<p>Hi, everyone!
Are you all ready for college?</p>
<p>I have a question regarding payment for textbooks.
My parents deposited too much money in my Maryland student account, so Maryland said that I will get a refund a week before school starts. </p>
<p>One problem is, my parents are curently abroad and probably won't come back until the end of next week. And they forgot to leave me a credit card so that I can order stuffs for college. Many upperclassmen told me to buy textbooks as early as possible since there won't be good ones left if I wait too long.</p>
<p>I currently have a $2,000 balance in my student account. Is there any way to appropriate the money to the payment of my textbooks?</p>
<p>Will I be able to use the money if I shop at University Book Center in the Stamps?</p>
<p>A week before school starts is plenty of time to buy the books. It’s usually best to buy books early if you want to save a lot (ex. if you want to buy off of half.com or amazon.com). But there’s something to be said for waiting (your prof may change the books last minute, for example; this is rare but does happen) - many people don’t buy books until the 1st or 2nd day of classes. It’s really a matter of preference.</p>
<p>I doubt there is a way to “appropriate” that money in your student accont to books, anyway, but if there was it would be a BIG mistake to buy the books at the university book center. Always try bookholders.com first (you will be able to buy many of your books for much cheaper here and since it is right across the street, you can pick them up after you move in at your convenience). Since you can order online, you can just call your parents and ask for the credit card number/all necessary info. Any books you don’t find at bookholders.com, just buy the rest at book exchange or the university book store.</p>
<p>The Bursar’s office will issue you a refund. To avoid any mail mix-ups, you could call them and arrange to pick it up as soon as you get on campus. You really will be OK if you wait until after the first day of class to get them. In our experience, refunds from the Bursar’s office sometimes come quickly, sometimes not so quickly. If you call ahead and plan to pick it up in person, at least you’ll be assured that you have the $$$.</p>