Think about the last time you went to the mall on a huge shopping spree. Imagine you had an extra $500 to spend on anything you wanted; clothes, stereo equipment or video games. As you get to the cash register, you realize that you have not paid for your textbooks. The excitement of shopping vanishes as you groan about the price you pay for your education.
“After this semester I think I am going to start buying books online because they are so much cheaper there,” junior psychology major, Kate Regan, said. “The campus bookstore’s prices are outrageously high. If I can get the same books somewhere else for less, it makes more sense.”
Buying books for school is not cheap, especially for majors such as health science or for students taking extra classes. The internet helps some students buy books for less than what they are sold at the bookstore, but even now, it is hard to find a decently priced textbook.
Sophomore print journalism major, John Radzinski, tried to save money by looking online for books, but found that certain texts, like his Spanish book, was only a few dollars less if purchased online. Once you add in the shipping cost, it ended up not making much of a difference.
Some students buy books both online and at the bookstore, depending on what they can find, and how much they will save. Florencia Di Diego, senior public relations major looks online, depending on the prices in the bookstore.
“I buy my books at the bookstore just because it’s easier,” Di Diego said. “If the price is too ridiculous, I look online to find a cheaper one.”
Others agree with the convenience the Quinnipiac bookstore offers, and some share books with friends and roommates, if possible.
“I buy from the QU bookstore online,” junior occupational therapy major , Lauren Bonacci, said. “I tend to borrow the books that I didn’t buy from my roommates instead of going out and buying them.”
Although many students try to share books, some teachers do not allow sharing in class.
“I took an English class as an elective, and wasn’t even allowed to share the text with a friend to save money,” junior biomedical science major, Michelle Streckenbach, said. “My books for my science classes are expensive enough, and I thought it was pretty ridiculous [that we couldn’t share a book].”
Fortunately, some professors are more lenient than others. Bonacci said that some of her professors understand that books are expensive, and do not request students to bring them to class. Many professors have started putting books and materials on reserve in the library to help students cut textbook expenses.
When it comes to saving money, students look forward to the buy-back period at the end of each semester. Even at this time, the bookstore does not help students as much as students wish they would.
“The school could make more of an effort to get the books in on time and in the correct quantity, as well as offer more when it comes time to sell them back,” Bonacci said.
Sophomore communications major, Kristen Gennaro, buys her books from the bookstore, but found that selling her books back online is a better option than the bookstore buy-back prices.
“I like to sell them back online because you get more money,” Gennaro said.
Students know that books will cost more and more as the years progress, but it does not make the grand total each semester any easier to deal with.
