A Random Collection Of Things I Love

How to Outline a Chapter - Help using Microsoft Themes

Any time I have to do textbook reading, I take notes. Sometimes super detailed, sometimes the basics. I like to type mine in Microsoft word utilizing a theme because A) it is pretty B) it is super organized and C) I have an electronic and hard copy.

For headings, follow the headings in your book. Usually they sub headings as well, so follow those too! You can make smaller subheadings too if you find a good detailed section on a more specific topic.

Always note key terms either in your outline or on a separate vocab list you may have going. I like to make mine standout so I know it is important.

Do not write complete sentences, just jot down the general idea. Not everything is important.

The reason most people do not outline is because it takes them hours, but it doesn’t have to. You can even highlight in your book as you read the whole chapter, then go back and make the outline so you know what is most important already.

The themes are really easy - just go to the top right corner of office to the “themes” drop down menu and select the color scheme you like best! You can even modify some of the headings if you’d like by right clicking the heading and selcting “modify”.

DO NOT buy your textbooks before class starts.

Even if it says the textbook is required. The vast majority of the time, at least in my experience, you can get an A in the class without having it. Sometimes you hardly use it at all. If it turns out you do actually need it you can get it later. Being prepared ahead of time is not worth spending a huge chunk of money on something that will gather dust on your shelf.

DO NOT buy textbooks from the school book store

It is almost always a huge ripoff. Likewise do not resell your books at the school bookstore. I usually get all my textbooks (when I do actually need to buy one, which is rare) on Amazon.

Check if Amazon has an eTextbook version and rent it

It’s usually cheaper and you don’t have to deal with shipping or remembering to return the book when the rental period is over. Also you can have all your textbooks on your laptop (or other device) if you want to do readings between classes or at lunch instead of having to lug around a heavy book.

Get an Amazon Student Account

You can get a heavily discounted Amazon Prime account by signing up for Amazon Student. You’ll get free two-day shipping and discounts on lots of stuff. This can be super helpful for getting textbooks quickly or just getting anything quickly especially if you don’t have reliable transportation to go to a store.

If you do actually need the textbook, go to the library

A lot of teachers will put a copy of the textbook on hold at the school library, meaning you can use it at the library but not check it out. If you know what readings you need for the week just copy those pages or take pictures of them on your phone.

Don’t buy your textbooks at the school bookstore if you can avoid it. Get them off of amazon.com Also you don’t have to have the same edition the professor assigns. You can go back 1-3 editions and are probably ok. Most professors will tell you to get an older edition to save money.

STOP.

1. Don’t buy your whole reading list now, wait until you’ve started. Often lecturers put books on the reading list that they’ve used a single chapter from or even just a paragraph, nowhere near the whole book. Wait until you’ve started your course to work out which ones will actually be useful and worth spending money on. 

2. Use the uni library. Often if your course heavily uses a textbook there will be loads of copies in the library. As early as possible go and take out some on your reading list. You can usually keep them for a long time and will be reminded when they need to be returned. Some unis have a recall system where other students can ask for the book you have back. By taking them out early you reduce the chance of this because people always recall books at the top of the list (most recently borrowed) so you can keep them for longer

3. Sometimes more than one of the same type of book is recommended (e.g. for my course 3 different anatomy books, 3 different biochemistry books and 3 different physiology books were recommended) you obviously don’t need 3 of the books because they will all say exactly the same thing pretty much. They will, however, say it in different ways. Go to the library or a bookshop and compare them for your style of learning (e.g. lots of diagrams vs. text-heavy etc) it’s best to wait until you have an actual task to use them for set by your uni but if you want to do it earlier set yourself a little task just to test them (e.g. learn the muscles of the hand) using all the anatomy books to find the one you prefer.

4. If you decide you must buy a textbook and can’t just borrow it lecturers are obliged by law (at least in the UK) to list the MOST RECENT edition of a textbook on their reading lists, in reality these are very expensive and a waste of money as changes between editions will be minimal, especially if new editions are released regularly. Get the edition before (or even the edition before that). You can check them against each other for changes again in the library which may itself carry multiple editions.  5. Buy them second hand (duh). You really don’t need a new copy. Sometimes course facebook pages have older students selling their textbooks so keep an eye out for that.

You’re funny!

However, we can help you find cheaper alternatives for buying textbooks.

Check out textbook comparison tools. If you are looking to save money look into renting textbooks. 

One of the most expensive college experiences is buying textbooks.  There are some various options that you have though.  My main point is in regards to the last option “loose-leaf books”.  Even if you usually buy used and think you save the most money possible, look at this option as it is something I have never heard of before and assume that most other people haven’t either!

What to take into consideration when purchasing/renting books:

How long will you keep the book (for the semester vs. forever)

Do you plan on marking in the book 

Price/Budget

Is the book for your major or for a general education class 

If you purchase used: quality of the book (markings, highlighting, tears, wear, water damage, stains, broken binding, etc.) 

If you purchase online: reliability of the seller (look at feedback)

How long will it take for you to receive your book (is it on back-order)

Purchase from the bookstore: Please don’t do this.  This is the place that you will probably spend the most on textbooks.  Unless you wish to spend hundreds of dollars more than you need to, there is no reason to purchase books at your school’s bookstore.

Purchase New:  If you want to buy a book in pristine condition, you can buy new books online via amazon.  Usually this is a cheaper option than buying through the bookstore.  This still isn’t the cheapest option but if you plan on keeping the book for future classes or for your career and you will repeatedly refer back to it, then this is a good option.  You don’t have to worry about wear/tear from previous owners and there isn’t any writing or marking in the book which is always nice. 

Purchase Used: Most of the books I have purchased throughout my undergraduate/masters programs have been used.  You can look for these books through amazon, half.com, and other similar sites.  You can even ask around on campus and see if there is someone who is willing to sell you their old book.  Make sure to check out or ask about the condition of the book.  If there is some scuffing, is this really such a big deal?  On the other hand, if it is all marked up and written in is this going to benefit you or confuse you?  When purchasing used the main thing I pay attention to is the amount of marking that is in the book. 

Rent: This is another option for saving money on books.  The biggest flaw (in my opinion) is that you won’t be able to mark in the book.  I guess you could overcome this problem via sticky notes, but you would still have to worry about accidently spilling on the book in those late night study sessions with coffee.  I guess as clumsy as I am, this is not an option as I would consider but to each their own.  If you do this, I would put a heavy-duty book cover on the book and be very aware of liquids or other things that could damage the book. 

Loose-leaf books: This is something that I just learned about in the past month.  I figured this out via amazon.  There was a book I had to purchase for the upcoming semester that was going to cost me around $250 new or upwards of $200 used in good condition.  I don’t know about other people, but I really don’t want to spend that much on a statistics book that I probably won’t use again after the class is over.  As I was searching amazon (my preferred site for buying books) I noticed there was a copy that was posted for about $110.  My first reaction was “what is wrong with this book?” You want to be aware of cheap copies usually because there is something seriously wrong with the book when it is that cheap (usually, not always).  As I read the description I realized that it was a “loose-leaf” copy of the book.  Basically it is the textbook, but unbound and three-hole punched.  I purchased this, it came wrapped in saran wrap, and I put it in a “heavy duty binder” (because I always have at least 3 empty ones on hand.  If you love binders like I do… I have a weird binder fetish… then this is a great option for saving money!  The nice thing too is if you just need one chapter of the book, you can place it in another binder and not have to carry the entire thing to the library or across campus.  Honestly there is so much information about the previous options I listed, but I had never previously heard about this option and I don’t know how common it is.  If you love binders and want to save money though, you should seriously consider this option! Here are some pictures for all my “visual” followers.  

How I received the “book”: 

Placed in a binder:

If you have any questions, as always feel free to comment or message me! 

Happy Studying, 

http://gen.lib.rus.ec

http://textbooknova.com

http://en.bookfi.org/

http://www.gutenberg.org

http://ebookee.org

http://www.manybooks.net

http://www.giuciao.com

http://www.feedurbrain.com

http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=380

http://www.alleng.ru/ 

http://www.eknigu.com/ 

http://ishare.iask.sina.com.cn/

http://2020ok.com/

http://www.freebookspot.es/Default.aspx

http://www.freeetextbooks.com/

http://onebigtorrent.org/

http://www.downeu.me/ebook/

http://forums.mvgroup.org

http://theaudiobookbay.com/

1. Forgoe the bookstore entirely. Sometimes you can get a good deal on something, usually a rental, but it’s usually going to be considerably more expensive to go through official channels. Outsmart them, babies.

2. Does your syllabus call for edition eight? Get edition seven. Old editions are considered worthless in the buyback trades, so they sell for dirt cheap, no matter how new they are. It’s a gamble, sure; there might be something in edition eight you desperately need, but that never happened to me. However, I’ve only ever pulled this stunt for literature/mass comm/religious studies books, so I don’t know it would work in the sciences.

3. Thriftbooks.com, especially for nonfiction and fiction. Books are usually four or five dollars unless they’re really new, and shipping is 99 cents unless you buy over 10$ in books, in which case shipping is free. 

4. Bigwords.com. It will scan every textbook seller on the internet for the lowest price available, and will do the same to find the highest price when you try to sell your books back at the end of term. Timesaver, lifesaver.

5. In all probability, your library offers a service called interlibrary loan which is included in your tuition. This means if your library doesn’t carry a book you can order it for free from any library nationwide in your library’s network and it will be shipped to you in a number of days. Ask a librarian to show you how to search for materials at your library as well as though interlibrary loan; you’ll need to master this skill soon anyway.  If you get lucky you can just have your required reading shipped to you a week before you need to start reading, then renew vigorously until you no longer need to item. I’m saving over 100$ on a History of Islam class this way.

After the Stafford loan interest rate hike I researched further into ways to save for school and found some pages that would cover most of your basic college needs past textbooks. If you find cheaper things let me know and I’ll show those off too. If you need help researching a specific item feel free to lmk, I’m willing to help you out in my spare time. 

Textbooks

Scientific Calculators

Tablets and Computers

Headphones from $9.99

Notebooks and Writing Pads

Pack of Highlighters from a dollar

Towel Sets, Mattress pads, and Desk chairs

Dining Essentials for a Dorm or small Apartment

Backpacks and laptop carriers

Cell Phone Accessories

External Hard Drives

Printers and Ink

Mini-Fridge