Books and Materials

The first question I received was about books. Most schools offer books or materials for courses through some form of a bookstore- whether online or in person. Many schools make it appear this is the only place to receive the materials you need. That is not always the case.

My recommendation is always to look into your options. There are positives and negatives to using the college bookstore. Check your options and see which one is best for you. You can try to order your materials differently each semester or term and see which way you feel most comfortable.

Negatives of buying at the bookstore: The bookstores are notorious for overcharging. Not just for the book, but if you're ordering online, for shipping as well. If you are looking to save money, always ordering your books through the bookstore is NOT the best option.

Positives of buying at the bookstore: You are guaranteed that the book you order/purchase is the book for your class. If they ship you the wrong book or if the book changes, the bookstore will refund your money or resend you the book you need. Additionally, if they are out of stock, they will notify the instructor that you have a book on order and that you are not just being lazy (at some universities). Also, this is the only way to participate in 'book buy back'. Although most places it seems like a rip-off, if you buy the book somewhere else and then don't need it again, you'll have to go through the process of trying to sell it online. Additionally this is the only way to use a Book Voucher. Not all schools offer this, but it is an option through financial aid. If you are a financial aid student and you do not want to pay for your books out of your pocket, see if they can set you up with a book voucher which is almost like a line of credit at the bookstore to order your materials. When your financial aid comes in, they will pay back the bookstore with that money.

Alternative options: Always check with your bookstore to find out what books/materials are required. Make sure you check the edition of the book because if you are working off of an older edition, page numbers could be different than what is required on the reading for class. Then do online searches at websites like Amazon and Half.com. There are a plethora of other sites and all you have to do is google it. It's not the most guaranteed way to get your correct text books, but this will save you A LOT of money. And isn't school expensive enough as it is?

My overall recommendation is to price shop. If the bookstore is charging $150 for the book and an additional $15 for shipping and you can find it on Amazon for $75 including shipping, definitely don't get it at the bookstore. If the same book ends up costing $140 including shipping on Amazon, go ahead and spend the little extra money to get it through the bookstore. This will allow you the option to sell it back and give yourself piece of mind that it will be the correct book.