What the...?!

[directdoc]

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I just spent $650 on books for school!! I was expecting around $400-$500...

So is this how much you guys normally spend per semester? (I'm a freshman...if that matters.)

 

[doinmybest5840]

You're already on SDN and you're just starting college? Geez, go out and meet some people.

 

[silverlining1]

I just spent $650 on books for school!! I was expecting around $400-$500...

So is this how much you guys normally spend per semester? (I'm a freshman...if that matters.)

That's awful. My freshman year, I probably spent about $300-$400 a quarter. Lately, it's been around $100.

 

[odddodo]

Books are always expensive, but I've found that in many cases, I don't even need them (most exams are based on lectures, not on readings). Last semester I ended up using the books for only two of my five courses...what a waste.

I never even heard of SDN before my sophomore year...then again, I didn't decide to go pre-med till then, so I guess that's why.

 

[neuro1617]

$600 this semester...expensive bio books & lab books & I needed an a&p cd for my anatomy class

 

[LadyLightning20]

YOU ARE SPENDING TOO MUCH!!

This is what you should do. 3-4 weeks before your next grading period starts, go talk to professors or go online or do whatever to find out what books you need. Email your professors and ask them if they need the current edition of a book or if the previous one is fine. (The current edition will be 80-100 bucks used, the old edition will be like 20 bucks used) Then order them off amazon. I spent ~400 bucks my first semester on books. The past two semesters combined I might have spent $300 on books.

 

[directdoc]

That's awful. My freshman year, I probably spent about $300-$400 a quarter. Lately, it's been around $100.

What school do YOU go to? lol

Yes, I'm a freshman on SDN. Get over it. I probably have more of a life as a freshman than many of the seniors on here.

 

[powerful_squib]

... freshman yr first semester was the most expensive price for me.... I am going to be a senior this year... but... if you buy your books online at half.com or amazon you will pay a fraction of the price for your books... I use both sites and spend about 200 less... so it depends... this time I am going to have to get my books through my college book store and I know Im going to spend close to 400... when I know I can get them easily for about 200... but whatever... it comes with the whole "going to college" deal...

P.s. Trust me... when and if you return those books... you will cry after you see how much your going to get back... lol...

 

[thinkorswim]

I just spent $650 on books for school!! I was expecting around $400-$500...

So is this how much you guys normally spend per semester? (I'm a freshman...if that matters.)

I didn't buy books after freshman year, when I realized everything I needed to know was right in the lecture notes. If I needed clarification on certain topics, there are a ton of resources in the library and on the internet.

I think I bought maybe a total of 6 textbooks throughout my entire undergraduate degree, most of them just a reference textbook for a major subject (chemistry, organic, biochemistry, biology, etc.).

 

[deleted103730]

half.com is your friend.

 

[Koala 33]

I shopped around online, and I still ended up spending $520 (and I bought all of my books used!). I already had one of the books I needed, though, and I still haven't bought my lab manuals or any course packets.

 

[directdoc]

I think I bought maybe a total of 6 textbooks throughout my entire undergraduate degree, most of them just a reference textbook for a major subject (chemistry, organic, biochemistry, biology, etc.).

Wow...and you did well in the class with just lecture notes? Kudos to you!

 

[silverlining1]

What school do YOU go to? lol

I go to Stanford. For several of my classes the books have been optional. For the ones where it hasn't been optional, I've gone online to find the best deals possible. True, this means I may not get the books until the 2nd week of the quarter, but until that time I can a) borrow from a friend b) borrow from the library or c) buy the book full price from the bookstore and return it later (only works if the book isn't shrinkwrapped).

 

[Rud42]

I know my school has a course reserve section in our library where the books of most classes are kept. I can usually read my books there.... some courses I have to buy my books.

 

[silverlining1]

Ironically, I did better in the classes for which I had no textbook than those which I had bought it.

You'll see for yourself and figure it out. You will study for a class and ace it, realizing that the textbook was completely useless. Eventually, you'll realize which classes you need to buy books for and which ones you don't. Wikipedia is a nice supplemental resource and should you need a course textbook for an assignment, they're usually put on reserve by the professor at your school library.
Besides, when you get into upper-level biochemistry classes, learning is mostly done from journal articles and primary literature since the classes are usually seminars. No textbooks needed.

I totally agree with this. Even when a class has problem sets with questions from the book, it's possible to just look at the book on reserve in the library. The trend at my college is to have the assignments based on lecture content.

However, there are a few annoying classes I've taken in which the exams are half lecture, half book (and the book parts don't coincide with the lecture, so you have to read it). For these, I usually buy the book from half.com

 

[SketchLazy]

half.com is your friend.

Don't forget about Amazon's used books too. Just make sure it's the same edition and it's a hardcover copy (always worth more when selling). Then when you're done, sell the books on amazon or half instead of your local bookstore and you'll get a lot more back.

 

[littlealex]

I just spent $650 on books for school!! I was expecting around $400-$500...

So is this how much you guys normally spend per semester? (I'm a freshman...if that matters.)

Are you a freshman? You evidently had not learned yet.

1) Buy books online, and buy them early.
2) Buy used books.
If still too expensive:
3) Buy previous editions.

Saves you thousands of dollars through college.

 

[jochi1543]

I've never spent more than $400 a semester on books, even with the science courses that had those idiotic online quizzes for which you had to buy $50 passwords if you bought a used edition of the textbook.🙄

 

[directdoc]

Wikipedia is a nice supplemental resource

Wiki is a gift from God!

 

[foreverLaur]

buy used from the Amazon marketplace and half.com. I get really great deals, take good care of my books, and then resell. I've actually profited from my first two years of college (in terms of textbooks). That will soon go down the drain when I stop selling my science books cuz I'll need them again... but at least I know I'm getting a new book for 1/2 that of what the bookstores sell!

Example - my intermediate accounting book was huge and $198 new from the bookstore. I got it off eBay for $65 brand new, used it, and resold it on the Amazon marketplace for $130 :-D. The bookstore bought it back for $30.

Just don't buy the instructor edition or international edition - while they typically are the same (and the instructor edition can be useful) you'll never be able to resell it.

 

[wahoo2010]

Welcome to Ripoffville (aka college)

 

[geneticclone]

Ugh can anyone find the Biology edition 7 book by campbell?
Everywhere its like 100 dollars.

 

[foreverLaur]

eBay - click here

 

[gujuDoc]

I just spent $650 on books for school!! I was expecting around $400-$500...

So is this how much you guys normally spend per semester? (I'm a freshman...if that matters.)

Two things to try:

See if there are bookstores not on campus that sell the books for cheaper. Here at USF we have a bookstore called Grey's Bookstore and another one called Books and More which sell textbooks for cheaper.

If that doesn't work look for used books on bn.com or amazon.com that are cheaper. Sometimes you can even find new books for cheaper. I found my medical micro book for like nearly 25 dollars cheaper then the list price. Usually list price is the price they give at school bookstores.

Sometimes individual sellers will have books in new condition but they'd sell it for cheaper.

 

[foreverLaur]

Facebook marketplace saved my butt when I had to buy bundles or University specific books!

 

[gujuDoc]

Ugh can anyone find the Biology edition 7 book by campbell?
Everywhere its like 100 dollars.

Amazon had it for 80 dollars just now.

I just checked. Like I said you can find books on amazon for nearly 20 dollars less then elsewhere.

 

[gujuDoc]

Welcome to Ripoffville (aka college)

I like that word "ripoffville".

 

[gujuDoc]

Wiki is a gift from God!

I love the facebook group called "Wikipedia helping me get through medical school". I agree. Even if I can't cite that as resources, I use it because they often have resources cited on there and look up the resources they use to get info. That's what I used to do with my natomy reports.

 

[gujuDoc]

The bright side is if you are buying books for the prereqs, you only have to buy it for one semester and the second semester you already have it. I know you are in a 7 year program right directdoc??

If that's the case most 7 year programs do mostly the prereq courses and just a year of upper tier courses. So most of your books for first 2 years will be more or less for 2 semesters which will mean that first semesters will be slightly expensive but second semesters will be slightly less because you'll already have the book for second semester.

 

[medguy83]

Amazon had it for 80 dollars just now.

I just checked. Like I said you can find books on amazon for nearly 20 dollars less then elsewhere.

Amazon was my lifeline! Although on a few occassions I was forced to fork over full price at the bookstore. These textbook publishers must be raking it in.

 

[phantom limb]

I have a scholarship that covers my books as well. The only problem is it's 400 bucks and I have to use it on campus. I always go over at least 100-150 it seems. This semester, all but one of my books was new. Ew.

 

[Pose]

International edition.

 

[DreamyKid]

what the hell? For each quarter I've spent no more than 200. But then again, I've only bought 1 book from the bookstore. THe rest elsewhere

 

[directdoc]

The bright side is if you are buying books for the prereqs, you only have to buy it for one semester and the second semester you already have it. I know you are in a 7 year program right directdoc??

If that's the case most 7 year programs do mostly the prereq courses and just a year of upper tier courses. So most of your books for first 2 years will be more or less for 2 semesters which will mean that first semesters will be slightly expensive but second semesters will be slightly less because you'll already have the book for second semester.

8 year program.

 

[shaggybill]

$850 this semester. 😱

2 used textbooks, and 2 new, plus 4 new lab manuals/atlas's, and one graphing calculator. Three of my four classes the prof's decided to use brand spanking new editions where the used books are still over $120 on amazon, half,bn, etc.

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

I know it would have been a lot cheaper to order my books online, but I kept putting it off, so I ended up buying them at the bookstore. I spent $380, which doesn't sound too bad, but that was just for the biology and algebra stuff. I already had the anatomy book from last semester, I already had the chemistry book (I bought a used one from another student) and I didn't even buy the books for my Freedom in American Society class because I know the prof and he doesn't even use the books. After I bought the books, I realized I had forgotten a TI 83 calculator and I also needed a print cartidge and an ethernet router so my roommate and I can both be on the internet. So I ended up spending $155 on those three items. As if school weren't expensive enough already.....but medical school will be more expensive.

 

[mvenus929]

I've never spent more than $400 a semester on books, even with the science courses that had those idiotic online quizzes for which you had to buy $50 passwords if you bought a used edition of the textbook.🙄

I had a class like that! And what's worse is the stupid school charged me ANOTHER $50 because it was an online class.

Amazon was my lifeline! Although on a few occassions I was forced to fork over full price at the bookstore. These textbook publishers must be raking it in.

My immunology textbook isn't available like anywhere besides my school bookstore, it's in paperback, and less than 200 pages. It cost me nearly $80.

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

What was most ridiculous of the things I had to buy was our chemistry lab "manual", which consisted of a thin stack of papers stapled together. It cost me $24.00! Ridiculous!

 

[ScienceJunkie]

heh, just bought my Orgo text for $40 (international ed., but same content/pagination)...it sells for $220 at my school and $190 at amazon...
👍

 

[coralfangs]

just don't use a textbook for certain courses
it could backfire but most of the time, you can get away without getting a text

 

[kronickm]

I just spent $650 on books for school!! I was expecting around $400-$500...

So is this how much you guys normally spend per semester? (I'm a freshman...if that matters.)

Find a pretty girl (or guy) with the books and spend most of your time in their room, studying of course.