Top Textbook Tips
As the new term of uni starts or you adapt the new name of a freshman, textbooks and stationary is an expensive must.
As it's only a month till September I thought my first post would be some tips on buying textbooks, some useful sites, and mistakes to avoid.
Tip 1: Reading lists in uni are ridiculous; you have way too many choices. It’s easy to freak out and try and seek out as many as you can (mistake No.1). But this isn’t the case.
Considering you’re reading this right now, probably logged onto Facebook and Twitter at the same time, you definitely know what the internet is. Don’t underestimate what help the internet can provide you (after all, how many of us completed essays by practically copying Wikipedia?)
You can search up the textbooks recommended by your lectures on Google Scholar, or try your look on BookBoon, hey you might get it free as an eBook! If it’s only for a paragraph or short chapter, you can look up the title in Google Books as it only shows incomplete versions but that’s all you need right?
Tip 2: There are a lot of ways to read books for free. You just need to know where to look.
Most obvious is the library. Some unis are known for their gigantic libraries so make sure you make the most of it. If you’re in a big city like London don’t forget the public libraries too. Although they might not have the precise textbook, extra reading is never a bad idea.
As I mentioned before free eBooks is an actual thing. Books for popular courses can sometimes be found on sites such as these:
- http://www.textbookrevolution.org/index.php/Main_Page
- http://spot.colorado.edu/~dubin/bookmarks/b/1240.html
(for all you budding scientists whom I have yet to understand. WHHHHY???)
- https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page
Tip 3:
Although for most of us, Amazon seems our first bet for online shopping but using Flubit! you can see if they can offer cheaper prices to those you've found. All you have to do is paste the web link and just wait till they generate a cheaper price!
Tip 4: Sharing!
You might know people in the year above or maybe enquire at your uni to see if they have a book exchange programme. As long as you have the contacts, this method is particularly effective for textbooks.
Ok. Yeah I think it's time to stop too :L
I thought that selling old textbooks and other freshers tips deservered another post so that'll be coming next!
The Frugal Teen