Dynamic School

Posts Tagged ‘college’

High school students take having free books for granted. Most incoming college freshmen are in for a big shock when they see the price of their new calculus book. That’s what my advice is here for. $150 for one book is a lot to swallow, not to mention the $30 lab manual that comes with it. Oh and did you forget the $15 CD too? Buying textbooks is very, very expensive. On average a student buying his/her books from the school bookstore can expect to pay anywhere from $300-$400. So you’re looking at spending nearly $750 for books the whole year. In this article I am going to discuss some of the unconventional means of acquiring your books for the semester.
Nearly all incoming students look up their book lists online a week before class starts and buys their books from the university bookstore. People make fun of freshman because they don’t know any better, and this is a prime example. I’ll admit it, I bought my first semester’s books from the university book store, and boy did it show in my pocket book. University bookstores (or bookstores on campus) have the highest mark-up of all stores. You are a fool if you buy your books from them. The only time I recommend buying your book from the university bookstore is when they are the only supplier. For instance, if your professor wrote his own book and you can only buy it through the school.
The next best method of buying books is from a bookstore off-campus. But even here you will still pay hundreds of dollars for books you probably won’t read. Off-campus bookstores are generally smaller and don’t have the selection size of a university bookstore. If you are buying off-campus be sure to pick your books up early, because they will probably run out.
In my opinion, the best method of buying books is online. You can not beat the prices. If you are new to college an unfamiliar with sites that sell textbooks, please visit Amazon (I have several links to them on my site). Half.com and Ebay are also excellent places to find new and used textbooks. Most teachers post their required textbooks online a few weeks before the semester starts. This is the perfect time to search Amazon for you book. You have to look early because shipping can take anywhere from a few days to two weeks. If you can wait the shipping time, buying online is the best option. I turned to online buying after my freshman year. It was the best money saving method I used all through college. You turn $350 semester book fees into a mere $150 (or less). It’s amazing how so few students are actually buying online. These companies are 100% safe. There is no reason not to buy online.
Now I will go through some of the pros and cons of buying books from our three different means.
On-campus BookstorePro – prime locationPro – save timePro – get the exact editions you needPro – offer new and used booksPro – offer buy back plansCon – too expensiveCon – you get like $10 buy back for a $100 bookCon – not as many used copies
Off-campus BookstorePro – less expensivePro – lots of used booksPro – offer buy backsCon – may have older editionsCon – not located nearby (unless you live off campus)Con – small selections
Online BookstorePro – cheapest books anywherePro – get exactly the book you needPro – buy anytimeCon – have to wait 1-2 weeks for delivery
Some other tips on how to save money when it comes to buying booksTip 1. Share a book with a friendTip 2. Always buy usedTip 3. Buy previous editions (the books don’t change, trust me)Tip 4. Look if the book is in e-book formTip 5. Swap books with other students
If you are going to get anything out of this article, the most important point being made is to be smart with your money. Buy your books online. It is by far the cheapest method. You can buy previous editions of the book you need for a fraction of the price. Editions don’t change from year to year. Buying edition 4 instead of 5 will not make a difference. This is based on my experiences, the pages numbers and writing will be exactly the same. Publishing textbooks is all a big scam. They update editions every year or two and expect us to buy them for $150.
Also, please be cautious when buying books from a bookstore on or near campus. They will tell you “Bring you book back at the end of the year and you will get CASH!” They always make up these gimmicks that put a picture of you stuffing wads of twenties in your wallet. What they don’t tell you is that they don’t always buy books back. If a new edition comes out, guess what, you’re screwed. I would say 75% of the time you will wait in the buy back line and they will say “I’m sorry, we aren’t buying that book back”. If this does happen to you I suggest you make an Amazon account and sell your book online. I’ve done it, and it works.

Many of us dream of obtaining a higher education in order to fulfill our dreams; however the financial reality is that obtaining a college education can be difficult. While there are myths commonly circulating that there are a number of scholarships available to help defray the costs of college, the truth is that while you may be eligible for one or more scholarships these generally won’t cover the entire cost of your education. Even in the event that you obtain a full ride scholarship covering the duration of your college there are other expenses that won’t be covered. Therefore, it is imperative to look at all the ways you can utilize to fund your college education. 
It’s always a good idea to begin exploring financial aid as quickly as possible. Depending on your parent’s income you may or may not be eligible for federal financial aid; however, you never know unless you try. As soon as your parents have their income tax return information it is important to go ahead and fill out your FAFSA application and get it into the system. If you are eligible for financial aid you may qualify for grants, which do not have to be repaid once you graduate. 
You should also begin exploring various scholarships for which you might qualify and start getting the applications filled out. Ideally, you should start this as soon as you begin your senior year because some deadlines may arrive sooner than others. 
While most people would prefer not to end their college education by being in debt the reality is that it may be quite necessary, particularly if you are attending a private college or you plan on completing post-graduate work. When it comes to student loans, there are a number of options. 
One such option is a federal student loan. This type of loan has a number of advantages, including lower interest rates and being able to defer the loan until after you graduate. A federal student loan can be either subsidized or unsubsidized. If the loan is subsidized then the government will cover the interest on the loan until about six months after you graduate, at which time you become responsible for the loan. An unsubsidized loan is not covered for the interest and you may need to pick up the tab for the interest before graduation. The amount of money you can borrow with either type of loan varies based on how far you are in school and whether you live at home or independently. Federal student loans are not based on income or credit guidelines. 
Another option would be to take out a private student loan. You will be susceptible to credit and income guidelines with this type of loan and there may also be maximum loan amounts that apply as well. In addition, interest rates may be higher and repayment terms may not be as flexible as with a federal student loan. Still, if funds from other sources including federal student loans are not enough to cover all of your education costs, a private student loan may be a good option.

With the world heading to a much more hi tech direction the need for engineers is forever-growing.  From civil to aerospace and everything in between the field of engineering is extremely vast and the need for them is ever so deep.
Being an engineer is a much respected profession as to everything in today’s modern world of science would not have existed without engineers.  Even from the ancient times of when Rome was still an Empire, without engineers the armies under the command of Julius Caesar would not have been able to cross the Rhine River to defend Gaul from its raiders.  Even though the bridges were built in less than two weeks, it was able to sustain the weight of tens of thousands of soldiers crossing it in addition to withstand the river’s currents.
Though an engineer is viewed as the same as a scientist to the general public, it is completely incorrect.  As scientists explore nature to discover general principles, engineers apply the already established principles derived from mathematics and science to develop the most economical way to solve a technical problem.  Engineers use their skills and knowledge to effectively meet the social need while still being cost effective.
The people want ways to make their lives easier and their leaders want to meet up to those expectations but the problem is that money is involved in implementing these plans.  If such plans were implemented with the mindset of “as long as it works” then money can be blindly thrown into such a foolish plan costing a city, a state, or even the nation billions of dollars.  Engineers come into play to save the leaders money so that they may wisely use that money for other plans that can improve the standard of living of the people.
When engineers develop a new product they consider many factors to make sure that the product they are designing is the best of what can be created with the current existing technology, knowledge and budget.  After much designing and testing they create the most cost effective, safest, and reliable product ready for public use.
Engineers don’t only design the roads and bridges that you use to drive to work or school or the skyscrapers that define a metropolis.  They also design practical items such as the paper cup you use to drink your coffee every morning to the extremely complicated parts of the computer you use to browse the internet that as of right now you are using to read this article.
Engineers are an important part of today’s world and without them everything that we deem as normal today would have never existed.  From the stop lights that regulate traffic during your commute, the chair that you sit comfortably in, to the bed you lie on to peacefully sleep throughout the night and engineer was involved in to get it from an idea to a tangible item to be used.  Because of engineering we can have these luxuries that make our lives easier.