Buying Books

Colleges and Universities A-Z George Washington University
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<p>would love ot hear experiences from those in the know...</p>

<p>D is making a list of the books she'll need - based on the "book link" in the Schedule of Classes pages.</p>

<p>she's using that info (ISBN13 mostly) to search for the books on half.com. {coming from private school, we're used to the get-the-books-elsewhere task)</p>

<p>any tips or tricks or things-to-be-sure-of taht are particular to GW?</p>

<p>many of the courses don't have the text book link on the Schedule of Classes page yet. is that the primary location to look for the text list? or there somewehre else she should look for the book lists? (the search function on the bookstore page doesn't seem very useful)</p>

<p>is there a deadline by which the professors have to list the texts?</p>

<p>here's something i ran into:
the book listed for her American History course has 3 different sets of information - all for the came ISBN-13:
- on the Schedule of Classes page it's listed as People & a Nation: Advantage Ed (V1), 8th edition, 2009.
- on the GW bookstore's site, it has no edition listed, but a 2008 copyright date.
- on half.com, it's a 2008 copyright and says 2nd edition.
- further research - on amazon - showed me the actual front pages which says the 8th edition was published in 2008.</p>

<p>in high school if this had happened, she could just email the teacher for verification of the text. not sure what ya'll do when you get such descrepancies in college - still email the professor?</p>

2

<p>never buy books from gw’s bookstore bc theyre wayyyyy overpriced, unless that is u cannot find the book anywhere else on the internet, in such a case, do not buy the book until u actually start classes and then determine from there if getting the book is necessary. unfortunately, gw is terrible when it comes to updating what books ull need for ur classes, so ull jus have to keep checking on online occasionally for them to pop up. however, let me add, that effective since july 2nd, federal law requires schools to have the books required for classes available to view at time of registration so that u know what books ull need, but that does not start until class registration for next semester</p>

3

<p>thanks so much for the tips!</p>

<p>looking forward to hearing from anyone else with any more tips!</p>

4

<p>This is a great question. I’m glad someone asked.</p>

<p>The primary place to search for text books is from the GW bookstore website. It’s:
<a href=“efollett”>efollett;

<p>I would actually not purchase the books before you attend the class. I have bought the text before the first class only to find that:
-the prof listed the wrong version
-the system automatically copied over last semester’s text and it’s outdated
-the professor tells everyone to get a prior version because it’s cheaper and virtually identical
-the prof decided not to use a text at all (happened in my soc, iaff classes) or you don’t need it (especially “student solution manuals”)
Usually those things don’t happen, but there’s always that 1 class each semester where you waste $200 on a text you don’t need.</p>

<p>Just show up to class with a notebook and pen and you’ll be all set for the first day. The profs never assume/expect everyone to have the text before the first few class sessions. All of this information will be gone over during the first class session (“syllabus day”). And the prof is required by the school to list the exact text and edition on the syllabus, which you [obviously] get on that day.</p>

<p>Once you go to class and figure out the text situation I would order the text on Amazon or Half (though I found Amazon.com to be the best for texts). Amazon student is pretty good:
[Amazon</a> Student](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info]Amazon”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info)
And remember, if you do end up needing the text right away, you can always go to the Bookstore. They (usually) have everything in stock. </p>

<p>And yes – you can email the professor and they will respond…if you have a strong urge to get the text now. That’s what 8 semesters have taught me, but do what makes you comfortable!</p>

5

<p>is it a very common practice to wait until after the first class to get the books? do most kids not show up with them?
(coming from HS where having the books on the first day was mandatory, regardless of whether their online seller had them instock or not.)</p>

<p>don’t want D to wind up without books 'cause of shipping time from amazon or half.com</p>

6

<p>Buying books through 3rd party sellers on Amazon, S has had sellers who sent books immediately & he’s received them within 1 week. Unfortunately, he’s also had the experience of it taking close to 3 weeks for books to arrive. Fortunately for him, those weren’t the first books used that semester. Deciding when to order books will likely be a learning experience for your D.</p>

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<p>D rented through Chegg spring semester. Saved BIG TIME by doing this. They send you a prepaid postage label to send back. So easy. We wasted A LOT of money fall semester last year. She is sticking with Chegg due to the ease of use and ease of tracking and communication and cost. She did have to buy 1 text through GW bookstore due to no listing before classes started (and new text).</p>

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<p>spg - thank so much - will be sure to look into Chegg. Thanks for the tip, I’ve never heard of it!</p>