NationStates Jolt Archive

For many of us, it's that time of year again! Time to buy new textbooks for a new semester. So, let's see how much the people of NSG are spending on textbooks this semester. What class is your most expensive book for? (and/or what's the most expensive book you've had to buy in all your years of schooling?)

I'm about halfway through my book shopping, and it's looking like I'm spending a total of $270 this semester on textbooks, much of it going towards my PHIL 1500: Logic and Critical Thinking class: an $80 textbook new, and they didn't have any used copies in stock.

Poll coming!

I'm no longer a uni student but textbooks are bit of scam. They change textbooks every year so you can't use last years books from previous students. Still got a shelf full of old uni textbooks which I can't sell unless I give them away.

For many of us, it's that time of year again! Time to buy new textbooks for a new semester. So, let's see how much the people of NSG are spending on textbooks this semester. What class is your most expensive book for? (and/or what's the most expensive book you've had to buy in all your years of schooling?)

I'm about halfway through my book shopping, and it's looking like I'm spending a total of $270 this semester on textbooks, much of it going towards my PHIL 1500: Logic and Critical Thinking class: an $80 textbook new, and they didn't have any used copies in stock.

Poll coming!

I'm not spending anything :D
of course that's because I haven't been in college for almost 15 years

When I was buying them usually around 300 USD

For many of us, it's that time of year again! Time to buy new textbooks for a new semester. So, let's see how much the people of NSG are spending on textbooks this semester. What class is your most expensive book for? (and/or what's the most expensive book you've had to buy in all your years of schooling?)

I'm about halfway through my book shopping, and it's looking like I'm spending a total of $270 this semester on textbooks, much of it going towards my PHIL 1500: Logic and Critical Thinking class: an $80 textbook new, and they didn't have any used copies in stock.

Poll coming!
I actually don't know how much I'd be spending when I start teaching myself Japanese. :p

$860.

For many of us, it’s that time of year again! Time to buy new textbooks for a new semester. So, let’s see how much the people of NSG are spending on textbooks this semester. What class is your most expensive book for? (and/or what’s the most expensive book you’ve had to buy in all your years of schooling?)
Tomorrow’s only the second day of term and I’ve already spent £50/$100 on texts, though only one is a ‘proper’ textbook. Most are specific texts, and I’ve bought different translations of the same books (i.e. two different translations of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, two different translations of Kant’s Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, etc.) I expect I’ll be spending around £75-100/$150-200, and doing a lot of borrowing from the library.

Most expensive class will probably be Philosophy of Mind; new subject, big textbooks. £20/$40+

I think the most I ever spent on a textbook was about £35/$70 on a Jurisprudence textbook. I used it surprisingly often.

$860.
Ouch!

I don't know when I start school, but it won't be until at least next year. (Vocational school, not college.) Considering I'll be taking courses in Massage Therapy, I may or not even need textbooks, though I could be wrong, of course.

$400 on textbooks I barely have time to read. Most expensive are the two-volume textbook on Internal Medicine (~$100), and that thick heavy Pediatrics textbook (~$80). Of the more expensive ones, I have read the Pathology (~$80) one the most. That's a lot of money here... :(

When I went to college a few years back (never finished, though), I always bought my books used. Still very pricey, but I saved a bundle.

Unfortunately law is a particularly book intensive course, and you can't use old editions because of changes to the law, so probably in the region of £150-£175. What's that in USD...$300-$350?

I save by going to amazon.com to get most of mine. Usually spend about 250 by doing that, as opposed to spending around 500 for going to the university bookstore

Probably about $300 when all is said and done. I order my books online, and one of them didn't show up.
I need it tomorrow morning.
I don't know at what point I will admit defeat and buy a new textbook.

I spent 350+ my first year, but this semester I am sharing two books with my roommate so I only spent about 100.

I used to get books off amazon for about half the price my school sells them for, but amazon has this annoying habit of selling you books that they don't have and then shipping them to you months later even if you use overnight shipping. totally gay imo.

I actually don't know how much I'd be spending when I start teaching myself Japanese. :p

True dat. I've spent about $400 in my efforts to learn German. Scheiße!

The textbook market seems to be quite a racket. Here's my theory:
The people writing textbooks for university and even high school are almost always professors or people with an advanced degree in the subject. This means they know what they're talking about. But what it also means is that they had to spend, at the very least, four years in school learning enough about their subject to get a degree. During this time, they spent hundreds, if not thousands, on textbooks. Thus, out of a combination of bitterness and genuine need for money to repay college debts, these people charge $150 a pop. And then the cycle continues...

I paid over 700 first semester, 500 second, 600 third, around 450 this one.

*scream*
*deep breath*
My book didn't show up before class started and I have homework in the class already. I had to go buy it. The book I ordered has one week to show up. Needless to say, I'm a little pissed.

I bought new homeschool curriculum last October, spent $790 on books, plus about $400 on materials, it's also time to re-stock here, I suspect I will spend about $300 on random materials and about $200 on books.

this semester I got lucky, my spanish two class uses the same book as spanish one, my two anthropology classes we use paperbacks around $20 each, and for honors/writing we don't really use books beyond a grammar reference I bought last semester. that leaves my ~$100 oral comm book. last semester I spent $482 at the campus bookstore before returning them all and going across the street to spend only $230. I used none of my books that semester except for my spanish book...including a $150 monster of a history book that was never even opened.

I go to the library so i've spent a total of £0

I spent $570. One was used and I was able to reuse my Calc text from last semester.

No books this semester, as I'll be student teaching. I haven't had a single semester below $300 tho.

No books this semester, as I'll be student teaching. I haven't had a single semester below $300 tho.
Me neither. $350 is three classes if you are lucky. Whose ass did the OP pull these numbers from?

Me neither. $350 is three classes if you are lucky. Whose ass did the OP pull these numbers from?

300 was my cheapest when I was in all English classes that used relatively few books and one ed class that had a fake text book (one of those photocopied things...still ran me $100). Most, I would say, came around 4 or 5 hundred range, and thats still mostly English and education classes

I probably won't know until semester starts in a month and a half :D

I'm still waiting for "Holy crap I'm a second year uni student and I survived two semesters without failing to hit me"...

300 was my cheapest when I was in all English classes that used relatively few books and one ed class that had a fake text book (one of those photocopied things...still ran me $100). Most, I would say, came around 4 or 5 hundred range, and thats still mostly English and education classes
I think last semester was cheapest for me. About $500. This semester has been plainly average. $570 dollars for four classes, I already had the text for the fifth.

Well. I don't attend University anymore, but I do work at a Univeristy Bookstore and I will tell you, even my manager is pissed at the prices of textbooks now-a-days.


Although the price of one of the Calc books went down. Last year it was $120 new and this year it's about $80 new.

I probably won't know until semester starts in a month and a half :D

I'm still waiting for "Holy crap I'm a second year uni student and I survived two semesters without failing to hit me"...

you guys still have a month and a half of break?! :eek:

I think last semester was cheapest for me. About $500. This semester has been plainly average. $570 dollars for four classes, I already had the text for the fifth.

I couldn't be happier to be into my student teaching now...no textbooks ever again :)

I couldn't be happier to be into my student teaching now...no textbooks ever again :)
I can't wait until next year, when my class schedule becomes more CS oriented. Right now, it is still rather math and physics heavy, and they have the more expensive texts. CS books tend to be cheap and light. I'll also have more engineering courses, which tend to rank with math and physics in terms of price (and size). Regardless, I think the cost should start decreasing.

you guys still have a month and a half of break?! :eek:

Summer uni holidays are from about the 24th of November until 25th of February.

Summer uni holidays are from about the 24th of November until 25th of February.

Ahh...forgot you were a Aussie...

My wife is going to college on the "No Worker Left Behind" program (much better than no child left behind). Her books were almost all USED and they still ran over $400. Thank the gods the states is paying for them.

Ahh...forgot you were a Aussie...

And after I went to all the trouble to have it right there in the side-bar too :p