Christina Hoeck

It’s that time of the year again. Students have just finished working, and in some cases, re-working their schedules for the spring semester. And now most students are contemplating their next move: ridding their desks of old textbooks and buying new ones.

The Bookstore in the Student Union gives students the option of returning their old, used textbooks for a refund equaling a small percentage of what they originally spent. However, that amount usually does not leave students with enough money to buy their books for next semester, so some turn to other sources to purchase their books.

Amazon.com, a Web site that sells many things, including books, offers college textbooks for a reduced price.

Students also have the luxury of having the books mailed directly to them. This option does have it’s risks, however. If you purchase a book from this Web site, there is a chance it’s not quite the book you need, so you would have to send it back. It might not arrive on time, or it might be out of stock.

It does prove effective, though, if you know exactly what you are looking for.

Another alternative to buying books in the Bookstore is purchasing them from a friend.

Students usually offer to sell their old textbooks to other students for a cheap price.

“I like buying books from friends better than the Bookstore because it’s way cheaper,” said freshman Amy Bertrand. “I’ll probably keep doing it in the future.”

Thanks to these quick, easy and cheap options, buying textbooks does not have to be such a pain, and it leaves students with more money and less stress.