<p>Well my college has it set up in the library to where you can borrow a book for 2 hours to study with. Is this a good idea?</p>
<p>Also, I was checking out the list online and the alternatives described for some books were complete opposites or it had the same thing listed twice and one class claims I need no books.</p>
<p>Can anyone give me advice on this please and thank you.</p>
<p>Very possible that all of the books you need are not listed yet.</p>
<p>Just go ahead andget them as it is easier in the long run.</p>
<p>I would just buy the book. As icedragon said, it is easier in the long run. </p>
<p>If you’re trying to save money on books (as most college students are, lol) there are some sites out there where you can buy the book for relatively cheaper. You can always try amazon. If your college’s bookstore has a rental program, I would look into that. However, it’s only recommended if you are someone who doesn’t highlight or write in textbooks extensively. If you can buy the book off of another student, even better. I would try to avoid buying a brand spanking new book from the schools bookstore unless you absolutely can’t find it anywhere else. </p>
<p>If it’s possible, I would wait until you get a syllabus to see which classes have required books. However, if you need the book for the first day of class, I guess that isn’t an option then.</p>
<p>With an @__.edu email address, you can get a free Amazon Prime account, which entails free two day shipping on most things. Buying books used on Amazon, then selling them back to Amazon for a credit for the next time you have to buy books ends up saving you a lot in the long run.</p>
<p>You should check with your school to see if they have a book exchange/trade. You can get your books must cheaper this way and you won’t have to pay shipping.</p>
<p>Personally, I would not purchase any books or rentals from your school’s bookstore. Like someone else said before, you can buy books much cheaper on Amazon and other college book sites. Try using bigwords.com and type in your book’s ISBN number. Saves a ton of money. It might be even better to buy your books after your first day in class or just email the professor about which ones you’ll need.</p>
<p>I would say using the school bookstore is much more expensive than buying online. Sure, there’s a wait time, but you can usually get around this with Amazon Prime. Sometimes the differences in price are nil and it just becomes your preference of when you want them. </p>
<p>I try to find ones that I can rent that don’t require some type of CD or program. If it does, I just buy it because I know it’s important and will probably be used in future courses (for example, MATLAB, Mathematica, etc). You can usually find way cheap books for general ed courses.</p>
<p>You have to know yourself. Are you the type of person who will regularly go to the library and do the readings, even in lousy weather? Are you willing to get the readings done well before the exam, because everyone else will probably want them for those 2-hour slots in the days and hours before the test. Are they the main textbooks for the class or extra books that only have a few readings in them?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help! I will probably rent them online now because I’m very picky about weather and I like to do my studying at certain times.</p>
<p>I bought mine off Amazon and eBay for a fraction of the price my bookstore wanted. I definitely recommend checking out eBay and Amazon!</p>
<p>Amazon just started a rental option for physical books. May want to look into that.</p>