Tippy007 said:
I keep them for my future library, and knowing that I will probably never open them again. It makes no sense and yet I do it.
I'm guilty of this too.
🙁 This was the rationale: maybe in the future I can use them to study for the MCAT or to help me with future courses. Bad rationale and here's why:
*Seriously...who actually thinks they can reread every chapter of physics, biology, gen chem, and ochem that's tested on the MCAT? A lot of the minutae won't be tested anyway...Go get a comprehensive review book instead
*"But I still want to have it as a reference." You know what that's fine, but try this instead. Let's say you get a $100+ gen chem book for 1999-2000. You tell yourself, "I might use it to study for the MCAT when I'm a junior." That would be in 2001-2002. Again, fine and dandy. But do this instead, sell your book after you finish the course (and not to your bookstore if you have another choice, because your bookstore will probably give you the shaft). After that, go to a site like Amazon, Barnesandnoble, overstock, or whatever (a future student will probably give you more money and get it for less than he/she would pay the bookstore--just make sure they're actually using it for the course otherwise you're an @$$), and buy your book from 1999-2000.
Let's take some pretty recent OChem books
Bruice, 3rd Ed, about
$4.50 used on Amazon, 2000
vs.
Bruice, 4th Ed, about
$85.00 used on Amazon, 2003
McMurry, 5th Ed, about
$15-20 used on Amazon, 1999
McMurry, 6th Ed, about
$75.00 used on Amazon, 2003
You might
think there's a big difference over the years, but really there isn't *usually* that much of a difference. So sell your books back and try and get some of the money back that you spent for that bound, oversized, overpriced heap of dead, glossy cellulite sheets
👍
And if you can get the online as other posters have mentioned, or your local/university library...even better
😀
