Alternatives To Buying Textbooks - Don't Buy It!

Before you throw your cash on the counter and buy your next huge and costly core textbook, ask yourself whether you have considered the alternatives to buying these tomes outright. These days there are a plethora of options open to the eagle eyed college student looking to save on expensive, and often mandatory, textbooks that they will ultimately only use for an intense exam period lasting a few weeks. Fortunately things really are changing in terms of avoiding the classic 'textbook' binge, and I don't just mean that library services have improved in the past few years.

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Alternative 1. Library rental is certainly an option, but most of us will miss out on the good books because the early birds will have rented the books before us. You have to be up insanely early to get a hold of the textbooks that count, but if you feel you can manage this it's certainly an option. That being said, the library will always remain a core place to get your textbooks, but you just have to be smart about working the system to make sure you, rather than someone else, picks them up.

Alternative 2. Borrowing is another option, but this depends heavily on whether you can find someone who already has the books you need. This is generally contingent on them owning the same edition that you need for your course. You may find yourself in the awkward position of using a textbook that is outdated by a number of years- even if the changes are only minimal on the surface. Most of the time these new editions involve nothing more than cosmetic changes, but try arguing that with your Professor! As an alternative to buying textbooks it is all the same worth considering and you can add sharing to the mix here.

Alternative 3. Renting online - This is the latest and arguably the best option to emerge in recent years. Sites such as Chegg offer the chance to rent books and extend that rental for as long as you need the book. There are small things to keep in mind here, but in general the prices on offer from rental prices are clearly much cheaper than those on offer from physical campus book stores. You also have the benefit of knowing that the book will arrive when they promise, rather than being at the mercy of the library system, where a whole bunch of people will be chasing after you in order to get the book sent back. This is certainly something to consider seriously.

All in all we live at a time when the average college student is no longer at the complete and utter mercy of the bookstore owner, and there are definite options available to them. Principle among these are the good old fashioned library service from the University (or elsewhere if you are lucky), borrowing books from friends, family, or colleagues, and what I see as the best alternative to buying textbooks to be found today- renting the books online.

Alternatives To Buying Textbooks - Don't Buy It!

Related : Totally Textbooks