<p>I start at Berkeley in less than a week. Should I buy my books beforehand? Also should I buy them used or should I rent them instead?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Wait until you get to class and see if you’ll actually need the books at all. For example, some classes will make you buy membership to an online grading system which comes with an ebook or you’ll find that some classes will tell you to read the book but you won’t <em>really</em> need to since the professor goes over everything in lecture anyway. Also, renting is the best, most affordable option. Sure, you won’t get to write all over the textbook but I guarantee you will not look at the book again once the course is over and you’ll never make a profit from selling the book. Ever. Also don’t buy/rent any books from the Cal student store if you don’t have to. Research a little online first, the student store is a huge ripoff 95% of the time.</p>
<p>FYI, we were in the student store yesterday and were told you CAN write in the books you rent.</p>
<p>@mothergoldenbear So your son/daughter did end up renting their books?</p>
<p>@anny123 You can also choose to buy them from older students. Do you have facebook? There are textbook exchange groups on there. That’s how i find MOST of my books. Other times, I just use amazon or other online sources. It’s true that the cal student store is pricier, but sometimes you HAVE to buy from there. For example, it could be a custom UC Berkeley edition or a chemistry lab manual. </p>
<p>Check out these two blogs for more details!</p>
<p><a href=“http://blog.admissions.berkeley.edu/2014/07/lets-talk-about-books-baby/”>http://blog.admissions.berkeley.edu/2014/07/lets-talk-about-books-baby/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://blog.admissions.berkeley.edu/2014/07/where-to-purchase-cheap-textbooks/”>http://blog.admissions.berkeley.edu/2014/07/where-to-purchase-cheap-textbooks/</a></p>
<p>@anny123 Yes, he decided to rent. He liked that he could mark it up. Also, he can change his mind and keep the book by just paying the difference. You can’t buy the book and later change it to a rental though.</p>
<p>You can also “find” some of these books online for free. Business/econ books are generally pretty easy to find, but if you are another major, then the books you need may or may not be found. Most of the time, you don’t even need the book.</p>
<p>To save money, you can also buy the international version of the book. There was a econ book I needed selling for $200 in the US. I bought it from overseas for $25…Or you can ask the professor if you can get a older edition of the book, so it’s a lot cheaper</p>