When college students apply for a new semester at school, they’re forced into paying hefty tuition fees. This tuition typically covers the cost of your courses and some amenities around the campus, but more often than not, college tuition fails to cover the costs of a few other necessary things. Some of these non-covered costs include parking and textbooks, which would be a lifesaver for students if free.
You might have free access to the school’s swimming pool that you never intend to use, but you don’t have free access to your required course texts. The worst part about it all is that these textbooks are quite expensive.
Luckily, there are a few other options for you other than purchasing these texts brand new from the campus store. Before you empty your pockets purchasing several textbooks for all your classes, consider the benefits of textbook rental.
Here are several reasons why renting textbooks can be a huge lifesaver for college students!
1. You Save Money
The most important aspect of textbook rentals is the amount of money you’ll save when taking this route. Textbook rentals are much more affordable than purchasing the textbooks brand new. You might even have a few different rental options to choose from as well.
If a text is an older version (but still accepted by the professor), or if the textbook has writing inside of it, then you might be able to rent it even cheaper than other rentals. Do keep in mind that you won’t be able to write your own notes inside them, and you’ll need to keep it in the same condition it was in when you rented it.
Failure to do so could result in charges. Either way, renting is a much cheaper option than buying new.
2. You Have Options
When renting textbooks, you’ll be given a few different options. For starters, you’ll have the option to return the textbook if the professor decides not to use it, or if it was the wrong one. You’ll also most likely find free shipping when renting online.
If you need the textbook ASAP, then you can consider renting an eTextbook. eTextbooks are available to you as soon as you pay for them. They might be a bit more expensive than hard copies, but they can make things more convenient for you.
You won’t have to worry about causing damage to it either. When the time rental timeframe is over, it’ll simply expire. If you want to keep the eTextbook, then this is another option you have.
3. You Save Space and Trees
Renting textbooks is also beneficial because you save space inside your home or dorm and you save the environment. Imagine if you were to purchase every single textbook required for every single course you take while in college. That’s a lot of textbooks!
Not only is that a lot of textbooks, but these textbooks are normally not small. Some textbooks are smaller, but the majority of college textbooks are quite large and bulky. Do you really have the space to harvest all of these books?
This becomes even more challenging for those living in dorms with limited space. With all of these textbooks also comes a lot of paper use. It takes a lot of paper and energy to create college textbooks.
When you rent textbooks or choose eTextbooks, you’re also helping the environment all while saving space for more important things like that favorite knick-knack of yours.
4. You Won’t Fall Behind
When you’re unable to purchase your textbooks for your college courses, it’s easy to fall behind quickly. Most professors begin using textbooks and teaching lessons right away. There’s not much room for error.
If you’re unable to buy a textbook because you don’t have the funds, then you risk falling behind in class from the very beginning. You may be able to save up money and buy the text later, but at that point, you will have already been so far behind.
Instead of falling behind in class, you can rent your textbooks. Because textbook rentals are cheaper, you’ll have a better chance of getting all the textbooks you need at one time.
5. You’ll Have Convenience
Renting textbooks online is convenient in many ways for college students. You won’t have to worry about heading over to the campus bookstore and waiting in long lines to find the books you need. College bookstores also become overwhelmed with students all looking to purchase the same textbooks.
When this happens, you might even have a hard time finding the book you need. When renting online, you still need to act quickly, but you won’t have to worry as much about shelves clearing out. You also won’t have to worry about selling your books back and hoping to get a decent price.
When renting, you find the cheapest textbooks online, have them shipped to you for free, and you later return them using a provided shipping label. It’s a much more convenient option that’ll give you some peace of mind.
Textbook Rentals Are the Optimal Lifesaver for Students!
After reading through this guide, there’s no doubt that textbook rentals are a huge lifesaver for students taking college courses. Don’t be fooled into purchasing expensive textbooks that you might not ever actually use and if you do use them, it’ll only be for a short period of time.
Only pay for what you need by choosing to rent your textbooks instead.
Click here to browse through textbook rental options available for you today!