Humanities class for Gen Ed reqs, so US History through 1865 sounded good to me, lol.

 

[Staggerlee]

Yup nursing, although my History professor wants me to switch majors, lol! I love history, and I'm with you, I already know most of it, that's why I picked that class, it's an easy A. I had to have a Heritage/Humanities class for Gen Ed reqs, so US History through 1865 sounded good to me, lol.

It's nice to meet someone who shares my appreciation for history. That time period is what I concentrate on. More of the colonial and revolutionary period rather than the civil war.

 

[Dawgs0916]

Wow, 200 dollars is nothing. I've spent over 700 for books. That was my freshman year, I've since learned my lesson.

Most of the time you can get away with not even buying the book. But then they stick you with access code costs ON TOP OF THAT, so you can do your homework online.

Not to mention they make "new editions" of the textbooks pretty much every other semester making it virtually impossible to sell them back.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

It's nice to meet someone who shares my appreciation for history. That time period is what I concentrate on. More of the colonial and revolutionary period rather than the civil war.

I liked both... it really puts things into perspective when you look at how we are today. But I do find the revolutionary period the most interesting.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Wow, 200 dollars is nothing. I've spent over 700 for books. That was my freshman year, I've since learned my lesson.

Most of the time you can get away with not even buying the book. But then they stick you with access code costs ON TOP OF THAT, so you can do your homework online.

Not to mention they make "new editions" of the textbooks pretty much every other semester making it virtually impossible to sell them back.

And shame on them for that...

 

[Hoofbite]

This. I had a used book last fall that was $200, that I didn't use after the first two weeks of class. The Calculus book I used for Summer II session, $200 used, new edition came out in the fall.

In a single summer session and the fall, I burned about a grand give or take. Total resale value was under $5.

Book prices have skyrocketed. Chemistry books are notorious for it because an Organic Chem book from three years ago is twice as thick in the new edition. Polymers books are out of date the day the ink hits the paper.

Same with any biology books. In the summer between high school and my second year in college, the basis for cellular supporting architecture was discovered. No one had even hear of a nuclear basket. Now that stuff is intro material.

Organic Chem was ridiculous.

In fact, I think if you combined organic, analytical and biological-physical chemistries that I paid about $800 for the books and lab components.

I've seen a lot of stores that start to rent the books for 1/2 the price of buying them. Not sure I'd go that route because they just charge you the other half if you screw the book up somehow and I think they keep the book.

 

[Irvin]

600 bucks for me for one semester lol...

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

600 bucks for me for one semester lol...

Buy used, search craigslist, take professors with low reading lists if they have several books. But mostly it's the text books and stuff that really cost a lot of money.. go talk to your professor the first day of class. Some professors are sickened by this tactic of the publishing company and are writing their own books or just making the class about lectures with the text book as a supplement. If you're professor seems to react to your question, it may be a good indication not to take that professor. I alway suggest signing up for more classes than you can take, then dropping your two least favorite.

But yes, man, books are expensive.

 

[Hoofbite]

Buy used, search craigslist, take professors with low reading lists if they have several books. But mostly it's the text books and stuff that really cost a lot of money.. go talk to your professor the first day of class. Some professors are sickened by this tactic of the publishing company and are writing their own books or just making the class about lectures with the text book as a supplement. If you're professor seems to react to your question, it may be a good indication not to take that professor. I alway suggest signing up for more classes than you can take, then dropping your two least favorite.

But yes, man, books are expensive.

Good advice.

Also, my school allowed people to search books based on subject > course > professor.

You find your professor and it tells you all the books they want you to have.

If you are really committed to getting low prices, you could do a number of things.

I switched majors a ton of times and the last time I went from a social sciences to a natural science.

Put me about a year behind the kids who had started at that major but didn't matter.

I had friends in that major before my switch so when I switched, they all had the books and just borrowed or was given the book.

 

[Future]

I was a little over 400 this semester, bought everything used.


....only have two classes :bang2:

 

[AbeBeta]

It may seem totally counter intuitive but the best thing you can do to keep textbook prices down in the long run is to NEVER buy a used text. Used books may cut 20% or so off the price but authors and publishers get nothing in terms of royalties on sales of those books. This means that new editions of texts come out more quickly and at a much higher price. Of course, if a new book is $200 then the used version's price is driven sky high as well.

 

[AbeBeta]

And shame on them for that...

That's the only way that publishers and authors make any money. They get nothing on the used book sales. The big shame is that used books cost so very much -- resellers turn a massive profit on those. Far more than the people who actually produce the work