I was thinking of getting my books off of Amazon since some of their used prices are dirt cheap. However, how do I know if I'm getting the right edition? Does it matter if you have an older edition of the textbook or how can you find which edition is acceptable??

This will really depend on your prof... for example some profs will use/allow both old and new textbooks and will provide page references for readings to both editions. But you'll have some profs that insist on the new edition.

However, with most textbooks and newer editions, you'll find (though varies) a new chapters or sections... and occassionally have chapters shuffled around =/

Also, it says on the Titles book list.

When you click on a particular course, it will tell you what books you need, but also the particular edition needed. However, like Ivan said, some profs don't care which edition is used since there is often little variation between editions.

Your best bet would be to wait until you've gone to your first class to make sure.

So when should we buy our books? are you saying that we should wait until first day of classes? I was hoping to get them early just to prepare myself.

Also, if there is anyone I can buy any books off of I would be really greatful. Im in first year Life Sci so my classes include Bio (1M03 & 1A03), Chem (1A03 & 1AA3), Physics (1B03 & 1BA3), Psych 1X03, and Enviro Sci 1A03. My email is [email protected]

If you plan to be studying from them early, I suppose it would be safe to buy it now. For first year science students, I'm pretty sure your profs will make use of the listed books.

I still have my bio books (vol 1, 2, and the study guide) from first year, but I checked the Titles book list and they have changed the edition. Also, I'm planning to keep the writing guide. But if you're interested, you can pm me.

I would definetly wait until after classes start to buy books. Don't rush into it. I've always found preparing in advance to be useless because you never know what they will cover. You also don't know which books you will actually need to use. Most books I bought I hardly ever used. Usually, to do well in class, study the professor's notes or online notes, and anything in the text they say to look at. The text can also be used as complimentary material if there's something you don't understand.

pasyk12, I have all of those books, with the exception of enviro sci. As nh999 said, there is a new edition for bio, so I don't know if you would still want the older versions. Since the current edition (third I think?) is brand new this year, you're going to have a hard time finding used copies...And if you don't mind using the older edition, there should be a few copies of the new edition on reserve in the library, where you can check to see what kind of changes were made. To be honest, I have no idea whether or not drastic changes were made to this new edition of the text.

If you have any of the editions currently in use Id be willing to buy them off of you

i found the book for 1B03 (Principles of microeconomics) on amazon for $6.91 (this includes shipping btw). Shipping takes around 10-14 days, so if you decide to wait until classes start wouldnt it be too late until you recieve them? Im just going to buy books that are this cheap right now so that even if i dont use them later on, im not going to lose much money. Plus, i love highlighting books ...so yeah...



oh...and the best part... the book purchase helps world literacy....i bought it from a chartiable book store on amazon...

To figure out if the edition matters, you can always try contacting the professor via e-mail and asking.

Remember, be polite and use proper grammar in doing so.

Dear Prof. <professor name>,

I'm sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you might be able to give me some guidance. I'm enrolled in your <insert class name and number here> and will soon be buying my textbooks. I noticed that buying older editions of the text would save me some money. I was wondering if you had any preference for which edition we should buy. What would the drawbacks be if I had an older edition of the text?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,
<Your name>

Great idea! Just make sure you use a "grown-up" email when you email profs. I don't know if first years have access to Mac email yet, but if you do, use that account! A university email address looks much more professional than the more "novelty" hotmail address that most of us probably have. Profs will appreciate you using a more formal account, as well as be more likely to respect you. Save the hotmail account for emailing friends and close family, and use your grownup one for everything else (ALL school related stuff, job applications, etc etc.)

If you don't have access to a grown up account, gmail's a good alternative. Choose a "grown up" name and that will probably be fine.

I think my first initial, last name and birthdate is grownup enough right? [email protected]? I've used it a few times to contact advisors and stuff like that.

Yeah, I that'd be fine. I think what you want to avoid is having some sort of nickname or slang in it. [email protected] tmail.com is not a good idea.

Incidentally, I am one hell of a fluffylovebunny.

LOL or in my case an email that no one knows what the hell it is [email protected] ail.com <-- Most people say Whaaaa?