Member of the Month

PartyBullshiit
March, 2024

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Fuck textbook publishers.

profile picture
chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
textbooks and course packs for this semester were over $700. new record for me.
Sep 3 2013 2:55PM
47 9
profile picture
powderdrunkie
Posts: 2034 - Karma: 976
Your parents probably hate it more
Sep 3 2013 2:58PM
9 0
profile picture
chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
no
Sep 3 2013 3:02PM
2 2
profile picture
chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
as opposed to downloading them? or using a reserve copy in the library?

Sep 3 2013 3:10PM
0 0
profile picture
first_rodeo
Posts: 2383 - Karma: 7,764

McGraw--Hill is some bullshit

In the past,  all my accounting and finance books were >$300

This semester my Law book was $300 and Finance $340

PLUS++++++

They make you buy software to do the homework

+$75

Plus i have to buy a new computer for Computer Sciences

..............because 2010 is so primitive ^%$^%$#

Sep 3 2013 3:10PM
4 0
profile picture
Rachy
Posts: 4355 - Karma: 2,761
no used options?

none are on google books? I used to search google books, find the sections and then use a proxy to view so that I wouldn't get the "only a section of this book is available" thing.

I also would never buy a book until it was actually required i needed to read. Some professors would go over stuff so thoroughly or so rarely even look at the book that I could get away just looking things up when I needed to.

Another option... unis require at least 1 copy of every text book to be in the library. I would get the book listing as soon as possible and check out the book and keep checking it out when I knew the professor really used the book.
Sep 3 2013 3:10PM
4 0
profile picture
Laurent.
Posts: 10054 - Karma: 25,277
My textbooks for the next 7 weeks costs me more then 800 dollars.

Luckily University over here is free and I get roughly 1200 dollar a month to study from the goverment and free public transport. Thank you socialism.
Sep 3 2013 3:13PM
9 1
profile picture
first_rodeo
Posts: 2383 - Karma: 7,764
Sweden??
Sep 3 2013 3:13PM
1 0
profile picture
Steezy_P
Posts: 3069 - Karma: 2,350
Yeah I've got about $300 into mine so far, still need to buy one for EMEC and an iClicker. Hoping I can get some decent money back at semester--end of year.
Sep 3 2013 3:25PM
0 0
profile picture
MilaKunis
Posts: 1480 - Karma: 3,646
Probably spent 400. Fuck chemistry being 100 to rent.
Sep 3 2013 3:26PM
1 0
profile picture
TechnoPotamus
Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
Got screwed a few times this year with that.


> forced to buy new textbook because the new edition was required for class, no used editions available since it was a brand new edition

> semester end comes, I go to sell it back to the bookstore...they won't accept it because a new edition is out for next year, making my copy obsolete over the course of 4 months.

> I burn down the entire campus, become iron man, and play Yahtzee with Optimus Prime because fuck you that's why
Sep 3 2013 3:30PM
3 0
profile picture
.frenchy
Posts: 18212 - Karma: 12,256
Yeah books are a bitch, so is a 100 dollar art kit..... For the lowest level art class there is.
Sep 3 2013 3:33PM
1 1
profile picture
Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
what's even worse is when you buy a $300+ textbook and end up using it for like a week out of the entire semester. that shit used to piss me the fuck off.
Sep 3 2013 3:35PM
0 1
profile picture
Laurent.
Posts: 10054 - Karma: 25,277
The Netherlands.

Also I have health care which covers pretty much everything and i got it for free since I don't earn as much as a student. We also have too many quality museums and art galleries, only downside is the pricing of student housing which is downright criminal.
Sep 3 2013 3:35PM
1 1
profile picture
chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
the physics department at my school is pretty good at letting us know if the books are optional or mandatory. optional means that the book is a good reference and follows the course syllabus. mandatory means that assignments will come straight from the book.

I use my textbooks a lot. I just hate spending this much!
Sep 3 2013 3:39PM
0 0
profile picture
TechnoPotamus
Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
far too many of my accounting classes went this way. i'm with you bro
Sep 3 2013 3:47PM
0 0
profile picture
.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
I never bought a textbook until the first week or so of class was over and could determine how often it would be used. More often than not, it wasn't used at all. I guess it's different at every school, but I got by with powerpoints, course packs, and my own personal notes for 90% of the material I was taught in college.
Sep 3 2013 3:51PM
0 0
profile picture
japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
half.com
ebay.com
google.com

Over my 5 years in school, I bought I think 3 books from our campus bookstore. When others were dropping almost a grand on books, Id be right around the 200-300 mark. Then comes the book buyback and I almost always made the purchase price back and then some.
Sep 3 2013 4:04PM
0 0
profile picture
Toaster-Tony
Posts: 3531 - Karma: 5,850
Mine weren't bad this semester. I think I ended up keeping 8ish books below 150 but I still have one left to go.
Sep 3 2013 4:29PM
0 0
profile picture
LiquorLanch
Posts: 1909 - Karma: 1,046
amazon prime is also really helpful when it comes to texts. I use it via my kindle and can get the e book for often half off or more.


Sep 3 2013 4:30PM
0 0
profile picture
chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
yeah I wish I had used amazon. usually I save like 50% at least.
Sep 3 2013 6:58PM
0 0
profile picture
whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,100
i just spent 300 for 2 books lol fuck this
Sep 3 2013 7:05PM
0 0
profile picture
Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
it's funny you say that because i major'd in accounting and that's exactly what I was thinking of, too.
Sep 3 2013 7:08PM
1 0
profile picture
Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
I hate the university "published" textbooks that make you buy them from the bookstore. They update them yearly and the campus bookstore charges up the ass for them.
Sep 3 2013 7:14PM
0 0
profile picture
daannnnieel
Posts: 5163 - Karma: 4,293
No idea why they don't just do a library system. By the sounds of it it would be way better.
Sep 3 2013 7:23PM
0 0
profile picture
howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
i rented for a year. much cheaper than buying.
Sep 3 2013 7:26PM
0 0
profile picture
remove
Posts: 2566 - Karma: 1,026
just like movies you can torrent books if you don't mind reading out of a pdf file
Sep 3 2013 7:56PM
0 0
profile picture
chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
why the fuck would I make a thread bitching about the price of textbooks if I did not pay for them? maybe try thinking before you reply.

Sep 3 2013 7:58PM
0 0
profile picture
Rachy
Posts: 4355 - Karma: 2,761
Just downloaded a Text Book. PDF, 700+ pages.

If I start feeling adventurous, I'll go to work and use the printer there. Prints double sided and we have unlimited free ink/paper.
Sep 3 2013 8:45PM
0 0
profile picture
TOAST.
Posts: 7259 - Karma: 33,216
International editions are the best. Like 20$ for a 200 dollar book
Sep 3 2013 8:54PM
1 0
profile picture
-WZ-
Posts: 3600 - Karma: 6,581
I hsve to buy a graphing calculator which is like $150 + all my textbooks
Sep 3 2013 8:59PM
0 0
profile picture
Mama.
Posts: 3066 - Karma: 2,605
OK seriously, I'm 2/3 done with massage school and I havent bought a textbook yet. Even for kinesiology or anatomy & patho....

I think you can do it.

Sep 3 2013 9:05PM
1 0
profile picture
gwhitey
Posts: 2249 - Karma: 312
what i had to get for my painting class was around 480 and its most likely going to rise to around 6-700 throughout the semester.
Sep 3 2013 9:06PM
0 0
profile picture
caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
Buy international editions from China. They're usually $20-50 a book, same content, but paperback. I got my traffic engineering book for $20 and my pavement design book for $30 this semester.
Sep 3 2013 9:27PM
0 0
profile picture
caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
I guarantee you someone will notice if your toner levels drop by half overnight.
Sep 3 2013 9:28PM
2 1
profile picture
TechnoPotamus
Posts: 11626 - Karma: 3,522
i have a good memory, i remember you saying it in another thread some time ago
Sep 3 2013 9:29PM
0 0
profile picture
first_rodeo
Posts: 2383 - Karma: 7,764

DOUBT IT 

 dont be a downer

Sep 3 2013 9:30PM
0 0
profile picture
icon1234
Posts: 3081 - Karma: 1,475
I personally never really got upset paying for textbooks... I learned about 90% of what I learned in college from books. I rarely ever pay attention in class because 99% of the time it is simply a professor reading a textbook out loud in a condensed manner. And I could always understand and learn better from the book.

So yea I always took it with a grain a salt with all the money I was spending on those books because they were directly linked to how I was learning... You know what I think the real rip off is? Fucking tuition. Luckily I never had to pay it but I always felt bad for my friends it costs way too much... Like what am I paying for? It it definitely isn't the professors... Only class where I ever felt I got something out of lecture/teaching was organic chemistry, every other class I could teach myself.


Sep 3 2013 9:36PM
0 0
profile picture
Rachy
Posts: 4355 - Karma: 2,761
I work for the creative agency that handles everything for Epson Printers... Trust me... it's OK.
Sep 3 2013 9:54PM
0 0
profile picture
SKI.ING
Posts: 2695 - Karma: 2,535
What are you even trying to say?
Sep 4 2013 2:17AM
0 0
profile picture
Mama.
Posts: 3066 - Karma: 2,605
Really deep stuff, man.
Sep 4 2013 2:51AM
1 0
All times are Eastern (-4)