<p>I'm starting at LSU this fall as a petroleum engineering major, but I have a question about books. I have $1,500 in books that I can't afford right now, but I should be receiving a refund to cover that in the first week of classes. Will I fall behind if I don't receive my books early, or will we more than likely be reviewing the syllabus the first few days? Also, how long do you think it will take between paying for the books online via the campus bookstore and actually receiving them?</p>
<p>Check online for which classes you HAVE to have books. Many proffesors say that you don’t need to bring books to class, especially in freshman year. Lots of people at my school don’t buy books till the first week of class. If you sign up for an Amazon student account you will get your books in two days. (It’s free for 6 months btw according to the ad I saw)
Also check out used books, and hand-me-downs from upperclassmen.</p>
<p>A lot of students tend to not have books the first two weeks of classes for one reason or another. So don’t stress if you don’t have all of your books right away. I also agree that you should check what classes have required texts and which classes don’t. If the text is recommended, don’t bother buying it. I don’t know how you priced these books, but don’t buy them from your school’s bookstore. They overcharge you when you buy and underpay you if you sell them back. Buy from ebay, half.com, and amazon. You can get an Amazon Prime Student membership free for one year (it is fantastic) and get free two day shipping. Chegg is also pretty good for renting books. If you find that buying all your books is too steep, you can always rent them for much cheaper. Or check your school’s library for textbooks. A lot of times you can just check them out.</p>
<p>Look on alternative website for cheaper books. Also google for a free pdf version of your book. Or you could be a pirate and look on torrent sites for them. Argggggggg</p>
<p>I would told to wait till the first week of class to buy books since we won’t be needing them.
Look at ALL your seller that mean Amazon, Chregg, Renting, Students, and university bookstores.
However I’m getting a book I know for sure I will have no choice to buy from the university bookstore. Make sure you don’t need nothing else with the book since sometime the book may be cheaper but you probably won’t have the code that go with it.</p>
<p>Very few professors expect students to have the textbook on the very first week of school, and most will give students a week or two to get it. It depends on the class, but unless you have to do problems from them and turn in your homework, you could get the textbook whenever you want.</p>
<p>Check to see if your university has a program in place for students to buy textbooks with financial aid. For instance, at my school, those with Pell Grants or book grants can order their books online, and the sum will be added to the student’s bill with tuition, housing, etc. They will be then charged after financial aid is disbursed, at the drop/add class deadline.</p>
<p>If this isn’t an option for you, you can email your profs early and ask them if you need textbooks for their classes. Many students will be buying their books after classes start, anyway, so I wouldn’t worry too much. Worst case scenario, your library or friends may let you borrow some. :)</p>
<p>Most all professors are leniant the first week. Take the first day of class to see if you actually need the book and ask people that have already taken the class if you need it. Then order it. If it doesn’t come in on time, tell your professor and he/she will make adjustments to help you out.</p>
<p>Also, check Rate My Professor on the internet. Previous students will leave reviews about professors they have had and a lot of the time students will leave information about the text book (especially if you don’t need the it).</p>