Cost of Textbooks

[AchtungBaby80]

Finally, some people who understand where I'm coming from when I grumble about how much textbooks cost! Everyone else I know is just like, "Well, that's the way it is--deal with it." But it sure seems wrong to me! HOW on EARTH can They (whoever the mysterious people behind this whole robbery scheme are) justify selling a $#%^&*@ BOOK for $150? It amazes me. I could figure out the markup they get, but I'd rather not go there...that would be like adding insult to injury.

[KappaTarzan]

one of my professors wrote a damn book, made us buy the expensive thing, we never EVER used it, then she left the university. grrrrrrrrrrrr

[texas*princess]

a professor of mine wrote his own textbook.. and instead of making us buy it at the bookstore for $100.. he put it on the school's website, let us download it and print it. sure it costs money for printing paper (say $5 a ream) and for printing ink ($20 depending on what kind you have) but it beats spending $100.

and with a ream of paper and cartridge of ink you can split the cost between friends and it won't cost you more than $5!

[juniorgrrl]

I thought books in UG were bad - then I got to law school.

I easily spent $1000 on books this semester. Ah, the joys of having a common law and a civl law system - twice as many books to buy.

And, the best part is, I'll probably have to spend just as much next semester - only one of my classes is a two-part class that uses the same book.

AFAIK, they don't buy books back in law school, either. Everyone's books are so marked up and scribbled in, they're not much use.

[Imthechamp]

I never buy used books. They feel dirty.

[Kevin]

I like used because the important stuff is already underlined.

[Munchkin03]

I laugh. Be an architecture student for ONE semester, and you will never complain about the cost of books again. I'm taking an arch class this semester, and it's mid-semester, and I've spent a good $500--ON THIS CLASS ALONE. I always have to buy supplies--paper, glue, ink...not to mention the general major supplies like a mayline, adjustable triangle, lead holder, drafting pens, lead pointer, etc...it adds up.

I only sell back the books that I didn't like--being that I don't have any classes that I didn't want to take (ie, no core curriculum). I end up keeping most of them, because they are art and architectural history books, and most are beautiful.

[Kevin]

At least you can use your books and equipment when you graduate... I don't have a clue what I'd do if I couldn't sell my Organizational Communication textbook

[FuzzieAlum]

Yeah, as an English major, I was happy to keep most of my books. And the prices were pretty reasonable ... I mean, we all pretty much know what fiction costs, so they can't overcharge too much. I understand they charge a little for overhead, which is OK in general, but ... There was one text I remember ... our school had bought a lot of them dirt cheap, I mean like $1 each, from another school. And the price was stamped right on it! Yet they had the nerve to charge like $15 bucks for it. At least our professor was equally POed.

[chopper816]

Originally posted by juniorgrrl
I thought books in UG were bad - then I got to law school.

I easily spent $1000 on books this semester. Ah, the joys of having a common law and a civl law system - twice as many books to buy.

And, the best part is, I'll probably have to spend just as much next semester - only one of my classes is a two-part class that uses the same book.

AFAIK, they don't buy books back in law school, either. Everyone's books are so marked up and scribbled in, they're not much use.

ouch!!!!! i thought my 500 dollars minimum was bad, but 1000 is horrible! i think id just make copies of the reading from someone in the class if my textbooks got that expensive