I have no money for College books.. what should I do?

Question

I can barely afford my rent and bills... college starts this week and i need to buy books for 3 classes which total $450. Anyone have tips on what I can do to get those books? (serious answers only please)

I work 40+ hours a week for a call center and am taking 12 units. I live in Orange County so its expensive for rent down here. fyi

Answer 1

I've been there! Books are ridiculously high. First off, go to your counselor/advisor and make them aware of the situation. There are grants and programs in every state just for this. Secondly, and before classes start!, call or email each professor and tell them about your situation. Sometimes they have extras, or will let you know which book(s) will really be used and when so that you can spread out your purchases. Thirdly, anothore wholly viable option is to also check in with the resource librarian on campus. I've been able to check out some books for the semester, others for a few weeks at a time. This allows you to make copies of needed chapters.

I don't know what your work situation, hours, and life entail, but are you aware of the many jobs available to students on campus? Most pay more than average retail/pt business, but also have quite a bit of flexibility in hours to fit in study and class time.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

Borrow the books from classmates. There is always someone in the back of the room just hanging out that never reads the book! Ask them if you can borrow it or maybe even copy a few of the pages. Some classes you may not even need the book b/c some profs go over the material so well during the lecture. Make sure you take good notes. I dont know what types of classes you are taking though. The library is a great idea. They may have the text. Usually they have an older edition, but there usually isnt much variation from each edition. They only change minor things.

Take out a loan. If your school has the EOPS program go there and try to get an emergency book loan if they have that program. Try getting scholarships or any type of aid. ALSO, go talk to a counselor/advisor make sure you speak w/ the BEST counselor b/c if they are cool they will be able to hook you up w/ all types of programs/people that can help you.
Good Luck.
If none of this works stay in shape and become a stripper.lol j/k

Answer 3

Your school might have other grants or Scholarships etc..If you can't get those try getting a loan you can pay back the money after you get the degree or while you were attending college. Go to the financial aid office where you are going to attend and find out.

Answer 4

Do you have financial aid? If so you can speak to the financial aid office and see if you can use that to purchase your books or if you can take out an emergency loan from the school.

Answer 5

Quite often there are copies of textbooks at the library of your school. Also, depending on the class, you could look for used copies or previous editions, which will come cheaper.

Answer 6

If you arent eligible for any type of assistance from the govt then there is a site I like to donate to called modestneeds.org check it out

Answer 7

Well, you could borrow money from someone (a friend, parents...) or you could get a job and work some major hours.

Answer 8

if you buy your books online you will only pay half that much. In college, I couldn't afford my books either, so I always bought online...half.com and amazon.com are good bets.

Answer 9

ROTC!