Discussion Question: Buying Textbooks

[fashion_piranha]

I went back to school on Monday, January 5th.  I know it seems a little early, but my school runs on the quarter system, not semester, so we start class at the beginning of January and have finals near the end of March so that we can squeeze in the spring quarter from April - June.  I was feeling pretty confident because I'd already purchased most

Comments

[senuneheti]

The campus here does everything in its power to keep you from knowing what books you need until you go to the bookstore. The bookstore itself has a policy that they prefer you not to write down what books you need. But when possible, I try to buy my books online. Just because the costs are so high.
I wish my school was on the quarter system sometimes.

[fashion_piranha]

Quarter system does give the illusion that classes move faster than a semester system, but having done both I don't think there's much difference between the two of them. At the community college level, it still takes more than 2 years to get through unless you pack all your classes to an insane degree.

[deathjoy]

This is what I do. Go to bookstore and buy book (USUALLY WITH CREDIT CARD). Go home and order off amazon. When book arrives, return the other one to bookstore for full refund.

[fashion_piranha]

To cut back on that, at my school they've made a rule that you can only get a full refund if you return the book on the Friday of the first week; if you return it by the Friday of the second week there's a 10% penalty. You can't return books after that date unless you provide proof that you dropped the class.

[priscamor]

You can rent the books you can't find cheaply on eBay. You only pay shipping one way and they plant a tree for every book you rent.

www.chegg.com

[fashion_piranha]

That's a cool website I've never seen before!
Thanks for sharing it :)

[priscamor]

Anytime :)

[pith]

I was an English major, so I was lucky enough that I could get a lot of the novels I'd need to read elsewhere: local bookstores, online, etc. I only went to the campus bookstore when I needed to.

The bookstore wasn't bad, but the books were relegated to the basement. The upper, more prominent floor is all cheap crested merchandise and stupid trinkets.

[morde]

Woo quarter system! I actually enjoy being on the quarter system.

I buy all my books online. Sales Tax in Washington is almost 9% and on textbooks that's killer. I also got all my text books this quarter for what would have been over $300 in the book store for around $150. There's little to no point in buying my books at the bookstore. They still buy back books I got online. Hahah. I'm too poor to just buy them at the book store.

[moonosaurus]

When I was in college most of the books I needed were for my Art History classes and I was lucky enough to be able to find all the books I needed at the local-independent-very-awesome-used bookstore and never had to buy any books at our campus bookstore. It was always a zoo there!

[fashion_piranha]

Did you major in Art History? Because I am considering doing so, but can't seem to figure out what one does with an Art History degree besides slog on through to a Master's.

[moonosaurus]

I actually got my Bachelor's in Fine Arts, but it required quite a few Art History classes. I've thought about going back for my Master's in Art History, but I haven't really figured out what I'd do with it...
:)
I did enjoy the classes though!