College and High Priced Textbooks

We have spent many years in college textbooks when our daughter went to the state university. She was looking at some private colleges. There was no way that we could afford a private college.

After the first semester of college, tuition went up $300 for the Spring semester. The following year tuition cost over $7,000. As the years went by, tuition kept going up. That doesn't even include the books, school supplies, meals, bus fair, apartment living, utilities, general shopping expenses and entertainment (when necessary).

Yes, she wanted to go to private collage. But before our daughter entered college, we did look into some private colleges. But once the price tag came out, well public college wasn't so bad. Especially when her dad said, "We will help pay your way through college". And we payed most of her way.

Let's talk about college textbooks. What makes some of these books so important that they can sell for more than $100 new? Most college books are disposable. Your student will use it for the one semester and then never have a need for it again. Do you think she will put it on her favorite reading shelf? Then, when her friends ask her to join them at the beach, do you think she will say, "Hey wait a minute, I will take along my 'PHILOSOPHY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY' book. That way, I can read it while soaking up some sun!"

We have been comparing the price of textbooks between the University's bookstore and online websites. The University claims that they keep their prices down and don't make a profit off of the books. They even have a buy back the book program. Please!!! Anytime you sell back the books to a University or back to an online college book site (I checked this out), it is not a good deal. Our daughter, bless her, sold back most of her freshman textbooks from the fall semester to the bookstore. She brought this up, when I asked for the books. Because I was planning on putting them online to sell and I felt like screaming, when I found out that all she got back was about 25% of what we had paid.

Lately, whether it is the professors or some conspiracy plot, the textbooks needed for classes are listed within a week or a little more prior to when they start. Some professors do wait until classes had begin. This definitely makes it hard to get the best deal on overpriced (must be made of gold and diamonds) college textbooks.

At times, the university actually does come out ahead with used book prices. Most of the time I find a better deal online. You just have to compare. These are the two sites that I go to the most to find the best deals: cheapesttextbooks.com andgettextbooks.com T

he Gettextbooks site has a list of some rental sites. It is cheaper to rent. But is it really cheaper when you send it back? On the average Half.com seemed to win out. So does Amazon.

We ended up buying some of the books after classes started, because they weren't listed at the time. Isn't that a shocker!

Textbooks on Amazon are Available Here

Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others emphasizes the importance of focusing on others in order to understand and improve interpersonal communication. Self concept, perception, listening and responding skills, verbal and nonverbal communication skills, conflict management, interpersonal relationships, and managing relationship challenges. Interpersonal communication.

Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others - Used to New are Here!

The three towers in the center of the picture are the Sandburg Residence Halls.

paperback

A lively ethnography of the global and transnational dimensions of gay identity as lived by Filipino immigrants in New York City, Global Divas challenges beliefs about the progressive development of a gay world and the eventual assimilation of all queer folks into gay modernity. Insisting that gay identity is not teleological but fraught with fractures and fissures, Martin Manalansan IV describes how Filipino gay immigrants, like many queers of color, are creating alternative paths to queer modernity and citizenship. In Global Divas, he makes a compelling argument for the significance of diaspora and immigration as sites for investigating the complexities of gender, race, and sexuality.

UWM is located about 4 miles from downtown Milwaukee, visible in the background of this photo. The intervening trees provide shade to the neighboring homes.

On the first day of college, the Dean addressed the students, pointing out some of the rules.

"The female dormitory will be out-of-bounds for all male students, and the male dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time."

He continued, "Anybody caught breaking this rule the second time will be fined $60. Being caught a third time will incur a hefty fine of $180. Are there any questions?"

At this point, a male student in the crowd inquired "How much for a season pass?"

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College and High Priced Textbooks Copyright: August 19, 2008 by Sandy Mertens. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. You can, however, mention and link to the article here on HubPages

This view southward shows Sandburg towers, UWM's residence halls (dorms) in the foreground.

First year was the dorms.