<p>my school already posted a site that can allow students to view/buy the necessary books for each class. should i buy them now inexpensively via amazon/ebay/etc. or wait until class starts (just in case we don't even need the book...does this happen?)?</p>
<p>I think that it all depends upon the class. There have been some classes that I've taken and never even unwrapped the books from the shrink wrap, and then there were others that I opened the book everyday.
I believe that it depends upon your subject as well as the professor that is teaching it. If it's a book such as a general history book, you may not even need it as lectures may cover all that you need and anything that you have any concerns about is available either on the net or in a library. I have never had to buy a history book for class, unless of course we had to read a work that was translated by a certain person, such as the Aeneid translated by one person etc... Now for a classes in the sciences and maths etc, you'd more than likely need the books and would benefit from purchasing online. Again it also depends upon the professor, if his lectures are extremely divergent from the text and he expects you to read ahead and tie them together, then you'll need the books. If the professor just reads from his notes/powerpoints and tests off of those, then the book is not neccesary.<br>
So after all that, I say it boils down to... it depends :)</p>
<p>If they are books you know you'll need, such as a Math textbook you'll get homework out of, or a list of novels for an English class you can find cheap online, then go ahead and get them. If a class has a ton of books listed for it that are "recommended," you may want to wait.</p>
<p>You can sell the books back online if you end up not using them, probably for not too much of a loss to you. (maybe the shipping costs)</p>
<p>One of my regrets for my freshman year was waiting to buy all my books in the bookstore, and paying twice as much, just because I wasn't sure I was going to use them. I'm the type of person who will take a little risk in not needing the book, just to know I saved money.</p>