Today, let’s talk about other stuff I read: textbooks! I hate them.
They are ridiculously heavy. My mom jokingly attributes my short height to the six-hundred paged textbook I had to carry daily in second grade (she also attributes my shortness to not drinking enough milk.) I prefer to think of it as body-building. They are also expensive, because publishers know you NEED them–so you don’t have a choice but to fork over the money. Many textbooks now also come with their own unique access codes for their online content, which makes it difficult to re-sell a used copy.
You might consider an alternative: e-textbooks! They are cheaper and are better for the environment–what a wonderful invention! Well, not really. I’m a graphic design major, which requires me to be glued to the computer at least ten hours a day (not including research and essay writing time.) The last thing I want to do is stare at another screen. I rather pay extra to give my eyes a rest.
And e-textbooks aren’t REALLY that cheap because you can’t re-sell them (legally.) From past experience, buying the e-textbook meant I would have to read the textbook at the publisher’s website by buying an access code. The access code will only last about one semester, so you won’t be able to refer to the textbook after a certain date. I understand the reluctance to allow downloading for fear of illegal mass-distribution, but it means I need to be connected to the Internet to read the textbook. This also means that if my Internet connection happened to be horrible, each page would take at least five minutes to “turn.” And it’s just plain unreliable, as the website might go down right before your exam (it happened, and it definitely wasn’t pretty.)
This article is written for US Bundle’s 2013 College Scholarship contest because being a college student is expensive. *keeps eating cup noodles*
a novel toybox 
I agree. E-textbooks are cheaper, but print is easier on the eyes (and I can refer to them again after a semester if I need it). Plus, I can bookmark and flip through pages easier. And, as you said, we can get a workout carrying them around. My bio teacher joked that he only makes football players carry the bio textbooks to class because it’s so heavy.
” I can refer to them again after a semester if I need it” Ditto. Says the girl who immediately posted her philosophy and macroeconomics textbook on Amazon right after the final exam, thinking, “I’ll never use these again! Time to get some moneyyyy!.” I slightly regret selling my philosophy textbook. Slightly.
I can’t imagine studying regularly from an e text book. I mean I tried it once, and it was hell! I think it’s not just with text book, but with books in general. Ebooks sound like the better option, but I just can’t bring myself to like them. Also, this is so cool that you’re a graphic design major! I want to get a degree in graphic design too.
“I can’t imagine studying regularly from an e text book.”
I can’t either. This reminds me of the study session I had with a few classmates. And we were all too lazy to drag our 600 page textbooks to school..so we relief on the e-version. BUT the wifi is HORRIBLE on campus and every page took well over a minute to load (it was an art history textbook–so the pictures didn’t help loading either.) Thank God we had notes.
YAY! GRAPHIC DESIGNERS UNITE~ How far are you into your degree?