Ahh, yes. The spring semester: new classes, new faces, and more importantly, new textbooks! Textbook prices keep increasing every year and students keep struggling on finding ways to buy textbooks cheaper. Worry not, readers, for here are a couple of tips I have used for the past couple years to find textbooks for less!

1. Stop, wait a minute!

Wait until you go to all your classes and actually ask your professors to see if you will need the books. Some professors I have had in the past post all the readings you will ever need to do on Canvas! Unless professors have already contacted you prior to class and mandate you need textbooks, just hold off on the buying!

2. Use price comparison tools! 

My personal favorite is Slugbooks because their website is so easy to navigate! They always give me the best deals from all sorts of different sources such as Amazon, Chegg, etc. I usually am able to find the best pricing through Amazon and that is super convinient for me since I get the books in two days with FREE shipping. The free shipping deal comes with the Amazon Prime student membership…I highly recommend it because it has saved me from so many assignments that I would have had to turn in late!

3. Split costs with a friend! 

I almost always take classes with a friend or two (the more, the merrier!) because they make GREAT study buddies and morale boosters! I usually share textbooks with friends because we almost always hang out anyways and…I pay half the price for textbooks! This is a super easy way to cut down on costs and primarily, the main way I have had extra cash for finals week Starbucks runs!

Aish Thamba

Hello! My name is Aish and I am a current junior majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry and Psychology. I love all sorts of music and reading books. I am interested in theater and traveling the world. I love to take interesting photos so you will probably see me on campus with a camera on me at all times!