Top dog, head honcho, the big cheese, senior. All of these guys and girls know exactly what they’re talking about after three years of experience. Should you buy all of your books? They're here to help!
J.P. ‘The Rocket Scientist’ Muncks is a rising senior at the University of Virginia who is an aerospace engineering major. Whether you need to get to the moon or just to next semester, he’s your guy. Muncks says, “If the professor has listed a book as 'Required', that means you'll probably need it because it probably contains useful information that would help you understand the course material. However, ask your professor if international and/or older editions of the textbook contain the same material and homework questions. Those will generally be much cheaper than the newest version of the textbook and could help save you a lot of money each semester when it comes time to buy your books.”
Laura ‘The World-Changer’ Levitt is a rising senior at Elon University who has raised multiple seeing-eye puppies in her free time. If you’re ready to take on the world, listen to Levitt, who does it step by step with a puppy at her side. Levitt says, “I always buy all the books. Sometimes professors don’t use them, but in my experience that’s rare. Even if they don’t use them in class discussion, they’ll test you on assigned readings, so it’s important to buy the books.”
Andy ‘The Economist’ Marmer is a rising senior at Vassar College. Although he doesn’t write for The Economist quite yet, with his economics degree, he might get there some time after graduation, so make sure to follow Mr. Marmer as he rises to the top. He says, “Wait and see what the syllabus says. If you have to write an essay on a book, it helps to own it, but if you will only be reading the book it is not necessary to buy it. You should also consider whether you might be interested in reading the book and to what extent you might need to participate in class. I wouldn’t recommend buying a book prior to seeing the syllabus unless absolutely necessary.”
Laura ‘The Ivy-Leaguer’ Morrison is a rising senior at Cornell University who fills up her time with as many acronyms as possible, including her major (HBHS – Human Biology Health and Society) and extracurriculars (YOURS – Youth Outreach Undergraduates Reshaping Success; ΑΧΩ – Alpha Chi Omega). We want you to LTHA (Listen To Her Advice). Morrison says, “I always buy all my books; I feel that I should be prepared for my classes. The book is especially important for a class in which I have no knowledge of the subject—for example organic chemistry or physics. Of course, for any math class I think you absolutely need the book to do the problems. There are definitely classes where you don’t end up using the book as much as you thought you would, but you can always sell them back at the end of the semester!”
Destiny ‘The Athlete’ Jacobs is a rising senior at Stony Brook University who is best known for her short jump shot and rebounding on the basketball court. Number 42 on the court, number 5 on this list, but number 1 in your hearts, she wants to help you through your freshman year.Jacobs says, “Sometimes it’s best to ask your teachers or classmates which books will be mostly used. It’s not always best to buy every book for every class, although oftentimes they may be refunded.”
