so the course lists are out .. and what happens if it says a book is still in production?? I have 2 books that say that:S

Also .. I don't know if I fully understand how to read/understand it ? Do they give you a list by any chance or am I to just look it up by myself?

and how optional .. does optional mean?

If the book is still in production it is still being printed. No worries about not having a book, though. It just means that the prof can't assign anything from that text until all of the copies are in, and thus everyone has a book.

Optional really means...optional. If you think it will help you, buy it. Generally if a prof uses the book it is only one chapter/section and if it becomes required it will be put on reserve in the library.

And I don't understand what you mean by: "Also .. I don't know if I fully understand how to read/understand it ? Do they give you a list by any chance or am I to just look it up by myself?"

Alright so about these course listings, nothing has really changed since before today. They don't show all the required books. Cause a lot of the listings are with one teacher, but it's not the teacher that everyone's got. Are we just supposed to assume that the other teachers are using the same thing?
I was under the impression that we would get an actual list of the books we need according to the courses and times that we're in? Or are we really supposed to search the whole thing in order to find out which books we need?

See that's the thing. There is a possibility that all of the profs are using the same books, but it's also possible that they're not. Thus, why we've said to wait until you get your syllubus for your class. Classes with multiple sections and multiple profs are tricky like that.

Feel free to check out these threads:

used textbooks - old editions

First Year Textbooks

Used Books = Save Money!

Where to get my books?

so you're saying that we should wait to get our textbooks until our profs give us a list of the required materials? i was under the impression that used books especially disappear quickly so it would be best to get them a.s.a.p

It's sort of a catch-22 situation - it's best to wait until after the first class to buy your books (since profs will tell you in person which ones you really need), but there may be fewer used books at that point. I can tell you that most upper year students do seem to wait until after their first class to buy, unless they're certain they'll be needed. Used books aren't always available, either - if it's a new edition of a textbook (which happens frequently), then there won't be any used copies available. If you're around campus before classes begin, head over to the first-year bookstore and see what's available. If it's only stacks of new books for your classes, then it doesn't really matter. If there are tons of used books, then you may be able to wait. If you're certain a book will be needed (e.g., the first year chemistry, biology, or math textbooks if you're in science), then you might as well grab them. But never buy an optional book beforehand, unless it's a reference book you know you'll want.

I would recommend going early to get the used books that are in good condition. Used books do go fast, and cost much less than the new ones. They are usually the same edition, so people want to go early and pick up all used books to keep costs low. If you wait until classes start, all the used books may be gone.

Remember that if you buy used books and it turns out that the professor tells you that you don't need that book anymore, you can always return the textbook and get a refund. You just can't refund custom courseware (so always buy custom courseware last). Also, you can most likely wait till classes start to see if the 'optional' material is really necessary.

However, if you don't care about buying your textbooks used or not, then feel free to wait till classes start, get the finalized list off the prof, and buy your books later. For the years I've been at mac, the list on the Titles website hasn't differed from what the prof has told me to buy.

So the choice is yours

I know for myself most half of my classes aren't listing any of the materials i need. I'm still going to wait, though. As the only book I can get used is my second year spanish...which it seems like they don't even have.

I did find the following link, though which may be helpful: http://www.textscentre.com/default.aspx

I tried to see if I could sell any of my books there and it doesn't look like I can. It may be because some of my books are, shall we say a little bit out of the norm. When I searched for classes like chemistry and statistics lots of items came up; but I don't know if they are only for college classes or not (the store is located right near Humber in Etobicoke, but says it is for both uni and college books).

Here is the website for the Used book student to student program too: http://icbb.sellmytextbooks. org/members/17/

Peruse, at least for now...

There is also the Facebook version (two groups):

http://mcmaster.facebook.com /group...d=2204171 489
http://mcmaster.facebook.com /group...42 184&ref=mf

HELP YOUR PEERS!!

What do you guys know about buying from sites like Amazon? I was searching there yesterday, and most of my books were there, and generally a lot cheaper than the ones on the MAC site.

Are the books already available?

If you're able to get them cheaper, why not do so?
However, some friends have had issues with descriptions -- ie they were told it was in good shape and it wasn't.

You can also check out MacInsiders own Marketplace!!

http://www.macinsiders.com/sr_classi...categoryid= 1