college/books

[mooski]

my daughter is leaving for college today.... (give me a minute .. I need to dry my tears) ok... (oh, one more minute....) books...... oh my. $$$$$$$$$$$$ we purchased the ones for this quarter, but can you share some book sites that you use to find used college books? we looked off course at half.com amazon . what are your fav sites? thanks

[abachechi]

Hi, just wanted to offer my advice, since I have to buy all those stinkin books too
I usually try half.com first and then go from there if I can't find it. I think I have only ever had to find one book elsewhere and I've bought my books online for two years now. Once I'm done with the books I put them back up for sale exactly where I got them from, I get a lot more for them then if I were to try and sell them back to the bookstore. I usually get about all of my money back on them.

[MikeW]

Be very careful which edition they are selling. BonnyW is a college professor, and in some cases the edition of the book or the accessories that come with it (CD), don't match what the professor wants. Whenever a student has a problem with a book, or cd/software that came with book; she knows they bought it online not at the bookstore.

[farmgirl]

Originally Posted by mooski

my daughter is leaving for college today.... (give me a minute .. I need to dry my tears) ok... (oh, one more minute....) books...... oh my. $$$$$$$$$$$$ we purchased the ones for this quarter, but can you share some book sites that you use to find used college books? we looked off course at half.com amazon . what are your fav sites? thanks

I share your tears! My daugther left yesterday, but is having a blast so far with all the girls. She is living in Rez and is at orientation as I type.
Her books for this term are $1700 new, but hopefully she will get some used ones. The book store right at the college lets students exchange their books when they are done with them. She has one book that is $750 new and $550 used, so crossing our fingers that she gets a used one!
Anyways, your daughter might want to check at her college, she might have the same options there.
Good luck! If it makes you feel any better, I feel much better today. It was worrying about saying goodbye the night before she left and hugging her for the last time that were hard. Now I am so excited and scared for her. Just hoping she makes the right choices and survives this new world she is in. She has phoned home at least 6x already, so we know we will hear from her lots!!

[MikeW]

Originally Posted by farmgirl

I share your tears! My daugther left yesterday, but is having a blast so far with all the girls. She is living in Rez and is at orientation as I type.
Her books for this term are $1700 new, but hopefully she will get some used ones. The book store right at the college lets students exchange their books when they are done with them. She has one book that is $750 new and $550 used, so crossing our fingers that she gets a used one!
Anyways, your daughter might want to check at her college, she might have the same options there.
Good luck! If it makes you feel any better, I feel much better today. It was worrying about saying goodbye the night before she left and hugging her for the last time that were hard. Now I am so excited and scared for her. Just hoping she makes the right choices and survives this new world she is in. She has phoned home at least 6x already, so we know we will hear from her lots!!

That's a lot of money. Must be a science major.

[abachechi]

Originally Posted by MikeW

Be very careful which edition they are selling. BonnyW is a college professor, and in some cases the edition of the book or the accessories that come with it (CD), don't match what the professor wants. Whenever a student has a problem with a book, or cd/software that came with book; she knows they bought it online not at the bookstore.

Suppose it depends on which college you go to and what professor you have. I had a math book I got online that was the old edition. I talked to my professor about it, we looked through the book and he said I could use the one I had and I had absolutely no problems, everything was the same. They just put the new editions out to fix typos and what not, there usually isn't really much difference between editions, depending on what type of book you've got

[MikeW]

Originally Posted by abachechi

Suppose it depends on which college you go to and what professor you have. I had a math book I got online that was the old edition. I talked to my professor about it, we looked through the book and he said I could use the one I had and I had absolutely no problems, everything was the same. They just put the new editions out to fix typos and what not, there usually isn't really much difference between editions, depending on what type of book you've got

Depending on what type of book.
Science books change a lot, especially human science as they learn new things.

[abachechi]

Originally Posted by MikeW

Depending on what type of book.
Science books change a lot, especially human science as they learn new things.

right! but an algebra book, or an english book? I would say, just talk to your professor, they don't bite!!
There have also been many times I've bought a $100 or $200 book and then didn't open it once because professors don't like any of the book choices they had, hand out their own info, etc.

[MikeW]

Originally Posted by abachechi

right! but an algebra book, or an english book? I would say, just talk to your professor, they don't bite!!
There have also been many times I've bought a $100 or $200 book and then didn't open it once because professors don't like any of the book choices they had, hand out their own info, etc.

Yep.
Buying online books, should probably be for the smarter students, so when the prof says go to chapter 3, section 3-10.4, page 23. The smarter student can figure it out.

[mooski]

thanks for the tips/ I just had lunch with her and sent her off.... I am very excited for her... but , it is a new phase... I guess Iam not quite ready to give up the old one.... I just simply adore her.
we bought one book at half.com one at the college bookstore both used both EXACTLY what the prof wanted. I have heard NOT to sell them back to a college bookstore cuz if you sell it back to them not much moolah for you... in your expierience has it been better to sell online?

[abachechi]

Originally Posted by mooski

thanks for the tips/ I just had lunch with her and sent her off.... I am very excited for her... but , it is a new phase... I guess Iam not quite ready to give up the old one.... I just simply adore her.
we bought one book at half.com one at the college bookstore both used both EXACTLY what the prof wanted. I have heard NOT to sell them back to a college bookstore cuz if you sell it back to them not much moolah for you... in your expierience has it been better to sell online?

YES, sell them online!!!!
I sold my books back to the bookstore one time and was totally ripped off! I paid almost 300 for the books originally and only got back 90. I could sell them online for the price I originally paid, or maybe just a little bit less. Often a college gets a new edition of a book, but a different college has already used that edition of the book, they are not hard to find and they are not hard to sell online either.

[Sol]

Originally Posted by mooski

thanks for the tips/ I just had lunch with her and sent her off.... I am very excited for her... but , it is a new phase... I guess Iam not quite ready to give up the old one.... I just simply adore her.
we bought one book at half.com one at the college bookstore both used both EXACTLY what the prof wanted. I have heard NOT to sell them back to a college bookstore cuz if you sell it back to them not much moolah for you... in your expierience has it been better to sell online?

I teach literature and I don't care which edition my students use. They can figure out the pages and if they need pages from the newer edition, they will borrrow a book from a classmate or I will lend them mine. Books cost too much money!!! Sell her books online...she won't get much money back at the bookstore.
Good luck to your daughter...what an exciting time!

[mooski]

Originally Posted by Sol

I teach literature and I don't care which edition my students use. They can figure out the pages and if they need pages from the newer edition, they will borrrow a book from a classmate or I will lend them mine. Books cost too much money!!! Sell her books online...she won't get much money back at the bookstore.
Good luck to your daughter...what an exciting time!

thank you .............!!!!

[melliedee]

Originally Posted by Sol

I teach literature and I don't care which edition my students use. They can figure out the pages and if they need pages from the newer edition, they will borrrow a book from a classmate or I will lend them mine. Books cost too much money!!! Sell her books online...she won't get much money back at the bookstore.
Good luck to your daughter...what an exciting time!

I agree. As long as most of the same readings are in a text, a different edition may just have a new introduction and different page numbers. I don't mind this with my students as well, but best to email the instructor first. Also, sometimes there is an "official" bookstore on campus, and a second off campus (sometimes cheaper) location. Powells.com is also good for used copies if Amazon is out.

Good luck!

[Sol]

Originally Posted by melliedee

I agree. As long as most of the same readings are in a text, a different addition may just have a new introduction and different page numbers. I don't mind this with my students as well, but best to email the instructor first. Also, sometimes there is an "official" bookstore on campus, and a second off campus (sometimes cheaper) location. Powells.com is also good for used copies if Amazon is out.

Good luck!

Powells is a geat site!!! In one of my classes, I just give handouts of reading assignments and they are required to buy three novels. I cannot see my students paying fifty bucks for a book that they are only going to read five pages or so.