Even though I graduated from school many years ago, I can still remember how much I dreaded the beginning of each semester. That’s because it meant having to visit the campus bookstore in order to buy text books for my new classes. If I wasn’t lucky enough to score used copies, I could pretty much expect to shell out over $100 per class — and that didn’t include the study guides and workbooks that many professors also required students to purchase. In short, every time I had to buy text books, it felt like I was just dumping money down the drain.

I was in college more than a decade ago and at that time, there weren’t really any alternatives to the campus bookstore. There might have been one or two independent shops where students could buy text books, but these were usually miles away from the dorms and hard to get to without a car. These days, however, students have more choices about where to buy text books than ever before. In most cases, these other options are much cheaper (and sometimes even more convenient) than purchasing on campus.

One of the best alternatives for students in recent years has been discount websites. These websites specialize in college texts and supplies, and can offer these materials for significantly less than campus bookstores can. In fact, some students who have used this option to buy text books in the past report savings ranging anywhere from 20 to 70 percent. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty compelling reason for me not to buy text books from the college store anymore! Plus, all of these discount websites will ship your order to your home or dorm room, which is about as convenient as it gets.

Of course when you buy text books from a website, you won’t be able to examine the merchandise before you commit to it so the potential for problems does exist. For instance, the website might sell you a used book that has a tattered cover, missing pages, or more highlighted passages than plain ones. Or, you might get the wrong title altogether, which could lead to even more hassles when you try to exchange it. For the most part, however, I think students generally have good shopping experiences with these discount websites.

So if you’re a college student looking for a way to save some money the next time you have to buy text books, I recommend checking out some discount websites. By doing so, you might just end up with a bit more cash in your pockets when the first day of classes rolls around.

[tags]college education, college, school, college classes, learning, teaching[/tags]