By Devon Halsell
Assistant Features Editor
The first week of school consists of a routine: getting to campus on time, hunting for a good parking spot, and finding a decent price for the required textbooks.
When students search for textbooks for their classes, there are multiple options available to them. The CSU Bakersfield bookstore, Amazon, Chegg.com, Valorebooks.com, etc.
Making the decision to buy or rent all depends on the class. If it is a class that they are taking for their major a student might want to keep the book for reference later in their careers.
On the other hand, if the class is just a requirement for general education then renting is the option students choose. The quality of the book is another choice the students might have to decide on.
There are new books, meaning no one else has used the book previously, and there are also used books. Used books are the most popular due to their price, but there is always the chance that they have been written in by the person who had the book before.
Some students research the books they need so they can find the best-priced textbooks. “Renting is my go-to option when I look for textbooks, unless it’s one that I think I will reference later in my career,” stated Ashley
Schmidt, an anthropology major. Schmidt also mentioned, “I start researching the textbooks I need a few weeks before school so I can rent/buy them and then browse through the pages before the class actually starts.”
CSUB’s bookstore is run by eFollett.com along with the help of student employees. EFollett.com runs bookstores for many other college campuses. They offer new or used books to buy, ebooks, and new or used books to rent. For some of the books, they offer the best price, but some other websites have better deals.
Amazon is a popular site for students to buy or rent books because of Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime is free for students and gives discounts on products as well as free shipping. They do carry most books that students need for their classes.
Websites like Chegg.com and Valorebooks.com might have better prices than either the campus bookstore or Amazon.
