It's January again -- time for a new year, a new semester, new classes and some shiny new books to match. As students trekked back into town over the past few days, one of their first pit stops was the University bookstore, where they were welcomed with stacks of plastic-wrapped reading materials and fellow shoppers juggling course schedules and unwieldy book-filled baskets.
With prices ranging from $10 for a used paperback to $100 for a thick new hardcover, book buying costs varied from student to student.
Second-year College student Matt Ramey said he spends an average of $450 each semester on books. Fourth-year Commerce school student Chad Fisher however, has bad memories of two semesters where he spent over $700 obtaining all the books on his class reading lists.
To offset the bank-breaking cost of new textbooks, students have various strategies.
"Occasionally, I find better prices at the Student Bookstore on the Corner, but that's if you have time to price shop," Fisher said.
Second-year College student Kathleen Coleman turns to the Web to find lower prices.
"Barnes&Noble.com has good deals on books," she said. "I bought books for my Roman history class last semester."
Picking used books over new is another way to keep some cash, although these bargain books usually leave the shelves quickly. "I usually try to come in really early to get used books," fourth-year Commerce student Amanda Mopsick said.
For the very forward thinking student, there's always the option to check out the book list for a class before registering, in order to steer clear of classes with many books to buy. "I try to check the books lists," Coleman said. "If I'm deciding between two classes it can come down to which has more books."
After all is said and done, cash has been forked over or credit card swiped, there's still one last hassle in the book buying process. According to Coleman, "The worst part about buying books is carrying them home." Ouch.
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