The following facts were posted in June 2010 on the blog for the Worldwide Center of Mathematics:
- There are 17 million college students in the
U.S. - Each student uses on average 5.3 textbooks per semester
- 180 million+ textbooks are purchased annually (new and used)
- The average 40 ft tree yields 8,333 sheets of paper
- The average textbook is 715 pages
- 11.6 textbooks = one tree
- 15.5 million trees per year killed to make our textbooks
Most of my peers are spending between $500 and $1000 per semester on text books alone. I have learned some tips and tricks for keeping that number easily below $500 while saving a few trees along the way. Whose trees are we clear cutting to make all these textbooks anyway? Rainforest? Probably.
I always start with the possibility of buying used, unless the course requires a newer version not yet available from used booksellers. The versions change at least every two or three years, with some books changing versions annually. Is there really that big of a difference between the North Carolina
The biggest waste of money is in the textbooks I purchase and never use or hardly use at all. If a teacher doesn’t really like a textbook that the college requires, they just don’t use it. Most of my classes are dependent on Power Point presentations and lecture notes anyway. The way to deal with this problem is to 1) either hold off buying your books until after school starts (not recommended) or 2) make sure you can return the books within the first week or two of school for full refund. Do this by keeping them pristine! Also, read your syllabi. Most teachers post them online the first week of the semester. They might tell you not to bother getting a book at all, or that it’s okay to buy an older used version.
Here are some tips and links that may save you a few bucks and the Rainforest a few trees:
- Rent. http://www.chegg.com/ has pretty much everything you need and rental prices are at least half the cost of buying new. They make it super easy to return books at the end of the semester. The books are in good condition, meaning they may have some highlighting or annotating but spines are in good shape. They don’t penalize you if you did some highlighting of your own either. Choose to rent instead of purchase when you know you won’t want to keep the book in perpetuity. I know for myself, there are some paralegal books worth keeping. I freely annotate and on those pages because I’m keeping them until they give up the ghost. Consider Chegg for selling books also. If Chegg buys your used textbooks the shipping is prepaid to send them to Chegg, plus you can either get cash or put the credits toward your next rentals. Either way it’s a good deal.
- Compare prices when buying new books. Try websites like Amazon.com, which is almost always less than college bookstores. You can also try BarnesandNoble.com and Borders.com. The downside is that if you need to purchase paralegal books exclusive to your state such as Rules of Court, the major websites don’t have them and you will probably have to purchase from your college bookstore.
- Buy used. There are several websites that deal exclusively with used books that I have had great success with. One is Abebooks.com and the other is Alibris.com. Don’t forget about Ebay.
- Consider buying an e-version of the book you need. This is pretty impractical for most paralegal books, but if you have to read novels for any general education classes then by all means get an e-book or better yet an audio book. Just make sure you get unabridged if you choose an audio book.
Happy book buying!
One more suggestion: asking fellow students who have already taken the class! They may be able to tell you that the text isn't worth it, or that you won't need the absolute latest version. If they aren't willing to part with their own copy, maybe they know someone who is.
ReplyDelete