Textbooks aren’t cheap. All college
students know this, yet many of them succumb to purchasing the newest books at
full price. As I wandered the book store searching for the books required for
my classes, the prices astonished me—my Statistics Book was about $140 new, and
a pricy $102 used. My Urban Culture and Society class required 4 books—one main
text book for about $100 new, and three smaller books adding up to roughly an
additional $100 new. Used, these urban culture books would still cost well over
$100 total. For my other classes, the book prices were equally astronomical.
I refused to spend hundreds of dollars
on books. The used book prices weren’t too much better. The cost of the books I
needed added up to around 400 dollars. So I had to get creative. I’m going to
share with you how I spent only $39. No, that was not a typo, and yes, I really
did spend only thirty-nine dollars.
Here are a few tips and stories that I
hope will save you money next semester.
1. Ask around. Do you know anyone who
has taken the class already? Do they have their old book? Though this might
have been hard for first semester, next semester you will know more people and
more upper classmen. Haverford is unique in that freshmen have a Customs Team.
This is essentially a group of upper classmen mentors. I found out one of my
mentors had taken Abnormal Psychology and had given her book to a friend. This
friend still had the book, so my mentor got it from the friend and gave it to
me. I got this book for free. The only thing you have to do is ask.
2. Don’t be afraid of strangers.
Sometimes you ask upperclassmen and they don’t have their book anymore or they
still need it. Don’t let this stop you from asking more people. I randomly ran
into a girl from Bryn Mawr (where I take Urban Culture and Society) while at
Haverford. We started talking, and I told her that I was taking Urban Culture.
She still had her book, and was offered to sell it to me. I bought the main
text book for $39 (all the cash I had on hand), and she let me borrow one of
the smaller books for the class. Even though we had no connection with one
another, it was not awkward inquiring about her text books or determining a
price. She was happy to have the money—the book store doesn’t pay students well
for their used books. Be open and willing to meeting new people! You might get
a cheap book.
3. Check the library for books on
reserve. Because Haverford has Shopping Week and I didn’t know my classes right
away, I needed to hold off on buying books. Our library often times has
textbooks on reserve. This means you can check the textbook out for two hours
so you can do your homework without buying the book right away. I intended to
do this until I had confirmation that I got into my Statistics class. In some
cases, if you are frugal enough, you can use the book on reserve for the entire
semester. I could have done this with Statistics, but I didn’t need to—my
fourth tip explains why.
4. Does the library have any old
editions? I found that the library had an older edition of the Statistics book
for regular checkout. I could keep the Statistics book for a whole month, and
even renew it over the course of the semester. The book is essentially the same
as the newer edition, though some of the numbers have been updated. For this
reason, I compare the numbers in my book’s homework problems with someone who
has the new version. Again, you might not be able to find an old math book to
check out for the entire semester, but if you’re willing to get creative, you
can find free solutions to getting your text books. For Urban Culture, I have
ordered two of the smaller books from a library partnered with Haverford. I
only need to do a few readings in these books, so there was no sense in buying
them!
5. Ask the Professor whether or not
you need the newest edition. Buying older editions can be cheaper, but
sometimes they are lacking in information. My Urban Culture book is an outdated
edition, and doesn’t have every article. However, I don’t need the new version
because the professor posts the readings online that aren’t found in the older
edition.
6. Does your class really use the
book? Find out. I have four classes, the last one being a writing seminar.
There are a few books my teacher uses, but I she posts the articles we need to
read online (there are few because we mostly write) and I haven’t needed to buy
the books yet.
7. Have a friend in your class? You
could invest in a book together. This way, each of you pay half the price. This
is a great way to develop a new study partner! Just make sure this is someone
you can trust and get work done with.
8. Check online postings and compare
prices. Though I’ve heard Amazon is sometimes more expensive, it doesn’t hurt
to check. You might find a great deal. Look for used versions just like you
would at the book store.
9. Check campus postings. At
Haverford, we Have the Go! Boards. Here, the have a Classified Section where
people post everything they are buying and selling. Though I didn’t find any of
the textbooks I needed here, I saw numerous ads for cheap books. This way, you
can help other students out too.
10. Do a book trade. On occasion, you
may be able to find someone you can swap old textbooks with. Be on the look out
for people who have books you want and are taking a class that requires books
you have. Both of you will be extremely happy to recycle the books!
I hope you found these tips helpful!
Do you have any textbook tips or helpful stories? Post them here. There are
many ways to get creative when buying books!
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