Textbooks, Textbooks, Textbooks

It's nearing that dreaded time in every college kid's life. It's time to start thinking textbooks for the semester. Hopefully the tips below will save you money on your textbooks.

• Don't settle for the on campus bookstore price. Do some shopping around, chances are it's cheaper somewhere else. Basically your best bet is anywhere except the on campus bookstore. (Bookfinder.com and BigWords.com are great ways to shop around online for your books.)
• Check out websites like Chegg. You can rent/buy books from them for significantly cheaper than the on campus bookstore.
• See if you have friends/fellow Terry Scholars who will let you borrow their books for free!
• See if you have friends/fellow Terry Scholars who will sell (or give you) their old books!
• Check nearby used bookstores in Huntsville. (Bearkat Books for example.)
• Avoid buying books that aren't related to your major. (For example if you're a business major, don't buy the book for that one fine arts class you need.) Renting books is great.
• If you're willing to do this, wait until you get to class or get a syllabus to see if you even need the book. (Sometimes it is optional, or the professor has access to an online copy or PDF that they will let you access for free. Some professors expect students to do this, and some will email you in advance letting you know you do need the book, while others will tell you when you get to class and post PDFs of the first few chapters in order to give everyone time to get a copy of the book.)
• If you know someone in your class, consider possibly splitting the cost of renting a book and share it back and forth for the semester. (Of course this will depend on the type of book and if you're willing to do this.)
• Note that used books and electronic copies are cheaper than a brand new copy of the textbook. If you plan on buying your textbook, look into used books and electronic copies.