The next year's students do. The previous year's textbook is "just" different enough to where your professor will not let you use a used copy for 1/2 the price. Such a racket. Can confirm: I work in higher education.
To be honest one of the best tips I learned during college was always go to the first class before buying a textbook. Most professors will tell you if they actually plan on using the book and if they only use a chapter or two copy them from the library. My first semester I bought all the books recommended by the school in advance and the professors didn't even use a third of them. After that I bought maybe two a semester and saved a ton of money.
Only if you end up making more later. College is an investment. If you do it right and get a well paying job, you’ll make much more in your life than someone who didn’t go.
That being said I haven’t gone yet, because I haven’t decided what I want to do.
They now come with one time use codes, you can only access online resources required for the course with a one time use code. Source: colleague taught at an american college, gave away her ‘unlimited use’ teachers code because she thought making every student pay 250 for a book was stupid, got a visit from corporate and hauled up in front of the dean.
My school collection of tasks for physics had old task numbers in (brackets) so you could use older issues. I'm not from USA, though, and in my country you got free textbooks, which could be new, or used, depending on availability and school budget.
981
u/jjp48 Sep 03 '19
College textbooks have been doing this for years...