text books for Tufts courses

Colleges & Universities A-Z Tufts University
1

<p>My son will be a freshman in Tufts!</p>

<p>I am thinking to buy some text books online to save money. Can any current students or alumni tell me that if the text books change a lot from year to year or term to term? </p>

<p>From what I saw on Tufts's online bookstore, some books are being used many times. for example: chem 1. CHEMISTRY:CENTRAL SCIENCE-W/ACCESS
FALL 2013 , CHEM , 0001 , 01
FALL 2013 , CHEM , 0001 , 02
SPRING 2013 , CHEM , 0002 , 01
SPRING 2013 , CHEM , 0002 , 02 </p>

<p>the same book is used for check1 and chem2? Can I assume it will be used for Spring 2014 then? what does 'w/access' mean?</p>

<p>Is it OK that I buy international version? Will it have this w/access?</p>

<p>There is this website abebooks.com, it sells cheaper text books. Has anyone used it before?</p>

<p>I cannot find book info for bio13 for Fall 2013.</p>

2

<p>Use this site. Gettextbooks.com. It compares multiple sites out there and gives you the cheapest option for your book using ISBN code. I saved hundreds of dollars this semester. I wouldn’t buy any books before the registration though. You don’t know what your child will end up registering for. You can do it as soon as he/she registers and have it delivered to campus. If students don’t have books first couple of weeks teachers understand. My son didn’t have his chemistry book until 3 weeks into the semester. The books do change. My son got the book from our neighbor that took the same chemistry course just the year before, but the professor changed and so did the book. Generally Chem 1 and 2 will be the same book. Regarding Adebooks.com, I did buy from them and had no problems. I generally like to deal with amazon though. If you have a prime account with them and the book is being sold by their warehouse, the shipment is free and 2 days. One of his professors decided to change the book this semester from the one published on the Tufts books site and I was able to return the original book I got from amazon a month before and get him a new book. Return is free too with Prime. So even if its a few dollars more I prefer amazon for that reason.
Regarding the international version I was always worried of getting it. The book could be a little different and you wouldn’t know how different until you get it. The Access code is something they need to get the information online that they need during the course.</p>

3

<p>Wait. You parents order their books for them?? I couldn’t wait to turn over ALL school responsibilities to my daughter when she started Tufts, like finding the best deals and ordering. And yes, wait until he registers before buying books. And when the books don’t come on time, they can use the books on reserve in the library until they do. And congratulations fromcalifornia! Welcome to the Jumbo family!</p>

4

<p>I typically use campusbooks.com but it sounds like the same idea.</p>

<p>Also, apparently there’s a website called [TuftsText</a> › Textbooks made easy.](<a href=“http://tuftstext.com/]TuftsText”>http://tuftstext.com/) linked to from getchabooks.com (an old site made by a few Tufts kids).</p>

<p>Access generally refers to an access code for systems like “Mastering Chemistry” that are provided by the publisher - some professors require them.</p>

<p>I second the other comments about not buying books until after registration - it’s tough to know what your son will actually take until he speaks with his advisor.</p>

5

<p>Thanks everyone for all the detail info. Right now I am gathering all the info I can think of. </p>

<p>From B&N or Amazon’s marketplace, the book listed around $150+ (original is $280). Based on the books you bought, at this the price, is it international version or not? It did not say. Some listed at $55 clearly say it’s international version.</p>

<p>I will take all your advice, not buying books now. Yes, the plan might change after he speaks with the adviser.</p>

6

<p>If it doesn’t say international version it generally is not</p>

7

<p>Thank you so much, momworried. </p>

<p>I did not go to undergrad in US, only went to grad school in Purdue, then came to Silicon Valley as an engineer. Never been to Boston. This is my first child going to the college. Excited, but not knowing tons of things. Pardon me for some silly questions. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>during the orientation, there is ‘Language placement exams’.
if my son got AP Spanish 3 or 4 or 5, does he still need placement exam?</p></li>
<li><p>I checked the old orientation schedule, looks like after the 1st day, there is no place for the parents. :(. students are in the school for activities all days even the weekend, nights till the class begin day. my questions are:</p>

<p>a. should I go home the next day, instead of staying in the hotel by myself all days?</p>

<p>b. If we want to shopping anything, sounds like we do not have time together anymore after the 1st day? Can I drop stuff at his dorm or not allowed to go?</p>

<p>c. does it mean we should arrive 1-2 days before orientation day to do shopping, like comforter etc? But without seeing the dorm and knowing the room size, its’ hard to have an idea to buy certain stuff, like fan. </p>

<p>d. does every student have his own printer? should I buy color or B&W is OK?</p>

<p>e. I guess we need a rental car? Is driving terrible in Boston, Tufts area? I try to avoid driving in SF, too many one ways, and the roads are up and down. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>thanks everyone for the inputs! Appreciate!</p>

8

<p>Welcome to Tufts!</p>

<p>On Languages:
[Undergraduate</a> Education at Tufts University - Major Advising](<a href=“Homepage | AS&E Students”>Homepage | AS&E Students)</p>

<p>It is a good idea to arrive early - it makes it less hectic and allows you to see the area.</p>

<p>If you stay later than the first day, then it will primarily be to run errands - you want your son to be spending all their time with new classmates, not with you.</p>

<p>You can go to the dorm anytime, but your son will need to be there to let you in.</p>

<p>The 7" fan or equivalent is good- it will last for 4 years - buy it with a coupon
[Buy</a> Vornado Fans from Bed Bath & Beyond](<a href=“http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/3/vornado-fans]Buy”>http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/3/vornado-fans)</p>

<p>Having your own printer is a good idea - go for color if you do it (I don’t think they make black and white unless you go laser which is expensive)</p>

<p>Driving in Boston is like SF without the hills</p>

9

<p>to: fromcalifornia</p>

<p>Use the parents thread for general questions - more people monitor that thread!</p>

10

<p>Don’t agree with Mastadon about the printer. Get black and white laser. Under $100. You don’t need color and cartridges are too expensive. </p>

<p>Not sure if AP grade makes a difference in language placement. My son didn’t take AP language but after taking a placement test was placed in the 3rd year of Spanish. </p>

<p>You can do all your shopping in Bed Bath and Beyond near your home and pick up everything at the store few miles away from Tufts. You just take a scan gun at the store, scan what you want to buy and it miraculously shows up in Boston. And you don’t even need to buy everything when you pick it up. You pay by Tufts so if you change your mind about some items it’s not a big deal. </p>

<p>You can get there a day before to get oriented. Your son will know his dorm room sometime in the summer. On Tufts site there have dimensions for all the dorms. You don’t have too much time move in day. I think we had to be done by noon. So get there as early as possible, like 8 AM. After move in they have a nice ceremony outside. After that you say good bye and that’s it. You can potentially fly out that evening. </p>

<p>Driving is not bad. You don’t have to drive in Boston. Tufts is in Medford which is like a suburb. I would rent an SUV so you load all the stuff you’ll buy. </p>

<p>If you want, I can send you a detailed list I’ve put together of thing to buy and bring to school last summer. Just email me through college confidential site and Ill respond. </p>

<p>I didn’t go away to college and last year my first kid went to Tufts so it was a learning experience for me too. I was asking the same questions last year</p>

11

<p>One more thing. Once you know his dorm #, you can buy big items like printer and TV and ship it right to Tufts on his address.</p>

12

<p>I don’t think a printer is all that necessary but I would say if you get one then a laser printer is probably the best way to go.</p>

<p>And as far as driving, Boston itself is definitely worse than SF (way more one ways and very few parts of the city are layed out as a grid) but it’s easy to get to and from the airport without actually driving through the city. Somerville isn’t the greatest, either, if you’re not used to it. But if you go towards the Medford side then it’ll be a lot easier to get around and there are some shopping malls not too far away.</p>

13

<p>@momworried. Hi, I would love that list too if you don’t mind. I tried to pm you but because I am new to CC it’s not allowed because I don’t have the requisite 15 posts. Could you email me please. We are coming from overseas which makes moving even more problematic. Thanks for your help…</p>

14

<p>I will post it in case anyone else needs it.</p>

<p>This is a very comprehensive list. As I told fromcalifornia, I don’t know how much of School Supplies he needed until he comes home. But he didn’t need to buy absolutely anything during the whole year. We live 4 hours drive away, so we had the luxury of bringing everything with us and then resuplying him with things like paper towels, and tissues during the year when he came home in December. Since you’re coming from overseas, you don’t have to buy everything for your child. There is a CVS at Davis square that he/she can shop at. They also take them to Target during pre-orientation week, so he/she can buy a lot of the big items, like chair if he wants. Just use this list as a gage of what they might need in their dorms.</p>

<p>College stuff</p>

<p>Pillows.<br>
Sheets 2 sets.<br>
Vinyl mattress cover.<br>
Memory foam.<br>
Mattress pad.<br>
Fleece blanket.<br>
Down blanket.<br>
Duvet cover.<br>
Towels.<br>
Mouth wash.<br>
Floss.<br>
Soap.<br>
Razors.<br>
Electric razor.<br>
Shaving cream.<br>
Cologne.<br>
After shave.<br>
Toothpaste.<br>
Dryer sheets<br>
Detergent (tide pods)<br>
Tide boost.<br>
Small towels for gym 2.<br>
Nail clipper.<br>
Nail file<br>
Shampoo<br>
Conditioner.<br>
Qtips.<br>
Advil.<br>
Band aid.<br>
Thermometer.<br>
NyQuil.<br>
DayQuil.<br>
Ice pack.<br>
Contacts.<br>
Contact Solution.<br>
Elastic tape.<br>
Benadryl.<br>
Neosporin.<br>
Toothbrush electric.<br>
Deodorant.<br>
Bounty.<br>
Febreeze.<br>
Cup, plate, glass, fork, knife, spoon.<br>
Vitamins.<br>
Vacuum cleaner.<br>
Tool set.<br>
Robe.<br>
Can opener.<br>
Clorox wipes.<br>
Key chain.<br>
Flash light.<br>
Umbrella.<br>
Masking tape.<br>
Micro fridge order from Tufts
Swim trunks
Extension cords<br>
Surge protector 2.
Hand cream.<br>
Stomach pills.<br>
Water bottle
Sponge for dishes.<br>
Dish washing liquid.<br>
Batteries for calculator<br>
Tissues.<br>
Chapstick.<br>
Commando hooks.<br>
Closet hanging shelf.<br>
Over door hooks.<br>
Under bed storage bins.<br>
Chair
Table lamp.<br>
Eyeglasses
Sunglasses
Tea.<br>
Retainer.<br>
Tv cable.<br>
Alarm clock.<br>
X box.<br>
Receiver.<br>
Turn table.<br>
Records.<br>
iPod
Phone
Chargers
Camera<br>
Hdmi cables.<br>
Trash can
Pencil holder
Fan
Rug 5x7
Backrest
Warm hats<br>
Winter shoes
scarf
Mike for Xbox.<br>
Gloves.
TV
Printer
Flip flops</p>

<p>School supplies </p>

<p>Notebooks 4.<br>
Binders 1.<br>
Folders 10.<br>
Pens<br>
Pencils.<br>
Erasers.<br>
Calculator.<br>
Post-it notes.<br>
Loose leaf paper.<br>
Backpack
Glue.<br>
Glue sticks.<br>
Paper clips.<br>
Binder clips.<br>
Electric sharpener.<br>
Scotch tape and holders.<br>
Scissors.<br>
Planner, assignment book.<br>
Poster gum.<br>
Rubber bands
Ruler.<br>
Stapler.<br>
Index cards.<br>
Three hole punch.<br>
White out.<br>
Highlighters.<br>
USB drive 16.<br>
Cork board.<br>
Ethernet cord.<br>
Printer paper 3.</p>

15

<p>Hold off on buying textbooks until the semester kicks off. I thought the ones for the intro science classes were a huge waste of money; I only ended up using them a couple of times and borrowed them from my friends when I needed them. If it turns out you do want them, it’s pretty easy to get a used version from someone on campus (tuftslife.com) or from online with two-day shipping. For the rest:</p>

<ol>
<li>Depends on how much your son wants to place out of languages. [Department</a> of Romance Languages - Tufts University](<a href=“http://ase.tufts.edu/romlang/placementAdvanced.asp]Department”>http://ase.tufts.edu/romlang/placementAdvanced.asp) is the baseline for AP scores. Somewhere on that website has the appropriate conversion for SAT II subject scores. If you do better on the placement exam, you take the placement exam’s place-out. Otherwise, the AP score is the one that counts.
2a. Yes. There will be nothing for you to do after 4 pm on matriculation day.
2b-c. Do your shopping a day beforehand if you want, but this can be an excellent opportunity to drop your son off with a credit card and a list of things to buy.
2d. You can live without your own printer, but it is nice to have. Spend the extra bit for color if you are going to buy one.</li>
</ol>

<p>Is your son doing a preorientation program? If not, I would highly advise that they do. This would allow them to get to campus early while you spend your time shopping and exploring the city. You can then meet up again on Matriculation Day and fly out right afterwards.</p>

16

<p>Thanks everyone for all the inputs. really appreciate!!! momworried’s list will be extremely helpful!</p>

<p>Good to know that how Language is being placed. So it will use whatever the best result from AP or placement test. </p>

<p>I found this one-stop shopping place in Everett, about 3.5 miles from Tufts.
1 Mystic View Rd, Everett, MA</p>

<p>there are Target, BBB, officemax, Old Navy, Costco. We can buy everything there from bedding, school supplies, clothing etc…</p>

<p>Just wonder if it’s hard to drive there from Tufts? Hope it’s not. I am used to this ‘modern village’ driving - in Silicon Valley, even it’s very crowded, but the roads are WIDE, no one way at all, not even mention corn field Purdue in Indiana. :)</p>

<p>more questions: (sorry Mastadon, since I already started this thread, I just put my questions here not in parents thread. )</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is it possible that we can get into the dorm to take a look before orientation day if we arrive 2-3 days earlier?</p></li>
<li><p>are there any storage drawers under the bed? Should we buy the plastic storage boxes to put under the bed? if yes, what’s the size? I saw from the pics on tufts website, students put the luggage under the bed. so it might be no space for the storage boxes.</p></li>
<li><p>should the student ask College Board to send the official AP scores to the school? </p></li>
<li><p>How about the community college transcript? High school got official transcript from the community college, and put the community college grades on the high school transcript already.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Appreciate!!</p>

17

<p>I don’t think you can see your dorm before your move in day unless you’re doing preorientation. </p>

<p>You need to buy storage bins yourselves. Bed can be raised really high. So you have the size of a twin size bed under storage space. </p>

<p>Yes, need to send official AP scores. </p>

<p>Don’t know anything about community college grades.</p>

18

<p>fromcalifornia, you’ll really do better posting on the main Parents forum because there are SO many parents there. :slight_smile: Even if their children aren’t going to Tufts, a lot of the same advice applies no matter where a student attends school. There will be much more advice about good places to buy used textbooks, sending AP and community college transcripts, and much, much more. Best of all, you’ll get suggestions for things you haven’t thought of yourself. </p>

<p>There are some great lists on the Parents Forum about things to bring, and also about things which students never used. Better to have to buy more later than to move in with far more than you need–that can save you a lot of money!</p>

19

<p>Thank you for the list Momworried!</p>