<p>Don’t buy you’re books until after the first couple of classes. That way you’ll have a chance to see if you even like the class and want to continue with it in the future. Most people make changes to their schedule after school begins, and you don’t want to be stuck with books you may never use. So my advice is to just be patient and wait until you’re absolutely sure you’re taking the class before committing money to it.</p>
<p>Also, you can buy books off the people that drop the class.</p>
<p>Another Borders coupon - this is a really good one! 40% off any one item through July 26th. Use it on items $43 and up and you get free shipping, too! ($43 - 40% = $25.80, free shipping applies to orders of $25+)</p>
<p>BUJ8050C</p>
<p>I wish I would have seen this thread sooner and taken advantage of the Borders coupons.</p>
<p>At what point is the booklist published for your courses? I’d like to get a head start on ordering my texts…</p>
<p>I’d definitely wait until classes start (and generally, teachers give you some time, and you don’t need the books right away - I’m pretty sure I never used ANY book for ANY class until midterms haha). Just because a book is on the booklist doesn’t mean you necessarily mean it. I’ve had a bunch of professors who told us the first day of class that we don’t need to purchase so-and-so book on the list or that the book is not required, merely recommended or something. The booklist should be posted on Oasis really soon; and I recommend either renting them from Chegg or buying them used off of Amazon. Try not to buy from the campus bookstore.</p>
<p>Hi, thanks for all this great information. Does the campus bookstore sell used books and do they buy them back at the end of the year? I see that “wanderlusting” recommends not to use the campus bookstore. I’m just curious why not.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>btbam91 - I should be getting another coupon any day now. I’ll post it as soon as I get it!</p>
<p>Kulakai - Many classes have the books listed right now in the schedule of courses on the right side of the class listing under “info” with a tiny icon that looks like a stack of three books. Click on the icon. The booklist for that class, including title, price and ISBN number should pop up.</p>
<p>**CJC182 **- Yes, they sell used books and they but books back at the end of the semester. The USC bookstore is the most expensive option. Try the less-expensive options listed in this thread first. Some books are only available at the bookstore (custom published), so you will have to get those there.</p>
<p>In regards to post #6 and #16, for PHYS 161 (physics honors) our professor told us the international edition was OK to buy. It was exactly like the domestic one, including problems. If you really want to save $, ask your professor if it’s okay to buy the international version.</p>
<p>Also, for my math class last semester (MATH 245) the book in the booklist said I needed the USC edition of the math book. I just ended up buying a normal version on Amazon and it was exactly the same. I guess sometimes you just get lucky.</p>
<p>lol yeah, the bookstore is just the most expensive option, and you’re wasting your money if you can buy the book somewhere else. Obviously there might be a class-specific book only available at USC (like the reader for CTCS-190 or the WRIT-140 course book), but more often than not, you can find a more affordable option if you take the time to shop around. (Oh, and you can also get more money back if you find somewhere else to sell your books. USC does not give you much money if you sell your books to them.)</p>
<p>The official book list is out!</p>
<p>Borders coupon: 33% off one item through 8/12. BAV8122A</p>
<p>well I certainly never expected to be studying woodworking in college. New surprises every day, huh?</p>
<p>I have a question –
– if you reserve your textbook at USC, can you later opt to remove the reservation (like, not accept my reserved books)? I’m trying to save money by buying my textbook online at a SIGNIFICANTLY lower price, but I’m scared that I won’t find it and that all books will be gone when I get on campus.</p>
<p>I have a similar question to PharmEngTenor. If we reserve books from the bookstore, are we obligated to pick them up later? If we find cheaper alternatives, can we just not buy the ones held for us? Thanks!</p>