<p>I really wanted to take French 101 at my school. I know a little french from middle and high school but I haven't kept up with it since sophomore year of high school. I love the language and culture but my main motivation for taking this course is that it would be an easy A (and my GPA needs serious help atm). My french book is too expensive and I've been weighing the option of dropping the course and replacing it with another because $260 for a book seems kind of ridiculous. And yes, I have to buy it new from my school bookstore because I would need to have a cd and writing manual along with it in order to participate in class. My idea was to minor in French and major in econ or philosophy but i don't know now. I can't afford to splurge for a silly french book. And the rest of my other books combined for my other classes is only about $40.</p>
<p>First, try to shop around on amazon or eBay to see if someone has the additional cds/workbook. You can also ask around at school to see if people actually used the cd/workbook in the previous semesters with the same professor.</p>
<p>I do agree that $260 is A LOT of money for just 1 textbook… and here I am complaining about paying $145 for rented textbooks -_-</p>
<p>Is there a way to purchase just the CD and writing manual from someone who has taken the class before? My university has a giant facebook group for selling/buying used textbooks for this purpose… even language classes.</p>
<p>For me, I found someone who wrote in pencil only in the writing manual and just erased everything. Kind of annoying and hard on my arms, BUT worth saving the large sum of money. </p>
<p>If you think minoring in French is necessary and very beneficial, I would just take this as an investment.</p>
<p>Wait, you’re only taking it because it’s an easy A? Why not just take some introductory humanities course, since almost all of them are easy? I was looking for a filler class last term and I just picked the easiest one with the cheapest books (1 book for $20). Unless a class is required, I’ll never spend excessively on it (even if it is, I’ll find some way to pay as little as possible).</p>
<p>Consider yourself lucky your other books are only $40!</p>
<p>Just because you need the CD and workbook doesn’t mean you have to buy it through your bookstore. Visit the bookstore and write down the ISBN number, and search Amazon and Half.com for someone who is selling a used copy. You might also see if the instructor knows of students who took it last year, and have a copy - or if he has another solution for you. Most will do what they can to work with you. More students in their class looks good for them, and they’re not losing any money of you get your books through another source (unless they’re the author, and even then they will often help a student in need).</p>
<p>Is this book just for French I, or would it be used multiple semesters?</p>
<p>At my school the same book is used for 101, 102, and 103. Maybe that’s the case with yours too? I believe I purchased mine through Amazon for less than half the original price ($200).</p>
<p>If you really want to take French, then I would find the cheapest way to get the book (there are always multiple options to get a book besides buying from the bookstore, but that doesn’t mean those other options are necessarily cheaper or worth the extra effort) and then just get it. If you are just taking French for an easy A, there are surely classes with much cheaper textbooks (or no required text at all!), as well as less work. Language classes tend to have a lot of work, even if you do have experience in the language.</p>
<p>Also, consider the fact that if you minor in French, you’re going to have to take many other French courses, which may also have expensive texts, if this class is anything to show for it. Be prepared for that sort of commitment if you decide to minor in French.</p>
<p>To pass up on a class you are interested in just because of the cost of a book is silly. Are you in college to learn or just do the minimum as cheaply as possible? Look at it this way; the rest of your books are only totaling $40. You’re getting off easily on everything else, so you can afford to splurge on this book, and then resell it or use it for later french classes. Ask if it will be used for continuing french courses or not. There are lots of times, in certain professions, when you have to invest money to stay in your career… earning a license or certification, getting an advanced degree, etc. Look into renting the text too…that might be possible. Don’t just give up the class!</p>
<p>Also, check to see if the book is continued to be used in subsequent classes. That might make the cost of the book more palatable. Also, recognize that a semester of foreign language in college is the equivalent of more than a year of most high school language classes.</p>
<p>My school requires the exact same book - and also says you have to order from the school bookstore because of an “online key”. Factor in the tuition for it on top of that… No way. I bought an excellent software program to learn French (Fluenz) that is a far more enjoyable and efficient way to learn than a $300 hunk of binding and paper. Meanwhile, I’m going to take one of the languages I’m interested in that has cheap textbooks, like Arabic, Turkish, or Persian. You may find some of the less “popular” language courses have cheaper textbooks, and French has abundant resources for you to learn on your own if you want to speak it. Some of the others it would be harder to learn on your own.</p>
<p>If the problem is an online key as GlamorousGirl said, double check that the bookstore doesn’t sell those codes individually. I know at my school they do that for many classes that require them. That’s how I saved around $100 on my German materials last year: I got the book used and got the access key separately. Plus those materials went for three quarters, so in the long run it was more cost effective than some of my single-quarter classes with cheaper books.</p>
<p>See if you can buy the online code from the manufacturer. I paid 200+ for my French 101 book, which I can use up to 103, but most of the paper is worthless. The online code has an online textbook, manual, and more. And I’m pretty sure the code was just under 100 from its website. So if you can deal with online learning, this may be option for you. </p>
<p>My school wrote their own foreign language books that you had no choice but to buy new with CDs and manual for around $200 something dollars, and two years foreign language was a graduation requirement. It sucked, but I had no choice and just did it. If you can get all your other books so unusually cheap I feel like you should be able to for this book into your budget, but if you’re just taking French for fun and dot want to, then don’t. Not a difficult decision.</p>
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