<p>Hi, I got some questions about textbooks. When is the best time to start getting them? And where? Also, how do we get them? I got a small loan to help pay for books so I am confused as to how I am suppose to pay for them if I don't even have the loan yet. Is the loan credited to my USC student account or is it just a normal check?</p>
<p>And another thing that raises my concern is about work-study. I checked the bill for tuition and fees and I have not received the work-study amount. I don't completely understand how work-study works, but is it money that they pay before the semester starts or is it a system where they pay regularly (as in monthly, weekly,etc.) and you then use that money to pay for stuff? If that is the case, aren't most of the charges billed to you near the beginning of the semester and if I don't get paid the amount that was given to me for work-study at that time, then I wouldn't be able to make the payment? I'm just completely confused and would appreciate some help on these two topics. Thank you for your time and advice!</p>
<p>Work study is money you earn at campus job through out the semester. It is not given to you in a lump sum. You will need to find a work study job on campus, you will get a paycheck for the hours that you work.</p>
<p>I don’t know this for sure, but I think you can set up a monthly payment plan for the amount that’s left over after your grants etc have been applied. So if you do that, you can use your work study paycheck each month to help pay your fees.</p>
<p>As for books, I think renting them would be the best option. However, if the book comes with an access code or it’s a USC published textbook, then you should probably get it from the USC bookstore.</p>
<p>Depends on what classes your taking and the books required, some classes you use the same book for 2 semesters while some you need a book every few weeks while some don’t require books at all.</p>
<p>As for the OP’s question, its almost always cheaper to buy/rent books online but some packages/course readers you have to buy in the bookstore. I’d wait until the first week of class to actually see what books you will need for the semester.</p>
<p>For work study, you have to find a job and then you can earn up to that amount during the semester/year in the form of biweekly paychecks and you can use the money for whatever you want but they do not give it to you up front and its not considered income for next year’s FAFSA.</p>
<p>Btw, weren’t you deciding between UT and USC? So you’re going to USC? Just curious, but what were your high school stats, ECs, etc? And was USC generous in financial aid?</p>
<p>Ok thanks guys for your responses. Regarding textbooks, how do I rent the textbooks? Does the loan I borrow come back to me to pay for the books or is it disbursed to the university and they take care of paying for the books? And since I am renting books and it is known for being cheaper, what happens with the rest of the money that I didn’t use up in that loan? Do I get a refund? Sorry for all of these questions, it’s just that I am completely confused</p>
<p>SeattleTW, yes I chose USC over UT. It actually was a very easy decision. And they were pretty generous, giving me about 45,000 for the first year, so I can’t complain! :)</p>
<p>if you’re a science major, probably around $500 to buy everything new at the bookstore.</p>
<p>i made that mistake my first semester, and afterwards i bought everything off of amazon. i ended up spending $300 MAX for each of the following 7 semesters. i would say on average i spent $150-200.</p>