By: Tiffany Meier & Taylor Schnettler

College is expensive, even without all textbooks.

Still books are important for the college education and can be a huge expense if you do not know where to look. When buying textbooks, it is important to know that there is more than one place to purchase books.

It is also helpful to know these quick tips, which are things I wish I knew when I was purchasing textbooks for my first semester.

The first tip is once you have the list of required books; copy and paste the ISBN number straight from the UJ book website into the online book stores. This will allow you to compare prices, so that you get the best deal.

Next decide between buying or renting. The Jimmie Connection store does book buybacks at the end of the semester, so it will be easy to sell your books if you do decide to buy them. The return process is not difficult, but this decision is definitely something to keep in mind.

Also, always contact your professors beforehand to ask these questions: Can I buy an older version of a book?; Are there online codes that require me to buy a brand new book?; How frequently do we use said textbook?

Another thing to know is the best places to buy books. We highly recommend going on Facebook and joining the group, “Jimmie Underground Bookstore”. This is a site that UJ students use to sell textbooks and other supplies for classes. It is a great way to save money and meet other UJ students! If you do not want to join the Underground Bookstore, there are still many sites that offer cheaper textbooks. Some of these sites include: Chegg.com, Amazon.com, and thriftbooks.com.  

College is expensive. There is no way around it, but there are little shortcuts that cut down the hefty price. By following these tips and steps, purchasing textbooks will be a breeze!