I don't know if you know this, you might, but college textbooks are expensive! I thought it was over exaggerated, but no! I spent over 200 bucks on textbooks this semester! I can't believe that it costs that much every semester!
Sometimes, your college will be cool, like mine, and have a buy-back program. Here, at the end of the semester, if your books are being used again the next semester, they'll buy them back for up to half of what you paid for them...some believe that's a rip-off, but I've done searching online, and it's not much better to sell them online.
Another annoying thing is that some classes don't even use the books they tell you to buy! I mean, seriously, we're college students on a budget; don't tell us to spend $100 dollars on a book we won't even open during the semester! Luckily, some colleges will have a refund policy that extends into the semester, so you can find out if you need the book and return it for a full refund. I have done that several times already.
Another thing I wish someone had told me about my school's specific way of doing things is that computers make mistakes. My school has this program where teachers assign the books to the classes, and then this program pulls the books assigned to your classes and puts them in a nice, organized list for you. Unfortunately, no one told me that sometimes the lists get lost in translation, so when my book-list changed three days before classes started, I went and returned the old books and bought the new ones. Come to find out at the beginning of the semester, though, I really needed the old ones, so I had to go back to the bookstore and return the new ones and get the old ones again (this is why I love the return policy, though the lines are beastly).
So my advice to incoming freshman: even if it costs an extra hundred bucks, buy everything on your list, even if it changes, and then wait until the first day of class to find out what you really need, then return what you don't. (Unless you're school doesn't have a return policy, then I really feel bad for you, and I think you should bring that up to someone who should hear it.)
Some more advice:
1. If your books are outside of your major, it's often-times much cheaper to rent textbooks than to buy them. Often you can rent them for half the price, which is what you'll end up paying for bought books, even if you resell them at the end of the semester. New textbooks lose half their value in the first semester. Renting is a good option, as long as you don't write in the book (which you shouldn't do anyway if you're going to sell it back). However, for books in your major that you might need again (like math books for me), I'd suggest getting new ones that will keep.
2. Dealoz.com I LOVE THIS WEBSITE! It is an online comparison tool that will search all the deals online and compare them side by side. They will also show you any coupons available to apply to that website or book. This will help you to find the cheapest textbooks you can. If your school doesn't already do this, find out how much your textbooks cost through the school, then go online and look for cheaper ones. Especially for the really expensive ones, you will most likely find cheaper options online.
3. E-Books. This is something that's started up in the last couple years, and is starting to get some wind. E-books are not the way to go if you can't handle staring at a computer screen for hours on end, or like writing in your textbooks. Also consider, though, the Nook© and devices like that, which are also up-and-coming. I don't believe too many textbooks are available on E-readers, yet, but that is something to look for in the future. E-Books are nice because they are often MUCH cheaper than a textbook (no paper costs) and they will stay on your computer, even if you switch computers. Most E-books are yours to keep, but you do have to watch out for rented E-books. If you like E-books, renting is ok, but it's usually not too much cheaper than buying an actual E-book, and they take it away at the end of the semester. It's just personal preference, really.
4. Student-organized buy-backs. Some schools will have this set up through their server, but you might also be able to find them online. Certainly Amazon™ and Ebay™ are similar to this. What this is is a way for students to sell their textbooks for more than a store would buy them back and a way to buy textbooks for cheaper than a store would sell them. That seems counter-intuitive, but it works. Students understand the financial situation in college better than stores do, and so are more likely to find a middle price that is cheap enough for buyers and still gives sellers a nice sum in their bank accounts.
One last note about textbooks: Many, if not all, courses require a specific textbook. Many will give an ISBN number. What confused me is that books, and anything really, actually have two ISBN numbers, a 10-digit and a 13-digit. They are different. It's not just a matter of three numbers at the beginning or end, often its also a difference in the last several digits. Do not get confused if a book's ISBN number is different than the one you were given. Usually, if you search for the ISBN number at an online bookstore, they will tell you both the 10- and 13-digit codes, and this is useful to know which two codes apply to the same book, in the event that a website only gives you one. Also remember that E-books will have a completely different ISBN number, so you'll have to use your best judgement.
College textbooks may seem like a big, confusing hassle, and they are, but there are tools out there that will help you save frustration and money, you just have to look for them. And be willing to spend the time; a 10 minute search could save you quite a bit of cash.
No comments:
Post a Comment