I recently received the list of books that are required for my classes and I might end up paying around 300$ on books. However I’ve read in other discussions that a lot of students waited until there first week of class to buy them because there are situations were the professor won’t use the book at all. I wouldn’t want to waste any money on a book that i won’t ever use! Should i really wait until the first week? or should i buy them ahead of time? how can i assure that i will be using all the books that are “assigned”?
You can’t assume that you’ll use them all. A lot of schools require professors to list a required or recommended textbook regardless of whether they’ll actually use it or not. You can email your professors to find out if you’ll need them. Or you can simply wait until after the first day of class. This is going to vary depending on your major. In majors like physics and math, it’s generally safe to assume that you’ll need the books. In humanities and social science type classes, the book may not be as necessary.
In my own experience though, professors will generally assume that students do not yet have the book during the first week of classes.
My kids use the USBN numbers to find their books online-yes used.
I usually don’t pay more than $50 per semester for their texts. If the book is a new edition, then my kids email the professor to ask if a used, prior edition will work-it always has worked. Look at: “slugbooks.com” to get the lowest priced book listed, then buy it from the closest to cheapest vendor. Look at the condition of the book too.
We have Amazon Prime. Your university should be giving you Prime for free. That’s how my two elder girls got their Prime account-books come in two days. Check with your Associated Students organization for your Prime account.