College students, when entering a new academic year, are often taken aback by the amount of money they have to utilize on just textbooks. The prices of these textbooks can be quite high, and they are just increasing. In fact, the administration has said that the prices of college textbooks have grown at twice the rate of inflation.
So, how can one really deal with this problem? Here are some steps.
1. Get ahead of the crowd
For college students, an on-campus UofA Bookstore is always a go-to option if they want books in no time. The best way to save up on buying books from these stores is to become an early customer as soon as you get your list of books that you’ll require for the year, head straight to the store, and fetch a good deal.
2. Say goodbye to print books
With the advancement in technology, studying has become quite easier, especially due to the availability of e-books. One can access an e-book from the comfort of a phone or tablet without carrying the burden of a physical book. Even though this sounds quite alluring, a recent study has revealed that most college students still opt for purchasing print textbooks, even though digital mediums have become so popular.
When buying a textbook from a website, students are usually provided with the options to select from print, e-book, or audio forms. In most scenarios, students have the freedom to highlight certain e-book areas and prepare notes in the margins while reading online.
3. Rent your textbooks
Like the case of online movie-rental websites or services, there are several sites where one can get textbooks for rent. Renting a book is very cost-effective, especially for students who are short on money. However, it is important to care for the books while renting and return them on time so that your rental doesn’t get converted to a purchase.
Another great option is to check whether your university or college provides a rental service for textbooks. UofA Bookstore has a rental option in their list of services to help students save money on buying books. If your college offers a rental service, you should grab the opportunity without hesitating a bit. There’s nothing better than renting books from your own campus rather than relying on a third-party service.
4. Check out E-books
With the advent of e-books, many readers are now opting for this form of reading rather than printed books. E-books are easy to handle, and one can access loads of information from the comfort of his/her digital device.
Witnessing this trend in the reading pattern of students, there are some top book publishers such as John Wiley & Sons, Pearson, McGraw-Hill Education and Bedford, and more who have collaborated to produce thousands of textbooks in the e-books format.
These e-books are less expensive compared to printed ones and can be easily availed on certain websites. The best part about these e-books is that they cover almost every topic covered by the education system in the US.
5. Consider Free downloads
Some students don’t wish to spend a single penny on purchasing their college textbooks. For students like these, opting for a free download is the right option. Many literature classics and other books can be downloaded for free at various websites.
The downside of the free download is that students may not always find the book they are looking for. Sometimes they even end up clicking on a malicious link. Therefore, one has to be very careful when opting for this option.
6. Create a book-sharing group
Students can also meet with other students studying the same subjects. With a common subject in place, students can form a group where they can share the books with each member. They can also buy or sell the books with fellow members at a comparatively lesser price.
7. The library is always free
There are many colleges where students can get copies of textbooks for free at the library. Apart from the colleges, city libraries also tend to have certain textbooks which can be availed by students. However, one needs to be very careful with this approach as the book that an individual is looking for may not always be available.
8. Look at older editions
If a listed book new edition has just come out in the market, it is important to compare this new edition with the older one. Sometimes, the changes are so minute that you don’t really have to spend your dollars buying the newer version.
Final Thought
With the new academic year, it is common to see students getting stressed about buying textbooks from a UofA Bookstore. However, by considering the above-mentioned tips, the whole process can be made simple and cost-effective.
[…] This blog discusses some tips that college students should consider while purchasing their textbooks. When entering a new academic year, college students can get intimidated by the high price of textbooks. The amount that one has to spend on these books tends to be very high, especially for students with less financial backup. In fact, the price of these textbooks has only increased with time. So, how can a student cope with this problem? Of course, university or college bookstores are always a good option to consider, but there are many other ways too that students can use to buy their textbooks without burdening their pockets and minds. You’ll have to dive into this blog to find out those tips. […]
Hello.This post was extremely interesting, especially since I was investigating for thoughts on this matter last Sunday.