0
Book Smarts
Posted by Jess Gates
The first week of Spring semester is almost done. I must admit it's really nice to come back to my apartment and all my crazy friends after being at home for break. In my junior year, this place truly has become my second home. And it feels good to be back.
Now about school! I'm super excited for the classes I'm taking this semester because I'm FINALLY done with my LAC's (liberal arts core) or general education classes! WOOT!!!! (yes that was totally necessary -- trust me! :) ) All my classes are 300 and 400 level and the discussions are so engaging I find myself enjoying class already and looking forward to the rest of the semester. As long as I can keep up with all the reading I have to do I think this will be a good, productive semester.
Speaking of books.....I had to buy about ten books. Now, as any college student knows, this usually puts a hefty dent in your wallet which is pretty small to begin with! What many incoming students who've never had to dump hundreds of dollars into books don't realize is that there are major ways to save big! So I shall let you all in on the secrets of saving some mooolah.
Although we have a bookstore on campus, and a bargain bookstore not two seconds away, the best way to save is online shopping. I personally recommend half.com. For those of you who've never had to buy online, don't fear! All it requires is a little shopping around and a debit/credit card. So don't be afraid to look around. If you absolutely need to buy books from the bookstore try to go earlier before the crowd rush, or even preorder your books from the bookstore, and always buy used!
My personal trick of the trade though is to wait to buy books until after the first day in class or even the first week if you can. By doing this I've been able to gage by the syllabus if I will even need the books (yes, sometimes professors cruely make you buy that $150 book that you use as a dust collector). Also, if some of my friends are in the same classes I'll usually go 50/50 with them on the books (don't suggest if your friends are unreliable!)
Hope that helps a bit when you get to UNC! I'm now off to put a dent in my list of reading homework that is fastly growing. Happy reading!
Ciao for now!
Now about school! I'm super excited for the classes I'm taking this semester because I'm FINALLY done with my LAC's (liberal arts core) or general education classes! WOOT!!!! (yes that was totally necessary -- trust me! :) ) All my classes are 300 and 400 level and the discussions are so engaging I find myself enjoying class already and looking forward to the rest of the semester. As long as I can keep up with all the reading I have to do I think this will be a good, productive semester.
Speaking of books.....I had to buy about ten books. Now, as any college student knows, this usually puts a hefty dent in your wallet which is pretty small to begin with! What many incoming students who've never had to dump hundreds of dollars into books don't realize is that there are major ways to save big! So I shall let you all in on the secrets of saving some mooolah.
Although we have a bookstore on campus, and a bargain bookstore not two seconds away, the best way to save is online shopping. I personally recommend half.com. For those of you who've never had to buy online, don't fear! All it requires is a little shopping around and a debit/credit card. So don't be afraid to look around. If you absolutely need to buy books from the bookstore try to go earlier before the crowd rush, or even preorder your books from the bookstore, and always buy used!
My personal trick of the trade though is to wait to buy books until after the first day in class or even the first week if you can. By doing this I've been able to gage by the syllabus if I will even need the books (yes, sometimes professors cruely make you buy that $150 book that you use as a dust collector). Also, if some of my friends are in the same classes I'll usually go 50/50 with them on the books (don't suggest if your friends are unreliable!)
Hope that helps a bit when you get to UNC! I'm now off to put a dent in my list of reading homework that is fastly growing. Happy reading!
Ciao for now!