So, are we ever going to do something about those text book prices?

[Thundercrack85]

I assume most people here are either going to college, or have gone to college. So, you all probably know what I am talking about. Textbook costs have gone up 1,041 percent since 1977.

Yet, aside from some news articles, nothing ever seems to get done about it. What's with that? Have college students lost their balls?

I ask because this problem actually seems to be getting worse. 5 companies now control 85% of the textbook market and they have students over a barrel. Colleges are doing nothing, and some professors are actually acting as accomplices for kickbacks.

Personally I think its time for a mass book burning, but I'd be interested to hear some more rational thoughts.

 

[Warhammer]

Oh yeah, textbooks are absolutely ridiculous. Luckily, I have managed to get classes where textbooks weren't required except for two. I feel so bad for the students who spend around a thousand for some g**damn books, though. That's a class and a half. I try my damnedest to work around it whatsoever. One semester, I found a guy who typed a whole textbook on a word document.

 

[Thundercrack85]

At my college there seemed to be an interesting scheme going on. Professors would assign us books written by recently retired colleagues. Always bloody expensive, always useless besides for a few test questions. I always hated those professors. Unsurprisingly they were also the worst teachers.

And of course, my professors from reputable schools (Princeton, Harvard, Emory) all assigned us cheap books or PDFs. Go figure.

 

[SuperSanchez]

Alot of school books are going digital now with the rapid growth of laptops and ipads in school which makes them alot cheaper.

 

[KevanG]

Just like having to pay 20-50k for an education, the US education system is a ripoff. Before college/university you had **** all going for you thanks to the ****heads defunding public education and privatizing the **** out of it which doesn't ****ing work. Then you have the chuckle****s charging people a decades worth of money for 3-5 years for a job that doesn't exist when they get out.

**** the land of the 'free', you only free to get ****ed over.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Higher education in the US is such a **** show. Text books are bad, but they don't even scratch the surface of the problems with college.

 

[Kane52630]

Only way to do anything about it is "find other means" to get your textbook.

 

[Captain Bryan]

I generally try to help people I know pirate the books they get assigned. There's no reason to have to pay $250 for a book that you might use 2 or 3 times a semester.

 

[Greens]

I always ended up paying full price because I didn't want to take the risk and end up without a textbook.

 

[Erzengel]

https://www.bookbyte.com/

Ebay.

It's been a few years for me, but can't you find out which books you need online prior to attending class?

 

[KevanG]

From what I've heard some courses get text books changed to brand new ones with only a few pages difference to help fund the retired professors aka make you pay $200 for about five pages difference.

 

[Thundercrack85]

https://www.bookbyte.com/

Ebay.

It's been a few years for me, but can't you find out which books you need online prior to attending class?

Yes and no. Some professors assign books of their choosing. Some colleges are now commissioning their own unique versions which are hard to find online, if not impossible. In all situations publishers constantly print new, slightly altered versions. They also include one time use software for many textbooks.

These companies are smart. And greedy. The profit margins are huge. One study showed that even at 40 dollars a pop on the average textbook, the publishers would be making a profit.

 

[KevanG]

It's not like they need to update the entire book at once. Usually just a few small things unless the entire subject got turned upside down.

There's no reason for the insane prices except greed. Pure and simple.

 

[Warhammer]

One of my professors (who I took 6 classes with, seriously he is the best teacher I have ever had) specifically says on the first day that my university's handbook says that a professor can assign the use of the oldest, relevant textbook. That is awesome. With that said, his exams are solely based on his powerpoints so win/win for me.

 

[Boy Scout]

I agree with pretty much every post written in here.

 

[Erzengel]

Sell your books as quick as you can just don't do it at the university store.