College textbooks

[DawnM]

My friend has a daughter in dual enrollment.  She told me that for the 4 classes her daughter is taking, it cost over $500 in books.  She said they were all purchased through the school.

 

I thought she must just not have the research savvy to find the used books online.

 

Now I get it.

 

I just signed my son up for dual enrollment for next year and took a look at the books he will need.  They are either "School X edition" and specific for that school, or they need the online code that can only be used once.  Buying from them used and paying the online code is very minimal savings.

 

It also states that "unless the dropdown menu states that 'available for rent' is an option, you will need to purchase the book."

 

UGH.  

Edited May 2, 2016 by DawnM

[Teachaheart]

Have your son contact the professor and ask if there is any reason another edition would not be acceptable. My English sections are assigned a school edition of the textbook, but there is nothing in that edition that is not in the current generic edition of the book. My students can find the generic edition for a fraction of the price of the officially required edition. They only run into trouble with previous editions of the book due to chapters that have been added and changes in sample essays. I think many professors allow students to use other editions of the required textbooks as long as there are no significant content differences, and it never hurts for a student to ask.

[DawnM]

Have your son contact the professor and ask if there is any reason another edition would not be acceptable. My English sections are assigned a school edition of the textbook, but there is nothing in that edition that is not in the current generic edition of the book. My students can find the generic edition for a fraction of the price of the officially required edition. They only run into trouble with previous editions of the book due to chapters that have been added and changes in sample essays. I think many professors allow students to use other editions of the required textbooks as long as there are no significant content differences, and it never hurts for a student to ask.

 

Did your child need the online access code?  All of his seem to require it.  

[FaithManor]

We purchased some new, rented some, and found some used this past semester for college boy depending on the each class requirement, and despite not needing an online code for anything, the course books were so expensive it was still nearly $700.00, and other classmates who didn't do any rentals for find any used bargains paid nearly $1000.00 for five classes.

 

It is getting pretty out of control. When I went to college, I could use my semester earnings from the few piano students assigned to me to pay for the next semester's books, and dh paid for it out of tutoring money. That really wouldn't work now with the cost so incredibly high.

[elegantlion]

Ds is running into this, but he's going into an expensive major (book wise). I tend to forget as the professors in my major abhor the textbook scam and try to assign cheaper books or none at all in the survey courses. 

 

I agree with emailing the professor, I've done that before and have been able to save a lot. Even if you need the access code, sometimes the code includes an ebook of the text, so unless you need a physical copy, you might get by with just the access code. 

Edited May 2, 2016 by elegantlion

[hillfarm]

When my dd was doing the dual enrollment, her books for one semester of 5 classes rang up at over $1200.00! Even though we didn't have to pay for them, I was horrified for all those who did. In our state, all of the dual enrollment books are included in the program, just like regular high school text books would be. She collected them at the beginning of each semester at no cost and returned them by the end of finals week for each semester. I think the only reason there would have been a fee was if there was excessive wear or damage to the book.

 

I expect to be singing a different tune next month though. She will enroll in classes for her freshman year at the local university. Be forewarned - those shrieks of dismay you hear wafting through the air at the beginning of next month will be me, singing the "sticker shock" song. At least we will have all summer to seek alternatives.

[regentrude]

The student should contact the professor and ask whether

1. he can use an older edition of the textbook and

2. whether the access code will be required for mandatory work.

 

The bookstore may not be able to procure enough copies of older editions and thus the old edition can not be the required text, but it may be perfectly suitable.

Also, the publisher may offer a bundle of book+access code to a reduced price, so that it is cheaper for students to buy the new book with the access code than without - but the access code may not, in fact, be required by the instructor.

 

A quick email can save the student hundreds of dollars.

 

It may also be cheaper to purchase an old book and a separate access code.

[goldberry]

We have been burned by the online access code.  All the classes DD took required it, and it looks like most for next year require it also.  Held hostage!

[Luckymama]

The only access codes my kids have needed were/are those for beginner and intermediate levels of foreign language. The online component replaces the language lab of the past.

 

I wonder if use of codes is specific to institutions?---that some schools use them across disciplines, while others do not.

[DawnM]

When my dd was doing the dual enrollment, her books for one semester of 5 classes rang up at over $1200.00! Even though we didn't have to pay for them, I was horrified for all those who did. In our state, all of the dual enrollment books are included in the program, just like regular high school text books would be. She collected them at the beginning of each semester at no cost and returned them by the end of finals week for each semester. I think the only reason there would have been a fee was if there was excessive wear or damage to the book.

 

I expect to be singing a different tune next month though. She will enroll in classes for her freshman year at the local university. Be forewarned - those shrieks of dismay you hear wafting through the air at the beginning of next month will be me, singing the "sticker shock" song. At least we will have all summer to seek alternatives.

 

 

Apparently our DE used to cover it, but they don't anymore.

[TranquilMind]

We have been burned by the online access code.  All the classes DD took required it, and it looks like most for next year require it also.  Held hostage!

Yeah, that's just evil.  It's so obviously a money grab. 

[The Girls' Mom]

It is awful.  Do try all the suggestions above, but don't be surprised if none of them pan out.  It feels like a racket.  Our CC has either custom editions for everything (and yes, they want that edition), OR require an online code that costs more than the textbook.  

 

There are three of us in college classes right now.  Pretty much the sum of all my part-time paychecks for the year goes to books.

[hornblower]

A couple of dd's courses have required the online access codes. The instructor was assigning weekly quizzes through the publisher's website and they constitute part of the final grade so not having the code was not an option. 

Also, the textbook for some courses was actually not even bound like a proper textbook. It's a cannibalized textbook, with the chapters and sections the instructor selects from a specific text, ie. a highly personalized edition. They say that this will save money & environment because they only print and provide you with exactly what you need. But it's harder to sell as it's loose and even if you put it in a binder right away there's risk that pages are missing etc so people are reluctant to buy a used one ... and it can only be used by one school/prof/class so the textbook wholesalers don't want to buy it back & you have to try to sell it privately.  

For some of her other classes, the online codes were optional but she found them worthwhile to buy/activate for access to additional learning modules and review as well as test prep question banks. 

On one hand, the technology is pretty cool & in terms of innovation, it's an amazing development. Otoh, it's incredibly expensive. 

One thing I've heard the rich kids doing is buying both hard copy & digital versions. Hard copy for studying/annotating at home, digital versions for their ipads to haul to lectures and labs. 

 

At the other extreme, many students either don't buy texts at all, or they get pirated copies from the web.  There's a reason why the ratemyprof ratings include whether textbook is needed..... 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

It is such a gosh damn racket!

 

They get you one way or another.

 

 

[regentrude]

One thing I've heard the rich kids doing is buying both hard copy & digital versions. Hard copy for studying/annotating at home, digital versions for their ipads to haul to lectures and labs.

 

 

Often you get the electronic version free with purchase of the hard copy.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yeah you get the electronic version free with the book.  Some instructors don't mind if you only use the electronic version.

 

My son's instructor didn't have them use the on-line stuff (thank you...thank you).  Class I took the instructor insisted.  What made me mad was that the only thing we used the on-line stuff was for submitting homework and it was only 4 assignments total worth 10% of the grade.  I think he intended to use it more than that (first time he tried it) and he didn't end up liking it.  There were a few students who just didn't buy the on-line stuff (but found inexpensive used copies of the books without codes).  Smart, but I just didn't know that I could get away with that. 

 

I plan to take the course my son is finishing up now. I'm crossing everything they use the same book.  That would save me $150. 

 

 

[hornblower]

I don't think we get the electronic version automatically. I think our copyright laws are different. The woman in the college bookstore was explaining it all to us a couple years ago & as far as I remember, it's a separate thing for us.

[SparklyUnicorn]

One idea I had was to buy the new book, and get a used copy of a later edition and compare if they are really that different then return the new book if not.

 

I know, terrible, but ya know sometimes you have to get creative.  LOL

 

But problem with that is everything would kinda have to fall into place for that to be a good option. 

 

 

[Mom22ns]

Yep, dd faced this at the CC too. We paid over $400 for her books this semester. All of them had to be bought new and had to include access codes. We emailed every teacher before buying to make sure it had to be that edition and had to have the access code - yep. No discounts.

 

Ds's university has been quite the opposite. In his freshman year he hasn't needed a single access code and this semester he spent less than $100 on books. Being held hostage for access codes is a rapidly spreading phenomenon, but I'm glad there are still exceptions.

[regentrude]

One idea I had was to buy the new book, and get a used copy of a later edition and compare if they are really that different then return the new book if not.

I know, terrible, but ya know sometimes you have to get creative.  LOL

 

But problem with that is everything would kinda have to fall into place for that to be a good option. 

 

They usually are no much different - except for the homework problem numbers.

The college's library should have copies of all major textbooks currently used - so you could have a look at the book there. It may be in the reference section, for in library use only.

[SparklyUnicorn]

They usually are no much different - except for the homework problem numbers.

The college's library should have copies of all major textbooks currently used - so you could have a look at the book there. It may be in the reference section, for in library use only.

 

Oh good idea.  I do recall some classmates years ago buying older editions instead.  The instructors never had a problem with that and would often even give them a heads up about some minor differences.  I'm sure lots of instructors would choose to use an older edition if they could.

[regentrude]

Oh good idea.  I do recall some classmates years ago buying older editions instead.  The instructors never had a problem with that and would often even give them a heads up about some minor differences.  I'm sure lots of instructors would choose to use an older edition if they could.

 

I run into this snag every time I try - the bookstore cannot guarantee that they can get a large enough number of old edition books for all the students, so I can't officially go older than maybe the previous one.

OTOH, I announce on my website prominently that older editions are perfectly acceptable. I have barely any student go to the trouble of getting the old edition, even though that would save them a lot of money. Most are too lazy to bother correlating the chapters for the reading assignment. Boggles my mind. But then, only 25% of the students (self reported, anonymous survey) actually complete the assigned reading, sigh.

Edited May 2, 2016 by regentrude

[SparklyUnicorn]

I run into this snag every time I try - the bookstore cannot guarantee that they can get a large enough number of old edition books for all the students, so I can't officially go older than maybe the previous one.

OTOH, I announce on my website prominently that older editions are perfectly acceptable. I have barely any student go to the trouble of getting the old edition, even though that would save them a lot of money. Most are too lazy to bother correlating the chapters for the reading assignment. Boggles my mind. But then, only 25% of the students (self reported, anonymous survey) actually complete the assigned reading, sigh.

 

Huh, that's weird.  Especially now that you can order stuff from Amazon pretty easily. 

 

I wonder if they don't think too hard about it because often the money isn't coming out of their wallet in a way they notice.  In other words that's something they'll pay back later so it doesn't feel like they are spending any money.

 

Now that I'm paying cash for that, I definitely notice!   I managed to get a decent tax break on the course I took and K too.  That was cool.  What I think is so weird though is they (almost) never let you count books yet that's no small chunk of change. 

[G5052]

It's a horrible situation all right. We paid well over $1000 for two semesters.

 

We were able to rent the calculus book this semester, and should be able to resell the English book.

 

The speech teacher (great professor) uses all web links (whew!). 

 

I'm figuring next year to be the same if not worse. Probably three access codes and new-ish books?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

DS was able to get one used math book that had an access code in it still.  He got a used Chemistry book and then second semester had to buy an access code when that instructor required it.

 

I am a big fan of the online sites for math and science -- when the instructor knows how to use them.

 

I was less thrilled with the online site for English, but that instructor was a general disappointment.  I am just as irked that they had to buy the required textbook and then used it about once.  It is, of course, a college specific looseleaf edition with no resale value.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

<snip>

 

The speech teacher (great professor) uses all web links (whew!). 

<snip>

 

Our local CC is going textbook free.  Instructors are required to find online resources to replace textbooks and must do so within the next two-three years. It's a pain in the blister.  We have to verify that all websites will remain active and updated for the current year, that the material/presentation is ADA compliant, that the site will work with Microsoft and Apple, that it doesn't require any third party software to run, and so on and so forth.   

 

It's a lot of prep work.  A lot of prep work

[Teachaheart]

Did your child need the online access code? All of his seem to require it.

I don't require the online access code for my students, but the college assigns the bundled text and access code to all English courses. I don't have the option to choose something different for my courses, but when students ask, I tell them it is not required for my classes.

[MerryAtHope]

Did your child need the online access code?  All of his seem to require it.  

 

The original booklist my ds got said it was needed, but when we went to the bookstore, they offered us a used book. I asked how that would work with the code, and the student worker said the prof doesn't require the code. So...definitely worth checking whether it's really needed. 

 

I've looked online, but buying used there doesn't save much money off of buying used from the bookstore here (plus when we buy them here, my son knows how much they've been written in or whether they are perfumy or moldy--things I've been burned on when buying used online, and which are issues for us). And, I know that the money the bookstore makes actually helps to fund extra curriculars at the college (that's how ours is set up--other colleges might work differently). Selling them back helps a little...but yes, they sure are expensive. 

[Bluegoat]

I don't think we get the electronic version automatically. I think our copyright laws are different. The woman in the college bookstore was explaining it all to us a couple years ago & as far as I remember, it's a separate thing for us.

 

 

I've bought books here with electonic versions included.  Generally our laws on copyright are a little looser than the US.  It might have just been that bookstoreor school, or possibly even related to the publishers.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm a little sad about everything moving towards digital though.  I still prefer physical books for some things.  Staring at screens can get tiring too.  Plus it's not always as portable. 

 

 

[FaithManor]

I MUCH prefer real books. I don't think the move to digital is necessarily positive. Our son HATES reading on screen so if his college went to this, he'd be an unhappy camper. He is a book a'holic.

[daijobu]

I MUCH prefer real books. I don't think the move to digital is necessarily positive. Our son HATES reading on screen so if his college went to this, he'd be an unhappy camper. He is a book a'holic.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one.  I just printed out 50 pages (fortunately front/back, so only 25 pieces of paper) from a Wikipedia article.  I can't read 50 pp. on a screen.  

[FaithManor]

I run into this snag every time I try - the bookstore cannot guarantee that they can get a large enough number of old edition books for all the students, so I can't officially go older than maybe the previous one.

OTOH, I announce on my website prominently that older editions are perfectly acceptable. I have barely any student go to the trouble of getting the old edition, even though that would save them a lot of money. Most are too lazy to bother correlating the chapters for the reading assignment. Boggles my mind. But then, only 25% of the students (self reported, anonymous survey) actually complete the assigned reading, sigh.

:svengo:  :svengo:  :svengo:

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well now here is something cool.  The book my son has now, I paid $160 for.  Amazon is currently offering a gift card of 142.81 as a trade in.  That's pretty sweet.

 

 

[Pegasus]

Well now here is something cool.  The book my son has now, I paid $160 for.  Amazon is currently offering a gift card of 142.81 as a trade in.  That's pretty sweet.

 

This is something always worth checking!  Be sure to send it quick.  I've waited too long before and the offer price does sometimes go down.

[kiana]

I use the online homework for lower-division math classes for two big reason. One, because the students get immediate feedback on whether they got it right or not. Unfortunately in these classes, students tend to submit homework, receive it back with a poor grade, look only at the number on the front for what they got, and then toss it in their bag and ignore it rather than re-working incorrectly done problems. Two, because they tend to copy homework, and online homework randomizes the numbers. So they do have to buy the code, which is expensive. If there were a cheaper version that was adequate for my purposes, I would use it.

 

I do tell them that the ebook is bundled with the code and that they only have to buy the print book if they want to, and put the print book in the bookstore as 'optional resource'. 

 

I really don't like the 'custom edition' and the publisher representatives keep trying to get me to make one up. They love it because it cuts into the used book sales and also the pirating. 

 

For the upper-division classes, editions tend to change much less frequently as there is a lot less market for these (changing a calculus edition will generate a lot more new sales than changing a combinatorics edition) and pirating homework is a lot less of a problem as well. So if there is a more recent edition, it is likely that there is an actual substantive update.