Buying your BOOK$

On the first day of class you are provided a syllabus, detailing each aspect of the course you have enrolled in. One such section is the course reading list. You are handed the syllabus and you immediately look at how many books, and articles you will have to read.

Sometimes there is just one, very large book. Other times, and most frequently, there are more than five distinct titles you will need to purchase from the book store...or so you think.

When I started at my junior college I bought every single book that was listed on the syllabus for each class. Needless to say this was very costly! Each semester I would head down to the monopolistic book store at my community college and pay an arm and a leg for a few books. One book (a math book) cost over three hundred dollars!

This is what I am suggesting you should do at the beginning of each semester. Look at the the reading list, see what books are "required." Then go through the schedule for the class and see where the readings come from each week. You will be surprised to find that some books that were listed as required, are not even used for the course! I can recall on more than one occasion that I would buy a book, and the professor would never ask us to read from it. Then I would sell it back to the book store for pennies!

Don't fall victim to the expensive book trap. Pay attention to what the syllabus outlines in terms of reading schedules. Be upfront with your professor. Ask her if you really need to purchase every single book, or if she can suggest books you need to get immediately.

At the beginning of each semester, this is what you need to do:

1. Find the course syllabus online for each you have enrolled in.
2. Do not buy books for any courses you are considering dropping later in the semester.
3. If there is a course you KNOW you must take, buy the books online through Amazon, or some other book purchasing site.
4. Contact students who have taken the course previously and see if they still have their books.
5. Seek out a book exchange program on campus or online.
6. Ask the professor if she has left a copy of the book on reserve in the library (no one ever utilizes this option and this could save you 300+ dollars each semester).

The unfortunate thing is that bookstores on campus are becoming a monstrosity for students already grappling with insane tuition hikes. The bottom line is that book stores are a rip-off. Even if they claim they "give back" to the campus on which they are located. Next time you are in your campus bookstore, ask how much they are really giving back. The percentage may shock you...