<p>I decided to post this on the parents forum because I think this might be a common issue.</p>
<p>I'm a student and my college sent me a book list with some rather pricey textbooks. I was going to look online for cheaper options until I realized that there are footnotes on some of the books saying that the text "has been customized specifically for your university".</p>
<p>Does that mean I have no choice but to buy form the bookstore? Some have recommended that I wait to buy my books until the first day of class but I really want to avoid those long lines.</p>
<p>(The professor has put a required note on the book also)</p>
<p>You could ask the professor on the first day of class if you want but from my experience, you do have to buy the “customized” books from the bookstore. Sometimes they have used books you can buy to make it cheaper.</p>
<p>In my experience, there are two kinds of custom textbooks required by professors. One is a custom reader/textbook either written by the professor or pulled from multiple texts/journals that puts the readings into one bound text for students. This often can’t be purchased elsewhere, unless a student is selling a used copy (but they may change from semester to semester), though I’ve known students who have recreated these books by tracking down tge original sources. The second kind is a custom textbook that pulls chapters from a published textbook and solutions manual. For instance, if your class only covers the first half of the textbook or jumps around in the book, they might pull those chapters out and create a custom textbook for the course. You can often purchase the original published text for much cheaper but you have to make sure it’s the same book. Often, when they rebind a published textbook, they’ll still have the ISBN of the original in the beginning pages of the book. </p>
<p>Could you look at the custom textbook in the bookstore or buy it and return it before the deadline if you don’t need it? You can also ask the professor about it, but often students who have previously taken the course are a good source too.</p>
<p>Icespice my friend, you have discovered the latest missile fired at students by the textbook publishers in the never-ending battle to relieve students (and parents) of their precious cash. Increasingly, schools are signing deals with publishers for these so-called custom editions of textbooks. For publishers custom editions have the benefit of eroding the used textbook market, more or less forcing you to buy the new custom edition.</p>
<p>It’s not impossible to get around this situation but it could be a hassle. If you think you may wish to buy less expensive standard versions (used copies), you have to decide whether it’s worth it to take the take time during the semester to double check your reading assignments and homework instructions to make sure your standard copy is consistent with the professor’s assignments. Obviously, it’s easier to do this when the difference between the standard and custom editions are minimal, or when the professor uses the text for class discussion only occasionally. Depending on the subject, you might not have a problem at all in using a standard copy.</p>
<p>Finally, check the bulletin boards around campus to find out if there are any used copies for sale. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the feedback I guess it’s best if I just wait until the first day of class to really find out whether I can get away with buying the original version of the book. </p>