Professors and Books

College Life
1

<p>Do most professors usually use the books put up on general lists for the classes? I know it varies but i am trying to see if buying my books will be cheaper if i ignore some intro class books.</p>

2

<p>Completely depends on the class. Wait until classes start and go from there. From my experience intro level classes rely more on books than higher level classes. I’m a science major though, so not sure if that’ll apply universally. The bookstores (most likely) won’t run out of books, so it can’t hurt to wait.</p>

3

<p>Wrong. I had to read just about every book for my upper level courses in order to pass my exams. (Trying to read 2 books in one weekend before the exam was NOT fun…) Again, it does depend on the professors and how they set up their exams. Books are meant to supplement the lectures or give the framework so the professor can give more details. I would NOT ignore it completely.</p>

<p>If you want to go cheaper, there are ways:

  1. Team up with a friend in class and share books, at least the general text. This DOES require time management!
  2. Check out the reserve list in the library. Problem is that you only have probably around 3 hours to use that text and generally can’t take it out of the library.
  3. Ask around. If its one of those courses that’s offered every year, students will be able to tell you if its worth buying the book or not.
  4. Use online sites like Amazon and half.com.</p>
4

<p>@ JoeKamel </p>

<p>If the professor states the books are required for the course, buy and read them. If they are only supplemental or suggested readings, you don’t have to read them.</p>