n While it may be true that Barnes ‘ Noble is the way to go for incoming freshman, an article on survival at Boston University (“…Survive your freshman year on campus,” page 1. Sept. 1) should have pointed out one of the easiest ways for starving students to save money — buying used books online.
When you get your schedule, ask around to see what that “required” textbook is used for. Do you really need to seventh edition or will the sixth edition do? Did calculus really undergo a revolution between editions? Did you sign up for an English class? Half your books are probably not textbooks but novels. Skip the BU Bookstore and order a used copy on Amazon.com for a buck. Anna Karenina is Anna Karenina no matter who published it or when your copy was published. When in doubt, email the professor and ask.
You register for classes months ahead of time. There is no reason you can’t get that book list. Ask people who have already taken the class and then just order the books online for a fraction of the BU Bookstore price. I’m sure you have better ways to spend $300 to $400 a semester.
Bimal Chaudhari
CAS ’05, SPH
’09, MED ’09