Learning Curve: Textbooks

Hey guys!


Hope everyone is having a great start to the school year, especially those college kids. If you moved away from home for the first time you're probably enjoying the freedom that comes along with that. If you're returning to a campus, hopefully you're spending the time catching up with friends, partying, and doing some studying in between. :)

A new semester at school always brings change, and that's no different for me. Instead of posting on Thursdays like I have since I started writing this column, I'll now be posting on Fridays. I don't have any classes on Fridays this semester and this gives me a chance to get a quality column out for you guys instead of trying to hurry on my busy nights just to get something up that isn't up to the standard of writing that I would be proud of.

Textbooks in college are A LOT different than high school. Not only are they bigger, with more words (and fewer pictures!), but you also have to buy them. For a college student that can be rather expensive, some books can cost up to $700 NEW! That's a lot of money! So, what are some things you can do to find the same books for a little less...

1. Buy used: Used textbooks are HUGE in college. Most books aren't meant to be used for more than one semester, so used textbooks are pretty common. They're also cheaper than new textbooks.

2. Buy early: In-order to be guaranteed that you're getting a used textbook, try to buy your books early. I know that this isn't always a possibility, but if it is, take advantage of it.

3. Buy online: I just spent all morning looking for books online, a new experience for me as I usually buy mine in the campus bookstore. What I found was a lot of books at fairly cheap prices. Some sites I would recommend: amazon.com, half.com, barnsandnoble.com...

Buying textbooks can be a hassle. It doesn't have to be all bad though. The best advice I can give is to shop around. Don't settle on a price just because it's the only one you've found & you need the book. Try to buy used, but if you can't, DON'T WORRY! Buying a few brand new books can have benefits...like making more money when it comes time to sell them back!

If there's any specific issues that you would like me to cover, comment or tweet me (@jeng2008) I'm more than willing to share my experience on any related subject or do a bit of research to find you the best answer possible.

♥ Jen