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It's a shame university textbooks are such scams
- Thread starter dudeworld
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X26 said:
This right here is the way to go. I bought everything in my first year, wasted so much money. Second year I knew which books I need to buy and which books I could coast without. Third year I realized that every single one of my professors kept at least one copy of the current textbook in the library on reserve for our class. I haven't bought a textbook since then. Never had an issue with the book already being in use either because everyone else goes and buys it instead.
It means I have to work at the library on occasion, but it's a small price to pay compared to the hundreds of dollars I could have spent.
Also, what is the about $100 online codes? I've never had to buy a code that cost more than about $40. What kind of codes are they making you buy?!
Also, best way to sell anthropology textbooks (as long as they are still using the same book) is to show up for the first lecture the following year/semester. Chances are there will be a bunch of people in class that haven't picked up the book yet. Offer to sell for even slightly less than a used copy at the bookstore and you'll usually get someone that will bite.
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NinjaFridge
Unconfirmed Member
What are the clickers you guys are talking about and what are they used for?
Dreams-Visions
Member
ha ha that's some bullshit.
are text book companies moneyhatting professors now?
are text book companies moneyhatting professors now?
NinjaFridge said:
It's a little remote control that will allow you to answer multiple choice question posed by the professor. They are generally individually registered to each student so they can automatically assign your grade on the quiz as you answer the questions.
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NinjaFridge
Unconfirmed Member
X26 said:
You pay for those? We don't use them too often but when we do they are handed out in the class and then we just hand them back in at the end.
Just went through this today. Textbooks for 5 classes would have been $700 at the university bookstore (new prices). A couple hours on amazon and I spent $433 (most new, a couple used). Still expensive, but I should be able to recoup a decent chunk of that selling these off come December. Plus no waiting in line.
Man, fuck these publishers who release the same shit every year. They move things around and word things differently here and there and slap on a new cover and call it a day. Fuck these people... especially when, as the OP mentioned, the fucking things come with stupid ass codes. FUCK OFF.
Blackboard is there for a reason. USE THAT SHIT!
Blackboard is there for a reason. USE THAT SHIT!
krameriffic
Member
Textbooks are generally retarded. All of the big name textbooks used in courses have their solution manuals spattered across the internet so its easy-peazy to just download all your homework assignments and recopy them. This goes hand in hand with lazy professors who don't design their own homeworks (or at least put a twist on the stuff from the book.)
The best class I ever took in college was graduate mathematical physics and that used a cheap, $20 paperback textbook and had about 75% of the homework problems made up by the professor. My grad quantum class had textbook quality notes from the professor (I'm pretty sure he was writing a quantum mechanics textbook). He had his own problems made up as well, and the class was much better for it.
Undergrad books are good as a reference, nothing more. When they start to force you to use online subscription things out of the books, they are scamming you. Period. It sucks, but if you have to do it to take the quizzes or get the homework assignments, what are you gonna do? Same bullshit when they go with updated editions that do nothing but reshuffle the numbering of the homework problems and change a few words here and there.
The best class I ever took in college was graduate mathematical physics and that used a cheap, $20 paperback textbook and had about 75% of the homework problems made up by the professor. My grad quantum class had textbook quality notes from the professor (I'm pretty sure he was writing a quantum mechanics textbook). He had his own problems made up as well, and the class was much better for it.
Undergrad books are good as a reference, nothing more. When they start to force you to use online subscription things out of the books, they are scamming you. Period. It sucks, but if you have to do it to take the quizzes or get the homework assignments, what are you gonna do? Same bullshit when they go with updated editions that do nothing but reshuffle the numbering of the homework problems and change a few words here and there.
A lot of profs are pretty cool. Just go to your prof with this info, ask if there is a way to make up the 15% doing something else. It doesn't hurt to ask and may save you $100 in the long run so you don't have to purchase a code for quizzes.
My mind boggles that this is the state of college textbooks nowadays. I mean, it was bad already when I was in school but this is ridiculous.
My mind boggles that this is the state of college textbooks nowadays. I mean, it was bad already when I was in school but this is ridiculous.
parrotbeak
Member
It would always trip me out when professors acted like they never saw the textbook before the class and would say, ok, this chapter sucks, ignore it. And then end up never using the book halfway through.
Now that I have friends who are professors I understand why. Sometimes the college just orders books for the class before the instructor is even assigned, so they have no choice on what text is used. They are sometimes literally reading it a week before the semester starts and trying to make the best of it even if it's not a book they would have used.
But ya, as an undergrad I was always paranoid and would find a way to get every book listed. This was before buying stuff online was so common, but there were a couple cheap used bookstores near the university at that time.
Now that I have friends who are professors I understand why. Sometimes the college just orders books for the class before the instructor is even assigned, so they have no choice on what text is used. They are sometimes literally reading it a week before the semester starts and trying to make the best of it even if it's not a book they would have used.
But ya, as an undergrad I was always paranoid and would find a way to get every book listed. This was before buying stuff online was so common, but there were a couple cheap used bookstores near the university at that time.
Damn I hated this. They were selling a Bio-Lab at my old school for like 130. It was fucking paper. I know, I know, I understand what you're going to say. But no, I shit you not, THE ENTIRE THING WAS LIKE A BUNDLE OF FUCKING COMPUTER PAPER YOU PUT INTO YOUR BINDER. FOR 130 DOLLARS; MY MIND WAS FULL WITH THE QUESTION, "WHAT THE FUCK!??". I still bought it though, because I needed to, but worst shit ever. Why couldn't it just be at least $60, I mean, I could photo copy every single piece of that shit for like $30. Made no fucking sense; just made me angry.
Disclaimer: I do photocopy reserve textbooks; what are you gonna do about it?
Disclaimer: I do photocopy reserve textbooks; what are you gonna do about it?
lessthananth725
Member
I'm taking 3 classes and have to pay $500 for all 3 books. I cant buy used because they released new editions this semester. I already have to work 2 jobs just to pay for part time classes add on more for books and it really makes me rethink college.
SouthernDragon
Member
The online quizzes are bullshit. Total bullshit.
Dreams-Visions
Member
let's talk about Medical School textbooks. lol
Shalashaska
Member
Gotta buy that this year ;_;X26 said:
Don't forget the teachers who require students to purchase a textbook written from themselves... so:xnipx said:
a. Obviously they're getting paid
b. They aren't big books so you can't find em on the internet
I've found a couple books online, buying an older edition/used and should only have to buy a couple new. Ridiculous though I haven't come across the online quizzes stuff yet *fingers crossed*
TheBaldEmperor
Member
MThanded said:
Came here to say this. Do I really need to take a foreign language or art class? Anything not directly related to my major has been a complete waste of money and time. I don't remember anything from them except that I was in the class.
Evening Musuko
Black Korea
Hate textbooks. I still have a couple that I couldn't sell back just wasting space. Luckily Amazon's pretty good when it comes to buying and selling books.
Same thing happened to me except it was for government. It was all in black and white too. WTF. Luckily I've never had to buy one since.
Nix said:
Same thing happened to me except it was for government. It was all in black and white too. WTF. Luckily I've never had to buy one since.
CornBurrito
Member
TheBaldEmperor said:
I kind of enjoy learning things outside my major to be quite honest. Perhaps not the best use of money, but I wouldn't say it is a total waste of time (in my case).
dr3upmushroom
Banned
How much would everyone pay for textbooks ideally, I'm curious? Textbooks are really expensive, but it also takes a ton of time to produce one. Anything over $100 is ridiculous I think, but books around the $60-80 mark don't bother me. Surely no one thinks that they should be priced like any old hardcover book at Borders (well, no one reasonable anyway. I overheard a girl in one of my classes this semester remark "How can they charge so much for textbooks, there's no way they pay that much for paper").
To me the bullshit bi-yearly "updates" are the scam, not the price of the books themselves
To me the bullshit bi-yearly "updates" are the scam, not the price of the books themselves
outside of some fields like medical and law books, but as far as I know those need to be intensely researched and people in those fields often keep them around as a reference, so even those are warranted to some extent.
Yeah, when I took Technical Writing (required course), the book was I think $130. The best part, it was a preliminary edition, so was incomplete. There would be parts where it would say "Diagram to be inserted here", and several chapters were entirely missing. And of course, it couldn't be sold back.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Why do you think they do this. It's the insidious equivalent of DLC armor codes you get in new games.dudeworld said:
I just don't understand how they keep coming up with new editions for my math books. It's fucking calculus and algebra, 2 subjects that haven't changed for years. There is nothing to update.
It's also a bitch when the professors assign homework assignments from the book so getting an old edition is useless since you can't even get the right questions from them.
It's also a bitch when the professors assign homework assignments from the book so getting an old edition is useless since you can't even get the right questions from them.
My one class the instructor told us not to buy the book and use the PowerPoint that are freely available. My other teacher said the school is forcing him to use a certain textbook and that it was required even though he hated the book. When my wife started nursing school a few years back it was paid for by her employer and they purchased all of her books for the program up front. Half way through the school changes the books and says its required that everyone update the books( another 800$). My wifes employer said they would pull out all 200 students they had in their schools if they didnt provide them for free to their students. School all of the sudden decided the new books aren't up to standard and sticks with the older ones 
. My school just recently started a book advance this year so I could use my grant/student loan money to buy books anywhere and not be forced to buy them in the bookstore.
. My school just recently started a book advance this year so I could use my grant/student loan money to buy books anywhere and not be forced to buy them in the bookstore.
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NinjaFridge
Unconfirmed Member
My university bookstore closed down last month. Apparently they weren't making enough money, which is pretty annoying since they were just down the road. Now they want us to go to Waterstones. They say they'll have all the books necessary but for some reason i can only picture things going arseways.
TheKaeptain
Banned
In the back of my math book, from two semesters ago, had a problem. Once solved it would give you the real price it took to make each book. I figured it out...
$15.47 to make the book. The college charged $150 for it.
$15.47 to make the book. The college charged $150 for it.
ProfessorLobo
Banned
Obsessed said:
You could still take those classes without the requirements.
CaptYamato said:
There are also other costs to things besides the basic manufacturing of the pages and ink, and I'm sure that problem did not include anything besides the basic manufacturing of the book. The college buys it from the publisher and they obviously need to make a profit on it or why would they sell it, the publisher has to make a profit on it or why would they sell it.....
Also, have people still not figured out to just buy an edition before for $5-15 on half.com or other sites? You paying so much for college textbooks is generally your fault when there are so many ways to get them at such steep discounts elsewhere. Some courses (I have had two) do have required codes or whatnot so you can do the homework and stuff online, but those are few and far between.
People in my classes this year are complaining because they bought their anthropology book new from the school bookstore for like $150 while I got the previous edition for $8 on half.com and probably won't ever use it unless my teacher is absolutely horrific. Nearly anything you ever need to know is said in class, and if not then you don't ever need to go to class anyways and can just skim the book for an hour or so before each test.
Amazon will be your god for text books if you jump on that shit early, or can wait until a little later in the semester. Of course as pointed out earlier, a lot of publishers are now including internet media that needs a code to be accessed, and that often isn't available with the used editions. Sneaky, sneaky . . .
I just sold off some text books that I have been holding on to for years, and made a tidy little sum. Of course they sold for a fraction of what I bought them for, but then again, my parents bought my books back in the day . . . Profit!
I just sold off some text books that I have been holding on to for years, and made a tidy little sum. Of course they sold for a fraction of what I bought them for, but then again, my parents bought my books back in the day . . . Profit!
Textbook publishers were probably doing the online pass shit before games. I started uni in 06 and had to put up with it, and pretty sure some of my undergrad books got new editions the year after too.Angry Grimace said:
IMO the breadth requirements seem like a scam but tbh, if people didn't enjoy learning the stuff in those courses they probably shouldn't have gone to university anyways if they aren't willing to be even a tad open-minded. Granted it is still stupid that you have to pay for those courses.Obsessed said:
survivor said:
I once had a professor that really enjoyed finding and collecting errors in the book. For the edition used in the class he had collected 47 alone and always made sure we knew exactly where they were. It was pretty funny.
The cost of the books are ridiculous. I keep them all though. Sometimes i need em, plus i don't like letting the bookstore make money off of that shit even though it aint entirely their fault.
state-of-the-art
Member
dudeworld said:
All of my science classes are doing this. It's expensive, and it sucks.
BannedEpisode
Member
My school provides all textbooks free of charge.
Its pretty baller, I save hundreds per semester.
Its pretty baller, I save hundreds per semester.
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