College Expenses: Textbooks

Yesterday, on our Facebook page, we posted that the average college student spends $900 a year on text books.

We admit - that number made us cringe.

A textbook is revised every three to four years making it an expensive commodity for a book publisher. It has a limited shelf-life and factoring the costs of printing and distribution - it ain't cheap. Some colleges, such as the University of Phoenix, offer their students e-books as an alternative. When this program initially piloted, UoP students could plan to pay $60+ for electronic versions of these books. It was a slightly less expensive alternative, but not everyone can read a book on a screen!

So - that brings us to our question. Would you rather pay the cost of a "real" hard book or the slightly discounted price of an "e-book?" What are the benefits of each?

Hard Book Benefits
- Bought used, the price may be equitable to an e-book.
- Bought used from a brainy student who just finished the same class, you get the benefit of their prior experience via notes in the margins!

Hard Book Negatives
- Lugging them to and from class.
- Dorm space is only so big...those books are huge!
- Shipping costs, if applicable.
- Supply and demand factors.

E-Book Benefits
- Environmentally sound.
- Easier to search for key words.
- No worries about the bookstore running out.

E-Book Negatives
- If you have to print the whole thing to read it - the environmental factor has just been thrown out the window.
- Can't make notes in the margins.


What are other positives and negatives about hard-back text books verus e-text books? If you are a college student - which format would you prefer?