Textbooks at RPI.

<p>Can I use textbooks of a different edition?</p>

<p>I looked up the edition that my teacher wants. The ISBN number of the book a person I found online is selling and the one that teacher wants is different. He attends RPI.</p>

<p>I asked the guy if it makes a difference and he says it does not.</p>

<p>Does it really matter?</p>

<p>It depends on the class. In the classes where the textbook is used for homework assignments, you’ll need access to the newest edition so that you do the correct problems. If the book’s used solely for the reading material, having an old edition is generally fine.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, freshman and sophomore level classes tend to take problems from the textbook (sometimes you can find out the usage patterns from the course websites, or perhaps someone here will be able to answer you directly if you post your course offering). However, if the price is too high, you might be able to get away with borrowing a roommate’s/friend’s book or using the library reserve textbooks.</p>

<p>This semester, son is renting a textbook online for the first time at [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.coursesmart.com%5DCourseSmart%5B/url”&gt;http://www.coursesmart.com]CourseSmart[/url</a>]. It was cheaper than the RPI used price. </p>

<p>Also heard that if you join a frat that they usually have a library of textbooks.</p>