Hey Guys,
So, I've been a bit caught up with my work and answering emails. I have a new post coming up on how to get your computer ready for college, but in the mean time, I though I would share another email I received that had more questions about buying books, and to offer you an update. I spoke with some of the RHO (residential housing offices, I think: basically, where you get mail) and at least one worker there said that you can send a package there and they will hold them for approximately a month. Don't quote me on that; but if you want to, you can send your books ahead in your own name and they *should* be waiting for you at your RHO. Just address them as follows:
Joe/Jane Hoya *your name*
XXXX Hall RHO *Harbin, Darnall, New South, etc.*
Georgetown University
37th and O streets NW
Washington DC 20057
You should also get a confirmation email when your package arrives at GU.
Anyway, here's the email I wanted to share:
Hi April !
Let me first say that I could not agree more with the points made in your blog (e.g., Georgetown's terrible website, cornering freshmen into buying books at the school's store). My questions deal with this latter issue. On MyAccess I cannot find a schedule of my classes. When preregistration opened to freshmen, I found my schedule to already have two of five slots taken, one with a [retracted] course, one with an Ignatius Seminar. I think it's pretty safe to go ahead and buy on the Internet the textbook needed for my major's course (because it's the same for every section of the class) and the novels required for the seminar.
The other three courses, however, are not fixed into place yet (because of availability, alternate classes, and whatever else). Is my only choice to essentially wait until the 29th, when, according to an email I just received, I will be able to view my schedule, and then buy the books at the university store? Also, is it possible to change my schedule now that I have since submitted my preregistration request? If so, do you know whom I should contact?
Thank you for having created a blog where I could confirm that I was not alone in facing these issues!
Sincerely,
[retracted]
--------------------
[retracted],
Thanks! I'm glad you're finding the blog posts useful. I've heard some of the other freshman experiencing similar problems. Unfortunately, yes--and there is a good chance they will change. My schedule got shot to hell when I arrived on campus. It's really best just to wait if you have doubts on getting in to a class. One of the good things you can do, however, is to check what the number of open slots is for a class. When you go in to the register/pre-register section (myaccess>student>registration>class schedule), you should see the same search section that you used when choosing your classes originally. Search for your classes, then click the title of the class. You should then be able to see the number of seats available or taken. If there is a large number of available seats, you can probably order the book; if there is not, don't risk it and just order your books when you get here. A nice trick is to order your books the day you have confirmation, and buy those that you need immediately from the book store. You can use the bookstore copies for the rest of the week and then return them when your ordered books arrive. You just have to make sure that you check your dates and are sure that you return the bookstore ones in time with their policy.
April
-----------
I would also like to add to this email that you CAN change classes when you arrive on campus. Everything I'm about to explain pertains to the College. The Nursing School/SFS/MSB may have different rules. Georgetown College has an add/drop period during which you can drop out of or add yourself into a new class without any consequences. I think this period lasts about two weeks (but don't quote me on this either; you'll be able to find out when the year starts). This allows you to try out a class and to change or add to your schedule. If you think you are going to change a class, I recommend using ratemyprofessors.com and the schedule link (explained in the above email response) to search for alternative classes. If you know what you want to switch before you get here, you'll be much better prepared (unlike me; I ended up taking a class that was not relevant to my major or minor options because it was one of the few classes open).
There is also a withdraw period. As long as you are within the withdraw period (which is much longer, usually getting closer to midterms) you can either withdraw from a course (causing it to be shown on your transcript with a "withdraw" icon) or switch the class to a Pass/Fail grading system (although you can only do this with one class per semester). Neither of these options looks good, however, so its really important that you make a good judgement during the add/drop period of a class.
Showing posts with label buying books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buying books. Show all posts
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Email Answer
Hey guys,
I've received a couple of emails regarding buying books, and I'm going to post them (with the authors' permission) so that they may help clarify questions other readers have from my posts. I've slightly edited the emails to remove identifying characteristics about the writers.
Dear April,
I just found your blog and thought of getting in touch with you. Thanks a lot for taking that initiative!
I am [retracted] from [retracted] and I'll be a freshman at Gtown this fall. You're very right about how little prepared I feel about moving in. I'll be arriving to campus on August 24th. So I have less than 2 weeks to go. I am worried about how to get my books and so I thought I'd just get them from the school's book store but it seems that this is not the best thing to do. As an international student, I am very ignorant about how I should go about the books and other stuff. I've never bought books online and if I would, I don't know how to go about the shipping. What do you advise me to do?
By the way, I heard about http://www.chegg.com/ being a good place to rent books... Anyway, what do you recommend?
So far, I know for sure that my fall courses are the following:
[retracted]
Thanks for your help
----------------------------------
Glad to help!
First, you need to find the list of books that you need. I'll do a demo with your first class, [retracted].
AUTHOR:[retracted]
EDITION:11th
COPYRIGHT YEAR:2009
PUBLISHER:Pearson Education
ISBN:[retracted]
NEW:$222.50
USED:$167.00
If you buy the book used on Amazon, you can get it for about 60$ less than Georgetown offers it brand new. You can also search campusbooks.com. This site compares other sites for you. For instance, campus books returns a lot of cheap options for your book, including chegg.
I have heard mixed reviews on Chegg, and I don't know anyone who has used it. I think there are somewhat hidden costs in shipping the book around, and you can't make any money by selling the book back (since you are only renting it), however, the book you need for this class in particular is listed quite cheaply on that site. You should probably google for reviews on the site at things like ripoff report because there are a few bad reports on chegg there. I try to stick to half.com and amazon.com simply because I know the providers are legit. Be careful about using your credit/debit card information on sites that are not well known because they may be scams. Always check reports.
As far as shipping goes, you can either ship your books home and then pack them to bring to campus, or you can order them when you get to campus, or you can send them ahead to a friend. The trouble with shipping them home is that you'll have to pack them, which takes up room/weight in your suitcase; the trouble with buying them at campus is that they wont necessarily be here on the first day of classes. If you want, you can have me pick up your books until you get here (of course, I'm a complete stranger, but you're welcome to do that if you'd like to). My package address for the academic year is:
[retracted]
Just let me know what you are sending and when it should be arriving. I'd be glad to hang onto your books until you get here. I don't want to be financially liable for the books when they arrive (sometimes Georgetown manages to lose track of packages coming in for a while...it's a bit frustrating) but it's definitely an option. Alternatively, you can ship the package to the RHO under your name; however, it may arrive early, and if you don't pick it up on time, they may return the package to sender.
Does that help?
April
I've received a couple of emails regarding buying books, and I'm going to post them (with the authors' permission) so that they may help clarify questions other readers have from my posts. I've slightly edited the emails to remove identifying characteristics about the writers.
Dear April,
I just found your blog and thought of getting in touch with you. Thanks a lot for taking that initiative!
I am [retracted] from [retracted] and I'll be a freshman at Gtown this fall. You're very right about how little prepared I feel about moving in. I'll be arriving to campus on August 24th. So I have less than 2 weeks to go. I am worried about how to get my books and so I thought I'd just get them from the school's book store but it seems that this is not the best thing to do. As an international student, I am very ignorant about how I should go about the books and other stuff. I've never bought books online and if I would, I don't know how to go about the shipping. What do you advise me to do?
By the way, I heard about http://www.chegg.com/ being a good place to rent books... Anyway, what do you recommend?
So far, I know for sure that my fall courses are the following:
[retracted]
Thanks for your help
----------------------------------
Glad to help!
First, you need to find the list of books that you need. I'll do a demo with your first class, [retracted].
AUTHOR:[retracted]
EDITION:11th
COPYRIGHT YEAR:2009
PUBLISHER:Pearson Education
ISBN:[retracted]
NEW:$222.50
USED:$167.00
If you buy the book used on Amazon, you can get it for about 60$ less than Georgetown offers it brand new. You can also search campusbooks.com. This site compares other sites for you. For instance, campus books returns a lot of cheap options for your book, including chegg.
I have heard mixed reviews on Chegg, and I don't know anyone who has used it. I think there are somewhat hidden costs in shipping the book around, and you can't make any money by selling the book back (since you are only renting it), however, the book you need for this class in particular is listed quite cheaply on that site. You should probably google for reviews on the site at things like ripoff report because there are a few bad reports on chegg there. I try to stick to half.com and amazon.com simply because I know the providers are legit. Be careful about using your credit/debit card information on sites that are not well known because they may be scams. Always check reports.
As far as shipping goes, you can either ship your books home and then pack them to bring to campus, or you can order them when you get to campus, or you can send them ahead to a friend. The trouble with shipping them home is that you'll have to pack them, which takes up room/weight in your suitcase; the trouble with buying them at campus is that they wont necessarily be here on the first day of classes. If you want, you can have me pick up your books until you get here (of course, I'm a complete stranger, but you're welcome to do that if you'd like to). My package address for the academic year is:
[retracted]
Just let me know what you are sending and when it should be arriving. I'd be glad to hang onto your books until you get here. I don't want to be financially liable for the books when they arrive (sometimes Georgetown manages to lose track of packages coming in for a while...it's a bit frustrating) but it's definitely an option. Alternatively, you can ship the package to the RHO under your name; however, it may arrive early, and if you don't pick it up on time, they may return the package to sender.
Does that help?
April
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Buying Books
Hey guys,
Georgetown has a plot to get your money. Well, maybe that’s a bit cynical; however, if you keep that principal in mind, a lot of the things Georgetown conveniently forgets to mention to you begin to make sense. Item number one on my list of ways they get into your wallet: the school book store.
None of Georgetown’s welcome packets tell you how to order your books. The assumption is that you will buy your books when you get here from Georgetown, who provides all of the textbooks you need, sorted according to class and guaranteed to be in-stock for you as soon as you arrive...for full price plus.
If you have a class that you registered for, but are not positive you will take, I recommend waiting and buying the book store books. Georgetown does offer a very handy beginning-of-semester return policy which allows you to return books within the add-drop period (so that you can return them if you choose not to take a class) and a regular policy that lets you return a book within some short number of days. I’ve already managed to abuse this policy by actually finishing a 70$ book in two days and returning it. However, if you are pretty sure you are going to take a course, I would very highly recommend you purchase or rent online.
You can find out what book you need by entering your course numbers into the GU bookstore site (http://www.bkstr.com/CategoryDisplay/10001-9604-11006-1?demoKey=d). You can get course numbers by going to your myaccess page, then student>registration>student schedule. They should look like "COSC 071" or "HIST 001" and be followed by a section number ("01" or "02", usually). I’ve heard reports that some freshman no longer have a schedule tab. Not to fear! If you don’t, continue to poke around your myaccess page, being careful to look through registration and/or pre-registration pages. You should be able to find your course numbers there. If you still can’t find them, you can google “Georgetown University + the name of the course” to find the course numbers you need. Just be sure to watch out that you don’t look up information on the wrong school. There is also a Georgetown College. That’s not us; it’s some copy-cat school in another state.
When you look online, I suggest that you use the invisible hand application to find the cheapest book (http://www.getinvisiblehand.com/). This application automatically searches a variety of book sellers to make sure that you are buying the least expensive item available—and it’s available for firefox and chrome in a very nice little add-on extension that does all the work for you. Also be sure to search by ISBN number so that you get the correct edition of a book.
Editions can also be a good place to save money. Be sure to contact your professor about edition differences if you notice that a previous edition of a book is both recent and substantially cheaper. Often they do not change substantially, and, while many professors are picky about editions, some are willing to let you take the cheaper route out. Sometimes book are even not required! I’ve had one class that has a required book that costs about 80$ in the listing (Computer Science I, if you are interested) that the professor does not require. Writing your professors a brief note can save you a lot.
If you have a friend who is taking a class with you, you also may be able to split the book costs. You can also check out a book from Lauinger library for class use if you can find it. Be sure to search Lauinger’s website (library.georgetown.edu) before you buy a book. Of course, trusting on Lau to have a book when you need it can be slightly dicey. But the resource is available if you think your book is obscure enough to not be under high demand.
If you'd like to save on some shipping prices, be sure to get Amazon student advantage for Amazon orders (they have a one year subscription for free), and you can ship your books ahead if you have a contact at the university. I have some limited space and may even be able to help out if you like, so that your books are here at Georgetown before classes start and they don't take up too much room in your packing. Just let me know via email from your hoyamail account (ale35@georgetown.edu) if you want my address.
I hope all the preparation is going well! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments! See you soon,
April
Georgetown has a plot to get your money. Well, maybe that’s a bit cynical; however, if you keep that principal in mind, a lot of the things Georgetown conveniently forgets to mention to you begin to make sense. Item number one on my list of ways they get into your wallet: the school book store.
None of Georgetown’s welcome packets tell you how to order your books. The assumption is that you will buy your books when you get here from Georgetown, who provides all of the textbooks you need, sorted according to class and guaranteed to be in-stock for you as soon as you arrive...for full price plus.
If you have a class that you registered for, but are not positive you will take, I recommend waiting and buying the book store books. Georgetown does offer a very handy beginning-of-semester return policy which allows you to return books within the add-drop period (so that you can return them if you choose not to take a class) and a regular policy that lets you return a book within some short number of days. I’ve already managed to abuse this policy by actually finishing a 70$ book in two days and returning it. However, if you are pretty sure you are going to take a course, I would very highly recommend you purchase or rent online.
You can find out what book you need by entering your course numbers into the GU bookstore site (http://www.bkstr.com/CategoryDisplay/10001-9604-11006-1?demoKey=d). You can get course numbers by going to your myaccess page, then student>registration>student schedule. They should look like "COSC 071" or "HIST 001" and be followed by a section number ("01" or "02", usually). I’ve heard reports that some freshman no longer have a schedule tab. Not to fear! If you don’t, continue to poke around your myaccess page, being careful to look through registration and/or pre-registration pages. You should be able to find your course numbers there. If you still can’t find them, you can google “Georgetown University + the name of the course” to find the course numbers you need. Just be sure to watch out that you don’t look up information on the wrong school. There is also a Georgetown College. That’s not us; it’s some copy-cat school in another state.
When you look online, I suggest that you use the invisible hand application to find the cheapest book (http://www.getinvisiblehand.com/). This application automatically searches a variety of book sellers to make sure that you are buying the least expensive item available—and it’s available for firefox and chrome in a very nice little add-on extension that does all the work for you. Also be sure to search by ISBN number so that you get the correct edition of a book.
Editions can also be a good place to save money. Be sure to contact your professor about edition differences if you notice that a previous edition of a book is both recent and substantially cheaper. Often they do not change substantially, and, while many professors are picky about editions, some are willing to let you take the cheaper route out. Sometimes book are even not required! I’ve had one class that has a required book that costs about 80$ in the listing (Computer Science I, if you are interested) that the professor does not require. Writing your professors a brief note can save you a lot.
If you have a friend who is taking a class with you, you also may be able to split the book costs. You can also check out a book from Lauinger library for class use if you can find it. Be sure to search Lauinger’s website (library.georgetown.edu) before you buy a book. Of course, trusting on Lau to have a book when you need it can be slightly dicey. But the resource is available if you think your book is obscure enough to not be under high demand.
If you'd like to save on some shipping prices, be sure to get Amazon student advantage for Amazon orders (they have a one year subscription for free), and you can ship your books ahead if you have a contact at the university. I have some limited space and may even be able to help out if you like, so that your books are here at Georgetown before classes start and they don't take up too much room in your packing. Just let me know via email from your hoyamail account (ale35@georgetown.edu) if you want my address.
I hope all the preparation is going well! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments! See you soon,
April
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