Have you ever had a professor who waited until only days before the semester began to post what books you will need for the semester? One of my professor just did that and there is no way that I can get the books in time before the semester begins (on campus bookstore doesn’t have every textbook). Some professors that I had in the past expected students to have their books on the first day of class. I’m not asking what to do, but I kind of want to know how some professors expect us to be able to retrieve the books in such a short amount of time. Thank you.
Yes, it happens. Thankfully Amazon Prime has free 2 day delivery as a bookstore alternative.
They often put the materials on reserve at the library, and/or post the reading for the first few classes on the class website.
It is not uncommon for profs to wait until the last minute to post a book list.
In general, I recommend waiting until the first day of class before ordering a textbook - you often save a lot of money that way. If there is an immediate need, you can borrow from a classmate for a day or two and order quickly. Some subjects use texts more than others though so use your best judgement.
You really shouldn’t need the textbook on the first day of class. Most schools have an add/drop period (typically 1/2 weeks) so they give some wiggle room as people do add/drop during this period and need time to buy or not buy the book.