My wallet under attack... The scholar vs. the evil textbook companies!

So, I kind of made it through my math pre-requisite test.  I'm just planning on attending the review sessions for the re-takes, that's all.  I can take a re-take, I'm not too proud for that anymore .

Now, to get ready for the real lectures, I need some books.  I need some... money.  I might need to win the lottery!!

 I guess to get a good, price, you know the old saying.You gotta shop around... (sha-na-na-na... oh maybe I'd better stop).

Nothing will motivate one like looking a $200 book price tag for my Macro-Econ course in the eye serial numbers.  Yikes!!  Books, can't do class without 'em, can't pay the rent with 'em!

I usually have a policy: books in my major I buy and keep, other books are rent-worthy; however, I folded when I saw what that would run me.  I though of the shoes that could have been purchased bills that could be taken care of, and realized I am going to have to be a little more resourceful.

How does that benefit you, you say?  Well anything I learn, I'm passing on!  Here is a brief rundown of some of the sources I use to find cheaper textbooks:

University Bookstore Price

Purchase (new): $190 (my wallet cried, I couldn’t do it)

Purchase (used): $143 (I think this grown woman cried a little, too!) 

Rental:  $95 (Is Warren Buffet going to help me study or something?  Really!?)

Cheap textbooks-

www.Amazon.com:  Purchase (used):  83.00 with free shipping (3^rd party re-seller)

Purchase (New): $131

Kindle version: $118 (Prof allows the book and notes for quizzes, but no e-devices. Boo.)

www.Chegg.com  Rental:  62.99

You can rent or buy books online with a 21-day guaranteed return policy. E-books are available with a 14-day guaranteed policy.  I haven’t used it.  Reviews are welcome.

www.Coursesmart.com

E-book rental: $74.99

 E books only.  I used this for a previous course where I knew I wasn’t keeping the book.  Good variety of intro/core course books.  I like the fact that you can print out book pages and your notes and highlights.  

I did find another book, for another class, I’ll need through the semester, but don’t plan on keeping, that wasn’t available for rent at the bookstore.  It is going to be $15 bucks cheaper here. (Woo-hoo.)

www.Half.com by Ebay

Purchase (used): $82.39 lowest

This is an ebay website, so all of the books are re-sales.  Most ship through media mail, but there were faster options available for additional cost.  Lots of instructor copies (I guess profs are selling their books, too!)

www.Alibiris.com

Purchase (new): $85.00

 Also $74.79, but an international version (BOO).

Also a re-seller, its carries quite a few textbooks and specializes in rare books.  Watch out for International Editions of books here (a problem if you are dealing with math or measurements, etc.).

Happy shopping (and learning)!

Drop a Decimal, Carry the One and Call for Help! (Wait...I do need math?!)

I was good at math in high school.  Now, I was no Mathlete (that was middle school...lol) or anything, but I managed to get decent grades in most of my college prep-track math courses.  Heck, I even took calculus!

I can't say I hated it (cue Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier's "Men on Film" characters from in Living Color).  I liked math.  I like solving problems, so math, no big problem. All, except for one math section, which struck fear in the heart of my TI-83.
 Geometry. The course was more exactly called Geometry, Trigonometry, and Analysis.
More like "I'm Ruining Your GPA with Some C Minuses."
 (Yeah, I was one of those students who swore their parents were going to throw them off a bridge if I came home with a B-.  It's a wonder no one called CPS on us.)

I hated Geometry.  I don't care about imaginary/complex numbers, don't really like rhombuses (I'm more of a  circle person myself) and the only time I want to hear a "cosine" is when I tell my friends a funny story (look it up if you don't remember, that's actually quite clever if I do say so myself). I didn't do well there, and was glad to be done with that class, and happy to  think, like most my age, that I'll never have to see that stuff again.

I can add, subtract, multiply, divide, tell time and make change.  I can even do my taxes ( with the help of some software).  I'm good, right?

So, needless to say, my heart sank a bit when I received my Macro Econ syllabus.  Now, I expect to see some math.  Algebra, Calculus, stuff I can remember or fake with a calculator if needed.  Not the G-word,  not that!  All this on top of the fact that, when I last took any of these subjects, Facebook didn't even exist yet (tell that to the kiddies and I'm sure you'll get a gasp of horror!) 

What to do?  I have a test in this stuff on the first day of class!  Well, I have pulled up a few resources to refresh what little math memory I have left.  If you have mistaken E=mc2 for the Quadratic Equation, you may want to bookmark them as well.


Are you smarter than your calculator?

Resources Available:

Your School’s Math Department- Check to see if there is a bulletin board or website postings for pizza- or money-starved students willing to tutor! ( So your next math problem will be “How many pizzas do I have to buy to pass this test?)

Other School’s Math Departments- many of the best resources I have found have been free teaching aids posted online by other University professors. A quick Google search of “quadratic equation” or “systems of equations” (not quite as scary as it sounds) should yield some great step-by-step instructions.

Dean of Students or Academic Support Services/Advising- I also learned from my advisor that many students aren’t as confident in their math skills (we are not alone) and has set up tutoring and study group sessions.

http://library.thinkquest.org/20991/alg2/systems.html - Math for Morons Like Us

Hey, insult me all you want, just show me how to do it!

My professor suggested, and I will be humbly buying:

RECOMMENDED COURSE MATERIALS

1) Algebra Success in 20 Minutes a Day (Skill Builders), 4th ed., LearningExpress Editors (ISBN 978-

1576857199)

2) Geometry Success in 20 Minutes a Day (Skill Builders), 3rd ed., LearningExpress Editors (ISBN 978-

1576857458)

My Wayward Matriculation through Higher Education

I am a 28 (almost 29, ugh, don’t remind me) year old, African-American woman resuming my pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree after an almost 9-year hiatus from college.  A lot has changed in the near decade since I first landed on a college campus:  most of my classroom peers collaborate through Facebook instead of  pull all-nighters in person, and they are more likely hit Google Scholar before hitting the library to research a paper.

Okay, that’s the scholar part.  Why would I call myself a “prodigal scholar”?  Well, the first time around, I had it easy:  I had a great opportunity, lots of talent, a scholarship… I had a pretty clear path for success ahead of me. 

But alas, this story is probably a familiar one:  girl goes to a college far away, girl sees a chance to reinvent her previously nerdy life, girl meets boy, girl loses interest in class, makes parents angry, parents send girl to another school, rinse and repeat, and girl has to learn about consequences the hard way.

That was quite a few years ago. I took a few years off of school to work and get my act together.  I have been taking classes for a while to return to the college environment, and have just officially applied and been accepted to matriculate in an Economics program.

This time is definitely the charm, however, I now will be working full-time and studying and will really have to determine a work-life balance that allows me to achieve my goals.  Also, the program I have decided to pursue is no joke, difficulty-wise.

I know my situation isn't so different from many others out there who are balancing work, school, family, and a myriad of other responsibilities in order to grow in their lives.  I'm hoping my experiences, and the experiences of others who comment here, will help a growing community of adult students find their way to their graduation ceremony.

Cheers to being up for a challenge.  I meet with my advisor for the first time tomorrow.

Best,

PS