08-15-2010 at 03:11 PM
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#1
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Textbooks
Should I buy textbooks before school starts, or after?
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08-15-2010 at 03:20 PM
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#2
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Its usually advised to get the textbook after the first class has happened. Some courses will obviously have the textbook thats said ahead of time that you can pick it up during the summer though; but if it turns out the textbook has changed, you're out of luck..
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08-15-2010 at 03:21 PM
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#3
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IMO, after classes start, especially if any of your texts are CCW or custom course ware because those are not returnable.
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08-15-2010 at 03:23 PM
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#4
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I have the textbook listings for the courses i am taking, but I am just debating whether buying a textbook for certain courses will prove beneficial. I know that some professors never teach from the textbook, so I don't want to spend money on them if i'm not going to use them
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08-15-2010 at 03:47 PM
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#5
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Do they have enough of a supply? I'm contemplating waiting until my first class before I buy my textbooks/solution manuals/whatever there may be but I'm worried that they won't have enough and it'll take forever to get them in! :(
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08-15-2010 at 03:51 PM
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#6
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They very rarely run out! I waited a week before buying any of my 1st year science + elective textbooks and they were infull stock of all. Also, you can buy them from upper years if they do happen to run out, there's always people willing to sell their books.
As for some profs not teaching from the text, that is completely true. Read reviews for classes your taking/ask around if certain classes with certain profs require textbooks. In my first year (I don't know what program your in as it doesn't say) all my Chem, Bio, Physics1B03 textbooks were required and I only bought Psych and Math1LS3 CCW. I also needed the Gerontology textbook as well as Anatomy (Kin1Y03/YY3/A03/AA3)
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08-15-2010 at 05:56 PM
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#7
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I wouldn't buy any books until after the first class. They very rarely run out of books, especially for first year courses.
The only benefit to buying books early is that you are more likely to get a cheaper, used book. But there might be som used books left over if you wait until after the first class, you never know.
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08-15-2010 at 08:00 PM
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#8
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It's true that texts might change but in my opinion the savings afforded by buying used texts online offsets the potential loss if you buy a text that you happen not to need. If that's the case, you can always resell it. I wouldn't wait until after the start of classes to buy texts online, though, unless you want to risk going a week or two without your required reading.
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