Textbook whinge (2 Viewers)

sandersen

si seulement...
Joined
Nov 29, 2005
Messages
157
Gender
Female
HSC
2006
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

She was a hurricane.
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
2,010
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
textbooksexchange.com
or torrent the books
or borrow it from the library/photocopy them
 

Kwayera

Passive-aggressive Mod
Joined
May 10, 2004
Messages
5,959
Location
Antarctica
Gender
Female
HSC
2005
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

Google "9-11" and "truth"
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
5,391
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
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.
 
Joined
Dec 12, 2003
Messages
3,492
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
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
 

conics2008

Active Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Messages
1,228
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
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

Active Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2003
Messages
2,234
Location
The humans are dead.
Gender
Female
HSC
2004
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

si seulement...
Joined
Nov 29, 2005
Messages
157
Gender
Female
HSC
2006
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

She was a hurricane.
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
2,010
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
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

Moderator
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
4,736
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Loans from the Financial Office.
 

goony

i am here to ride bike
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Messages
1,043
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2005
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

Ridiculously Good Looking
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
443
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
mine have cost ~$250 all up. win for second hand textbooks! :)
 

^CoSMic DoRiS^^

makes the woosh noises
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
5,274
Location
middle of nowhere
Gender
Female
HSC
2006
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

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
Messages
193
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
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

Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2006
Messages
235
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Spent ~$175 for all the course readers/books ill need this semester. Definately happy with that
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 2)

Top