Cost of books in the first year?

The_One_Who

triggerhappy wrote: »

In my experience (at Glasgow University, which has a pretty good stock) things like maths books don't tend to be stocked in any great number. If you have a class of 200 students, all of whom are set the same examples to do after each class, your chances of picking up the book from the library are pretty slim. (My course never handed out problem sheets - this is university, not school!)

Maths books are pretty cheap in comparison to other subjects, e.g. this one that I used for Level 1 Calculus.

As someone who has also done maths at Glasgow (it was two years ago) I can say that we did get problem sheets to do for the tutorials. I also never had any problem getting a book of problems from the library. And there is always the photocopier.

Most universities also have second-hand bookshops where it is possible to pick up books quite cheaply.

triggerhappy_2

The_One_Who wrote: »

As someone who has also done maths at Glasgow (it was two years ago) I can say that we did get problem sheets to do for the tutorials. I also never had any problem getting a book of problems from the library. And there is always the photocopier.

Most universities also have second-hand bookshops where it is possible to pick up books quite cheaply.

Granted, it was ten years ago I did maths there. Perhaps times have changed.

Mollycoddling if you ask me

Edit: and hello fellow Glasgow Uni (alumnus?) bod! It's a small world around here.

The_One_Who

triggerhappy wrote: »

Granted, it was ten years ago I did maths there. Perhaps times have changed.

Mollycoddling if you ask me

Edit: and hello fellow Glasgow Uni (alumnus?) bod! It's a small world around here.

The department were also excellent in providing access to previous exam papers as well as specimen papers. There really is only one way to learn maths and that's by doing it. I found books just over-complicate things, and when providing a solution will usually have slightly different methods of solving the problem than you have been taught, which just complicates things further.

But that's just me. I refuse to spend money on anything unless it'll get good use out of it.

Hello, I'm a fourth year, (hopefull) soon to be a Masters student. Woo!

triggerhappy_2

I agree in a way, but I always found it a handier reference than my hastily scrawled notes (from attempting to keep up with Dr. Whitelaw's insanely quick lectures!) when I was studying for exams.

In fact, shouldn't you be studying now?

Good luck in your finals!

yully

Also be wary of buying any 'introductory' books. They are great in the first year but after that we were told we couldn't use them in the 2nd and 3rd years so you probably wouldn't get your moneys worth. I also got quite a few of mine from the local oxfam book shop - several aren't on the reading list but they've still been worth getting. Good luck with uni x

MrsManda

yully wrote: »

Also be wary of buying any 'introductory' books. They are great in the first year but after that we were told we couldn't use them in the 2nd and 3rd years so you probably wouldn't get your moneys worth. I also got quite a few of mine from the local oxfam book shop - several aren't on the reading list but they've still been worth getting. Good luck with uni x

I think the best introductory books are probably the Short Introduction to... series, they're relatively cheap, especially if you need three or there are 3 of you who want one as they're usually sold 3 for 2. I have a couple of these for subjects where I needed help to make sense of something which I found was overcomplicated in textbooks and my lectures. But they are only good for the basics

Rummer

I would only buy the one essential text that they usually highlight and for the others use the library, have the money as a backup incase there is one you really need to buy. Look out on Amazon and other pre- loved booksites. The student areas often have noticeboards of people selling textbooks specific for your subject so that might be helpful too. I have always ended up buying books that I have never even had to open over the time of my degree so it is worth being careful.

whitfreak

Don't buy anything until you need to. Academic science books seem to start at £40 a pop.

If buying second hand check whether you really need the latests edition, you can save a lot by buying the version before the current one. A new edition of Calculus textbooks come out every three years or so, yet its a field where nothing's really changed in the last 50years (at least at undergrad courses level anyway). So the latest and greatest is actually just a reorganised version of the old one with a couple of different questions.

Use the library, alot of texts will be on the reading list but only one chapter is relivant. Or they will list 3 books when you can understand it from only one of them. And as another point, there will be books which are not on the reading list which you may find useful.

StudentInCrisis_2

I spent around £100 in total on my first year books, the most expensive being a law text that I needed at £35.

The rest though were on Amazon. Got about 10 books for my £100 (including the law text so 9 books for £65)

stevesb52

I spent about £50 a year for 3 years, but I know people on my course who have never bought a book (I'm mechanical engineering) and still get good results. My uni has got a really good library though, so you can generally find whatever you need in there - the only real reason I've bought the books is because I'm just a little bit too lazy to head over there!

I'd personally say the £150 is a pretty sensible amount - save any extra for freshers (!) - and don't buy the books until you worked out the modules where you're going to need regular access to one, (basically either the ones you don't understand or the ones where the lecturing isn't particularly great).