[squall2072]

This is insane! I've just started my Uni course in economics, the lecturers have told me to get a few books (its only the second day!) and it tooks like they'll cost me nearly £120 so far but I've got 3 more days to see other lecturers who will want me to get other books as well...

Its paper!

P.S Sorry I had to vent. My RS-1 and ppx3 slam fund is taking a hit.

(I'll have to sell the car now, lol)

 

[MuZI]

Werd. My books ended up costing me $500+

 

[PFKMan23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuZI Werd. My books ended up costing me $500+

Same. All the books and materials for Chem were over $300 in and of themselves.

 

[SiBurning]

I pretty much stopped buying books by the time I was a junior. Went to the school library and took out two or three text books on the subject. If those weren't any good there were plenty more to choose from. Only thing is, it's hard to do homework that way, but I didn't have too much trouble not doing it. The few assigned books I bought included a laser/optics book because there just weren't any others, and Greek classics for mythology class, but I'm still buying Greek classics ten years later. I did manage to buy a few good computer books (computer science major) that were not assigned. If you're gonna spend the money, may as well spend it wisely.

 

[Nisbeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by squall2072 This is insane! I've just started my Uni course in economics, the lecturers have told me to get a few books (its only the second day!) and it tooks like they'll cost me nearly £120 so far but I've got 3 more days to see other lecturers who will want me to get other books as well...

Don't buy anything until you've been to the first two or three lectures. Sometimes professors have a very distorted image of what is actually necessary to complete a course, or they want you to buy a book where you will actually only be needing a single chapter or two. It's quite annoying to spend £40 on a book when a fiver's worth of photocopies would have been enough

/U.

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nisbeth Don't buy anything until you've been to the first two or three lectures. Sometimes professors have a very distorted image of what is actually necessary to complete a course, or they want you to buy a book where you will actually only be needing a single chapter or two.

Yup, it took me until my Junior year to realize this. Also, if you know someone in the class, split the book costs 50/50 with them. It's kind of hard if you're a freshman or sophomore, since your class sizes could be pretty large and you might not know anyone. But, when you get into your major's classes, you'll find that people are definately interested in going 50/50 with you on books. Thanks to a combination of Amazon, roommates, and friends, I haven't paid close to full price in two years

 

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by squall2072 This is insane! I've just started my Uni course in economics, the lecturers have told me to get a few books (its only the second day!) and it tooks like they'll cost me nearly £120 so far but I've got 3 more days to see other lecturers who will want me to get other books as well...

Over here text books are even more expensive, I have forked out thousands of pounds on course books in the last five years. It is not uncommon for me to spend $100+ on a single book.

btw if you really think its just paper, Economics is the wrong course for you
to be doing

Good Luck

 

[james__bean]

Books are insanely expensive for the most part because every three years publishers release a new edition. At the U of O, most professors will put the textbook on reserve at the library, so if you're really strapped for cash you could always go down there and read it. Of course when test time comes around things can get... crowded.

 

[Claus1100xx]

used to pay $500+ every semester. Econ books are some of the more expensive ones. Only those science books can trump them.
This semester I started to buy online (addall, half.com, etc) and paid $180 for all of my books.

 

[bg4533]

I try to buy and sell all of my books online. I usually go through Half.com. I have ordered a couple books new from the UK and actually made money selling them online later.

Lately I have been buying older editions of books. Many authors release new editions every couple of years and things tend not to change much. I think this is just to disrupt the used book market. I am usually able to get these books for around $10 in like new condition compared to the ~$100 the bookstores charge for the brand new edition. If you have specific homework assignments that need turned in this might not be the best way to go since problems and numbers do often change. This is also not the best idea if you are studying a rapidly changing subject.

This quarter my books were going to cost a bit over $300 from the bookstore for my 3 classes. I spent $45 total online and got old editions of them. This is my last quarter and I only have basic GECs left. European History, Anthropology and Geological Science, so I don't think things are changing too much.

 

[squall2072]

Just got back from buying 4 books. £100! One of the was 42 quid! I haven't even got them all yet and these are the ones they are telling me a necessary for the course! I was going to do the photocopying way but thought I'd better buy the first ones.

To be fair I was reading one on the train and it seems good so I don't mind too much. But I'm going to have to say goodbye to the car quicker than I orginally thought...

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I've got $600 in law books sitting around doing nothing thanks to that blasted hurricane!

 

[sionghchan]

Hmm...and it doesn't end at Univ..

I have just bought a Space Mission Analysis and Design book for my work and it costs me > CAD$300 for that book alone..
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASI...311536-9382728

So...ouch!

 

[la_marquise]

Well, I remember having a prof once whose book list consisted of books co-authored, authored, or contained essays by said prof.

Now I know how she affords 600$ designer boots....

I learned early on that the library and photocopier are your best friends. Actually, get 3 or so people, split the book list 3 ways and photocopy what you need. In fact I have learned that if you are good at research, you can make your own reader. Kinko's is your best friend. Or get a job at a law firm where you will have all the binding and photocopying supplies you'll ever want...

 

[ajt976]

I feel ya dude. I paid something like $375 for my books this semester, except I got a break because our calculus book from last year is good for 3 semesters worth of courses.

Economics is rough though, they wanted to make us pay something like $120 for a paperback version of some text that was edited specifically for our prof...

I said screw it and just took the course without, all our homework was on Blackboard anyways.