<p>When is the best time to buy books for the fall semester? Will we receive a syllabus before classes start or will we receive it the first day of classes?</p>
<p>If you go to secure apps and go to schedule you can then click on the buy books link. It lists books required and their ISBN numbers. Even if it is a “special” fsu edition you are likely able to find it cheaper online.</p>
<p>Some order early from half.com and amazon, buy used and save big. Some wait until the first day of class to see if they REALLY need to buy the book and if so, buy new or hope there is one used at the bookstore. The bookstore also rents some books. Bills bookstore is also a great option. Craigslist at the end of a term can be good also.</p>
<p>Know that books that are 10th edition this year are the same as those that were 9th edition last year and save some money doing that.</p>
<p>Avoid paying full price new for each and every book. For some majors, that could run $800-1000 a semester in the sciences.</p>
<p>I’ve got some great deals on amazon for books. but sometimes my son says he doesn’t even use the books. but most of the time what I paid was so cheap it didn’t really matter.</p>
<p>I was going to ask about this, too. I noticed the books listed on my daughter’s schedule. If we get a copy of a used or rented book from the bookstore, do they ship or do they just hold them for pickup when you arrive?</p>
<p>I have yet to buy a textbook from the bookstore that wasn’t a lab manual. If you have to have a new copy, they are always cheaper elsewhere. If you don’t need a new copy, a used copy of the book (or an earlier edition, most professors will address first class whether the older editions are okay or not) is pretty much always available. </p>
<p>One of my professors made a point of telling us the first day that the older edition of the textbook would work just fine, as long as we remembered one tiny detail that had changed since the book was printed, which we were never tested on anyway. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that most sellers online ship books via Media Mail- which typically means the book will take a pretty long time (anywhere from 3-21 business days) to arrive to you. So if you are buying your books once the semester starts (waiting to see if they are really needed) just keep this in mind.</p>
<p>Don’t feel like you need to be one of “those” kids who has to absolutely be prepared for the first week of school. All you need to have for the first week of class is a computer, paper, and pencil/pen along with whatever else the syllabus shows (if it’s up by then). The first day of class is when you should find out if you absolutely need to buy a certain edition of a book (or if you need one at all) from the professor him/herself. They aren’t [all] a-holes and will usually wait until the majority of people have access to their books before requiring anything to be done from the text. That’s been the case for 10/12 of my classes so far, and the other 2 didn’t need books. </p>
<p>Oh and some syllabi are uploaded way before class starts while others take a week or just aren’t uploaded at all.</p>
<p>It wasn’t really a question of being prepared on the first day–or reading ahead. But I remember many years ago when I was in college that if you didn’t get the books early, sometimes you couldn’t get a used copy, and of course, we want to save money. And renting is new to me–do they have a limited number of rentals available?</p>
<p>Used books go fast at the bookstore, rentals are limited. I buy used on half.com or amazon for at or less than the rental charge and resell on half.com or amazon, sometimes for same as I paid. Students can sometimes sell books back to the FSU bookstore and Bill’s, but they often offer $10-15 a book, even when you paid over $100-150.</p>
<p>Half.com/Amazon.com/Chegg.com are by far the best resources for getting books.</p>
<p>NEVER buy books BEFORE the class. Some professors make you spend a ridiculous amount on books but barely use some.</p>
<p>A used copy from the bookstore might be difficult to come by, but a used copy elsewhere, no. The bookstore only stocks a certain number of copies of the book, yes, but there really are hundreds of places you can buy books from. </p>
<p>If you are buying books online, keep in mind that many third party used textbook sellers maintain stores on many different locations, and that the book might be priced differently at half.com than it is from Amazon, even though it’s the same seller.</p>
<p>Sorry to ask so many questions–she’s taking an astronomy class and the text is listed as “special order”. I looked it up on amazon and its really expensive. What does special order mean?</p>
<p>It means the bookstore has none in stock/keeps none in stock. But they will order it for you.</p>
<p>Okay, so the syllabus should be uploaded a few weeks before classes starts?</p>
<p>The syllabus, no. It likely won’t be uploaded until right before the class starts.</p>
<p>If you go into Blackboard, then click on Secure Apps, and go to My Class Schedule, it will give you an option of which semester to choose. Choose Fall, then click Generate A Schedule. A time chart will show your schedule, and there will be an option to “Buy Books.” This loads your schedule into the bookstore’s website, and gives you the results for what books are required. </p>
<p>Some classes are still missing as the textbooks required haven’t been sent to the bookstore, but many have some listed.</p>
<p>When I checked what books I needed it said “chemistry FSU edition”. So my question is do I really need the FSU version or just normal book will do?!</p>
<p>If you’re talking about CHM1045, the FSU package is just the textbook and a Mastering Chemistry access code.
If it’s the purple cover of Chemistry: A Molecular Approach, you can get a copy of the textbook for about $10 on Amazon (or less) and then buy the MasteringChemistry access code for like $40.
[Amazon.com:</a> Used and New: Chemistry: A Molecular Approach](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0131000659/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&storeAttribute=b&qid=1310156916&sr=8-1&submit.see-all-buying-options=see-all-buying-options&condition=all]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0131000659/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&storeAttribute=b&qid=1310156916&sr=8-1&submit.see-all-buying-options=see-all-buying-options&condition=all)</p>
<p>If it’s the blue cover though (the 2nd edition that’s newer), getting it from the bookstore might actually be cheaper (shocking!) because the textbook is over $110 from Amazon + the cost of the Mastering Chemistry code. </p>
<p>If it’s the lab manual, I’m pretty sure that only FSU stocks it. I believe that the CHM1045 lab manuals are actually written by someone in the department.</p>
<p>Yes, it says “Chemistry: A Molecular Approach (fsu edition w/ Mastering Chemistry Access code)” and its $150 but there is no edition. Will there be a difference in Edition 1st and 2nd? and there is also no image so I cannot tell its blue or purple.</p>
<p>Even for my ENC1101 class it says FSU special edition. Will it be different from the regular book?</p>
<p>98% of the time a book one edition earlier is exactly the same except for the cover. </p>
<p>Also, there are plenty of FSU edition books used out there for ENC1101. Check amazon and half.com for comments, I bought the FSU edition online used and then sold it. It was listed under the regular edition but said FSU edition in the comments.</p>
<p>For ENC 1101 the Bishop book On Writing was the SAME fsu or no fsu edition, as was the McGraw-Hill handbook.</p>
<p>Unless you can justify the extra $100 or so, the older and newer editions will be likely at least 95% the same. A chapter might be rewritten or a couple might be mixed around, but the older version likely will be pretty much the same.</p>
<p>I seem to remember an FSU based article in the On Writing book my freshman year, but it I know it has since changed editions. </p>
<p>I do not recommend buying the McGraw handbook. It’s basically just a book on grammar. All of its information can be found online, and I know I never had any assignments out of it in either ENC1101 or 1102.</p>