Damn school

[RyanbabZ71]

Dont they know college kids are poor

 

get this this past summer i take thermo 1.  Pay $125 for the book.  Well i have thermo 2 this coming semester.  They changed versions and i have to shell out another $125 for the same book but another version.  WTF

 

Isnt it bad enough i spent $400 on books (3 books) today alone?

[MadFish]

The last semester I went to college, I had to buy one book that was $175. The professor said we needed it and never used it. Even after the semester was over the school wouldnt buy it back, because they werent going to be using that book for the next semester.

[Jpshostr]

It does suck, but you aren't as bad off as me.  I'm a farmboy going to school.  I have no money when I get there, no money while I'm there, no money when I leave.  Thank God for scholarships is all I can say.  At the U of I there doesn't seem to be too many poor folk, they all are pretty Chicago boys and girls that mommy and daddy give anything they want.  But I'm not going to get into that, it pisses me off too much.

[DigUout]

 But I'm not going to get into that, it pisses me off too much.

Good to see you're not bitter Jp!  Hang in there man.

 

 If you need a pep talk, those same kids who've had everything handed to them will be in for a shock when they get out in the real world and no one gives them anything.  You on the other hand are so far ahead of those kids (trustafarians, remember?), because you know what it is to work and scrape for what you need.

 To make an analogy that you will surely understand, remember this.  "The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it!"

[Shaners]

Book prices are aweful!!!  And what is worse, the ones you don't want to keep an d want to sell back aren't worth diddly at the end of the semester.  Have you checked into places like ecampus.com for a better price?

[Torque Junkie]

I'm with JP, don't even get me going on University.  

 

College books are the biggest racket ever made!   Espeicaly when it says "required' and then you never open it.   Total BS!  

 

It makes me sick to know that you have to spend 50-75% of what you spend on tuition JUST for books!

 

When I go back to college this fall (which will be a community college) I will probably not buy any books until I go to at least 2 weeks of class to detirmine whether I really need it or not.

[NewbieZ71]

It is amazing how every course manages to require 1 book in the 99-150 range.....I bought the required one as well as the optional for one of the courses last semester.  Didnt open the required the whole semester, he taught strictly from the optional.  Started his first class telling us how bad the required book was!!! Wonder what the financial arrangement is for the University----Publisher relationship?  Anyone know?

[Kansas Kid]

Can't really add much to this discussion.  I know exactly what you are talking about, cause it happens to me atleast twice a year.  Its probably the only thing I don't like about college, is the whole book buying experience.

[NewbieZ71]

I would really ike to know what the deal is though.....the schools somehow determine that a particular text is the one they should teach from.  I could understand that if the decision was based on the quality of the book and they indeed teached from it.  But alot of the time it isnt.  Who decides which book I wonder?

[Kansas Kid]

I'm not really sure who decides that Newbie, because I've heard several different things at my school.  Some people say it is decided by the department heads, and other say it is decided by the teachers them selves.  My personal feeling is that the teachers decided what books they want to use, just so long as it comes from a publisher that the University "accepts".  Thats just my theory though.

[NewbieZ71]

My Java Programming prof told us that he was required by the school to teach from a specific book....he had no choice.  Well, actually he did, he taught his own way and tried to relate it to the book which didnt work.  So, we basically bought the book for nothing and he wasnt able to tell use another...  he was free to NOT use the required one but he couldnt use his own...strange system they got going there...