Textbook whinge (1 Viewer)

[sandersen]

So I just checked on the Coop website to give me an idea of how much money I'll need to spend on textbooks this year.
It totals $701.60 plus a $6 reader from the copy centre.
Theres no way I can afford it, I have been to the SRC bookshop, and checked out the ads around uni plus some websites and asked friends, but still can't find some of them.

Advice? Can you believe $700 on four subjects - three of them arts?!!!! I was expecting around 300, and to get them second hand...

In particular

- FRNC3621 the grammar book - Grammaire Française - $125, is it really needed?

- ACCT2011 the accounting handbook at $90? And has the text book changed heaps since the last edition?

- SCLG1001 can i get away with just one of the books? (Sociology in today's world $95, and pressing questions $40)

I'll check with the lecturers, but in the meantime, just curious.

 

[jayadore]

textbooksexchange.com
or torrent the books
or borrow it from the library/photocopy them

 

[Kwayera]

One of my textbooks for last year was $500.

I didn't buy it (and, as it turns out, I didn't need it).

 

[jb_nc]

You could probably just use another French Grammar book.

Guessing they're all the same.

Alternatively, pay $50 to join UTS/UNSW's library and borrow the books from them.

 

[tacogym27101990]

how fucking annoying are those lines!

 

[maz5]

Alternatively, pay $50 to join UTS/UNSW's library and borrow the books from them.

hah!

 

[Silver Persian]

You can probably get along with one of the SCLG1001 texts. Nobody actually does all of the readings in that subject - they're just too long.

Edit: Getting necessary readings from the library is also a good idea

 

[Ben Netanyahu]

I think I'm looking at about the same price throughout the whole year.

 

[conics2008]

farrk me dead. I bought linear algebra for 50 bcks, and it wasn't even the one the lecture recommended lol =]

Stuff gettin the books that they say, just get one that is cheaper but have the same context. =]

 

[KarmaKitten]

Why would you get something that isn't recommended or necessary?

Be better to just find the book in the library and photocopy bits if you really dont want to buy it.

 

[sandersen]

or torrent the books
photocopy them

Where do you search for the torrents?

And does anyone know of any places that will photocopy/bind whole textbooks? Ive heard rumours of places in chinatown, but no specifics. Pm me maybe?

 

[jayadore]

Bloody LOL. Chinatown. I doubt you need to bind the papers. Just staple them!
Or you can get them binded at like, office works? Even copy centre does it.

I don't know about torrents, I just know a couple of my pharmacy friends do that. Someone on BOS probably has had experience though, so hopefully they'll reply. If not, go check some other textbook threads cos another USyd BoSer mentioned torrenting.

 

[Kujah]

Loans from the Financial Office.

 

[u-borat]

sif buy textbooks

 

[goony]

download the electronic version? borrow from the library is another option (i did that last year...worked because it was a small numbered subject and no-one recalled the book for the entire semester).

If you know 12 weeks in advance what the book is going to be then you can buy it off amazon?

 

[dance2urownbeat]

mine have cost ~$250 all up. win for second hand textbooks!

 

[Ben Netanyahu]

sif buy textbooks

ehh, i bought several chemistry texts because they serve as excellent reference books

$130 for Silberberg
$25 for McMurry

not bad at all

 

[^CoSMic DoRiS^^]

I thought I was looking at $150 max for the semester and was like, win. But the co-op website lied to me, I'm actually up for probably twice that or more.

Found it sus @ orientation that the textbook for my english curriculum unit is "quite expensive" but she couldn't or wouldn't tell us how much it was. Hoping it's not hideously costly.

Plus I have to buy copies of the english and drama 7-10 syllabuses and 2 textbooks for the drama curriculum unit, I may be able to get one of those @ like dymocks or somewhere if the co-op doesn't have it, I've seen it around a lot.

OP: over 700 bucks for one semester??? I would wait until you're sure you need all of it, you can probably get by without some of it. Also have a look @ the french book before you buy, if it has exercises/questions etc in it, buy it because if it's anything like the japanese unit I did in first year you will work from the book every class. If it's just like a plain book of grammar you could probably get away without it.

 

[jaimebien]

If the texts you need are literary texts, as opposed to texbooks, you can try Australian Online Bookstore - Boomerang Books - Cheap Discount Online Book Store Australia. They have a monthly discount weekend where you get 20% off your purchase. Unlike Co-op, the postage is a flat $6.95. You can also get a $5 voucher (shown on the homepage) to cut out the postage costs. I've gotten books from them several times and so far, it's been pretty good.

 

[nick1689]

Spent ~$175 for all the course readers/books ill need this semester. Definately happy with that