Aside from the tuition fee, the most expensive aspect of education is textbooks. On the average, a student can spend thousands of dollars every semester just to meet the course requirements. When it comes to textbooks, a student can choose either purchasing a new book or sticking with a used one. Although new books are costly compared to its counterparts, paying extra money is sometimes worth the investment. There are also cases when opting for a new book is an ideal option. Are you confused which one is the best option? To make the best choice, there are certain factors to consider.
How to get college textbooks and education material for college?
First and foremast, when you’re buying a new textbook, you’re guaranteed fresh, clean pages with no scribbles or markings. On the other hand, second hand textbooks are filled with this – highlighted sentences, written notes, random doodles, irrelevant scribbles, you get the gist. This can be really frustrating and irritating when reading or even when you’re trying to write notes yourself. If pre-existing highlights, markings or writings could be bothersome to you then spending money on new textbooks maybe a good idea.
Textbooks often come with supplemental materials to provide more support when studying the material. Some of these supplemental items can be CDs, work sheets, or exclusive access to web-only material. With new textbooks, you’re guaranteed these additional learning items but with used textbooks this may not be the case. Second hand textbooks may not contain the supplementary material or if it does, they’re most probably expired or used up. So if your course requires this additional material then you may need to consider buying a new textbook.
Up to date material
Another advantage when considering purchasing new over used textbooks is that the material is up to date. There may some classes where it’s required to have the latest edition as many subjects update their content periodically. New additions can include the latest findings from new research, incorporating the latest legislation or discussing the newest technological advancement. If you’re going for second hand textbooks, just remember you may need to borrow someone’s latest edition to take note of the new material or photocopy the new pages!
So, after discussing some key points on new vs. used textbooks, which do you think is better? Maybe there isn’t just one solution to this and it really depends on the course you’re taking or even the financial situation you’re in. Either way, we do know that textbooks are critical to your success at college. Hate them or love them, they’re here to stay!
Brought to you by the team at The Co-op, Australia’s leading textbook provider. Get more advice and tips on student living on our blog, The Co-op Blog.