Colleges are run by *********

[Space05us]

You can't buy textbooks before the first day of class because every teacher has their own requirements. Then when you go to buy the books you need the book store is out because....because...why? It's as if the bookstore doesn't communicate with the staff. It's really simply all they need to do is calculate how many students will require "You're a ******** who can't ritelol" and make sure they have that many copies in stock before classes begin. Then one of the students is supposed to copy the textbooks into electronic format and torrent them so we can download them instead of paying $500 for what is essentially a useless doorstop. At least it should be a doorstop and the morons at the front of the class with PhDs who have never actually worked in their respective fields should be teaching.

[rah]

Yeah, who thought it would be a good idea to award a degree called a B.S.

[duke o' york]

When I went to university many years ago, they sent out the reading list for the first year's courses when they approved your application, so you had plenty of time to buy, and read them (or was that just me?).

In the second year, your choice of courses would always have books that could easily be purchased second-hand from impoverished students in previous years. Or even better, from charity shops.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Wait, you actually use the school's bookstore?

[rah]

In the old days, we didn't have the internet to go to eliminate the book store option.

And since the professors didn't make money on used book sales, they used to make a few changes so they could rerelease the text book, (which they wrote) to force people to buy NEW. You wouldn't know how much was changed so it was risky to go with and old version.

[Ben Kenobi]

I used to meet with the profs and make course materials packages.

They were just as frusterated with bookstores either not ordering the books, ordering them in insufficient numbers and charging exorbitant prices.

Having a tailor made course material package meant less reading, the prof could have readings that they wanted, and the students saved a considerable amount. What would cost 150+ dollars, I could do for 30.

Made good money doing that at university. Most of the work was in making a master copy, but once that was done, it was easy to take orders and copy all the rest at about 5 bucks or so.

[Traianvs]

You actually want to buy textbooks before your first day of class?

Do you have ... hobbies?

[Pekka]

And that's why we have course book library in the Uni.

Or you can just buy the books form store, used, whatever. Or torrent them. Then again, wasn't Space from US, the country not so known for its splendid education system? You know? The LIBRARY HAS THE BOOKS ALREADY, adn enough for all or at least most students.

Besides, most material is prepared so as to not have the book as a requirement. There's other material handed out. Of course you should read the book if you're interested in it, but since when were courses about one or two WHOLE books from page 1 to the last page? Exactly. So you don't need them. Just parts of them.

And is your college teaching books? IN here at least it's on the topic, books are for reference. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that you need to come to the age of electricity.

ALso, what BK said.

[Fake Boris]

Where I study, they send required readings and enrollment information to the closest library.

[Space05us]

And that's why we have course book library in the Uni.

I'm still new to the whole college thing, only in my second term. I'll have to check out the library tomorrow if my books aren't ready to pick up in the morning.

Unfortunately in all of my classes so far the teachers/professors/wtfevers assign readings on the syllabus without a hint as to what those pages contain. For example all I see is; 1/14/09 Read "I like bananas" pg. 1-10. They then expect you to know what was contained on those pages as they usually discuss it at the beginning of the next class.

I guess it's also worth mentioning it is a community college with small classes. It's more like grown-up high school than university.

Wait, you actually use the school's bookstore?

Yes, it's convenient and not much more expensive than going to an off campus bookstore or ordering online.


Just to clarify I was ranting in the op. I don't really think they are *********, well, I'm sure some of them are.

[Pekka]

I don't know if you have them or not. Some don't. Who knows, maybe most don't. If not, it sucks. Fortunately we have it, so I never buy any course books. Then again, if it's a small school, it might be a problem. Just figure it out, there's got to be a way doing these things without you having to buy ALL the books. I recommend buying the best ones, the few essential ones, which should not amount more than 2 a year or so. Classics, only classics. Others? Copy, borrow, steal.

[duke o' york]

Since the professors didn't make money on used book sales, they used to make a few changes so they could rerelease the text book, (which they wrote) to force people to buy NEW.

And that's why we have course book library in the Uni.
You know? The LIBRARY HAS THE BOOKS ALREADY, adn enough for all or at least most students.

Both of these were common when I was at university: the lecturers would centre their lectures around books they had written, but some of the students knew that the majority of the content was stolen, and that you'd get better marks if you turned up to seminars with your own ideas, rather than those the lecturer had preached and written well before you even arrived at university. So if you could turn up to a seminar with your own ideas, and the ability to defend them, then it wouldn't matter what the lecturer had written.

Following on from Pekka, I discussed my proposed essay with my tutor two months before it was due, and went to the library the next day to get the book upon which it was based the next day, only to find my tutor had taken the book out himself. The tutors got to keep the book for three months, and since he'd disappeared to Wales for the holidays (early), there was no chance of my getting the book back in time to write the essay I'd planned. Fortunately, student cards in the UK allow you to enter any university library, and I was fortunate enough to be able to go to Newcastle Uni's library during the Easter break, find the books I needed, and write two 1st-rated essays in a week.

[duke o' york]

Space05us, what are you studying? This might allow us to give much better advice on where you can find the books you need/don't need/you could read instead and shine in class by showing the tutor to be a small-minded fool.

This really does work - my best mate got his place on an MA course by making his tutor give him an excellent reference in exchange for the permission to use his ideas in his tutor's next novel.
(not that he needed the reference, but it didn't hurt )

[Space05us]

The particular class I wanted the book for is intro to psych. I don't need to belittle the teacher any, he does it so well himself. He has a PhD in Psychology and has never practiced or done studies, he got his PhD and went straight to teaching. Which is fine I suppose, but he still calls himself a psychologist. As far as I'm concerned he's still a student, just higher up on the ladder. It's like reading an operators manual for a piece of large machinery and never operating it.

the lecturers would centre their lectures around books they had written, but some of the students knew that the majority of the content was stolen, and that you'd get better marks if you turned up to seminars with your own ideas, rather than those the lecturer had preached and written well before you even arrived at university. So if you could turn up to a seminar with your own ideas, and the ability to defend them, then it wouldn't matter what the lecturer had written.

Good idea. I have the wrong idea so ingrained in my mind it's difficult to think differently. In my mind what I need to do is learn what the teacher tests for so I can pass the test. I guess that's really only cheating myself though, which will hurt me when I move on to an actual university.

[Kuciwalker]

The particular class I wanted the book for is intro to psych. I don't need to belittle the teacher any, he does it so well himself. He has a PhD in Psychology and has never practiced or done studies, he got his PhD and went straight to teaching. Which is fine I suppose, but he still calls himself a psychologist.

1) Psychologist != psychiatrist; he shouldn't have ever had a patient on his couch

2) He has done some amount of original research, by virtue of the fact that he got a PhD.