ajlangs

So this may be a silly question, buuut...will it be a problem to not have our books right away? Obviously I'd like to shop around a bit and will probably get them from the Used section of Amazon, meaning they may take a while to ship. Will professors be okay with that or will they expect you to have books ASAP?

SmithieandProud

Depends. For some classes you may need your book right away to do reading or get homework questions out of, or even to start studying for your first quiz. Chances are you won't need them the first few days of class and if you do they may be on reserve at the library (many teachers have copies of their books kept behind the library desk that can be checked out for three hour periods, this is called being on reserve). But if you're going to shop around my advice would be to do it quickly. You can already go to the smith bookstore website (efollet, grecourt bookshop) and see what their used price will be, so start comparing as soon as you get a look at your course syllabi

Momwaitingfornew

My D had a major problem because her stats book did not arrive in time from an Amazon third party seller. For a week or so, she was completely stressed out.

First year is different from other semesters. Later on, you'll know your classes and can look up the books in advance. You can order online -- but watch prices. Some books online cost the same as books at Grecourt, and so there's no advantage to buying them through the mail.

MeredithBelle

Professors understand that students tend to shop around & therefore you might not rush out to buy a book right away for a class you may not take. Though it's advisable to get the book within the first week if you do end up taking the class. Though it doesn't excuse you for not staying on track or anything.

HOWEVER, I assume you are an incoming student (first-year or transfer). That being said, I would wait until you have registered for your first-semester classes- which will be during orientation- AND when your class schedule is more or less finalized. Suck up the Smith College bookstore prices even if you can get a few books cheaper through chegg/amazon/half/whatever though there are some used versions at the Smith Bookstore for somewhat less. And then you can shop for cheaper prices in subsequent semesters aka when you will have registered for classes weeks or months in advance vs. a mere few days before classes start, when your schedule may change much more dramatically. Just my $0.02, anyway.