<p>I blew about $600 on textbooks on my first term in university, and I haven't used any of them other than homework problems. Will I learn just as effectively by reading information online?</p>
<p>probably.
but it would be hard to do the homework without the text book, and it could make studying for exams harder if the professor recommends certain sections.
Some classes will use the book in class too.</p>
<p>i only had one really big textbook this semester, but it was really huge and we only used it for the readings. so what i did is one of my friends paid me some money to use it since she didn't feel like getting one. and my girlfriend's going to use it next semester and then i'm going to sell it back to the bookstore. </p>
<p>basically, try to find some people to split the costs with you, especially if it's only used for homework problems.</p>
<p>It will depend on the class, but that's why you should never buy your books before you've gone to class the first (or second, or third time), seen the syllabus and heard just what material will be tested and how the book will be used.</p>
<p>Got a prof who says everything will come from lecture notes? Then really no need for buying a $60 textbook is there?</p>
<p>get used books (previous editions are usually ok), but id say you need textbooks to learn. wikipedia and the like are great supplements to better understand a topic, but they aren't a replacement.</p>
<p>I hate the classes that have packed books so you can't buy it used. last semester all my classes had large packages or were new editions so I culdn't buy any online.
and then when I tried to sell back my spanish book (which was really expensive since it was supposed to be a three year book) it turned out they'd changed the edition for that and they wouldn't give me anything for it. I hate that.</p>
<p>It's too damn bad that none of the books from my first term uses "old" books. Every textbook was published over the summer.</p>
<p>some classes you won't need the book. Others you will. Sometimes a professor will lecture mostly from one book, but you will be responsible for material covered in the assigned sections of the other books.</p>
<p>bigredmed gives good advice.</p>
<p>Only get the book if its required for a class, and if you can, defintely go used. I enjoy half.com</p>
<p>If you get stuck with a professor who uses a James Stewart calculus book, you're better off finding tutorials online or in other books. Copy the problems down from a friend.</p>
<p>Stewart's books don't explain anything you need for the problems and they cost a ton.</p>
<p>Whether or not you need a book depends on your learning style. You may need to read through the textbook after lecture to understand what was presented. In my case, I can't stand reading textbooks. I go to every lecture, and after those and problem sets, I generally have a good grasp of what I need to know. I still buy the books though, for reference purposes. I inevitably need them eventually to look up a theorem or something.</p>
<p>I don't even bother with used books anymore. First find out if you can use a previous edition because they go for dirt cheap if there's already a newer edition out. Second go for international editions. I have two, one for chemistry and one for math. They are exactly the same as the US editions, although the math one might have a few minor different problems. Also If you school has many departments, check their library because my school had a lot of these textbooks in their library that you could take out for a few hours.</p>
<p>If possible, you might want to ask other people who have already taken the class what the professor is like. I know that I really didn't understand a thing my math professor was saying this past semester (and it wasn't just me, either; a lot of people stopped going to lecture because they just couldn't understand this guy), and I had to read the textbook to know what was going on. So if you know that a professor is terrible at lecturing, you can buy a (used) textbook then.</p>
<p>I always wait a week into the class. There are a lot of professors who in lecture classes that do notes and everything is in the notes. See how the class goes and then decide.</p>
<p>And then sell your used textbooks on-line. Half.com is really easy to use for selling books. My daughter got more from half.com then what her college bookstore was willing to give her.</p>
<p>Also, remember that certain books (especially those in your major) will be good for reference later on, so you may want to buy (and keep) books in your field of study regardless of whether or not you could make it through the class without the textbook.
Secondly, I would suggest buying as early as possible if buying online as the selection will be larger right after a semester ends than the day before the next semester starts (or, worse, a week into the semester) and, therefore, you are likely to get much better deals.</p>
<p>yes i agree buy online or at local used bookstores. And sometimes at odd as it my sound your college bookstore may be cheaper...</p>
<p>Your best bet is to borrow (or pay a small fee) the book from a friend who had the book from the previous semester. Older editions are sometimes allowed. This can cut your costs substantially. Use Facebook to find people who may have had the class before and are looking to get rid of textbooks.</p>