Controlling College Expenses
Author: Gene Grzywacz

Your tuition money probably won't take care of such loose ends
as lab fees for specific courses, late registration charges,
drop-and-add fees, library fines, motor vehicle registration and
parking fees, and various other course-related hits your budget
will have to absorb. Individually, these fees may seem
manageable— $25 here, $10 there—but over the span of a year,
they can add up fast.

Your best bet here may be the preemptive strike: Find out about
the existence of such fees, particularly in lab classes, before
you register or during the first week of school, so, if need be,
you can drop the class and take it later, when you've budgeted
for it. (The fee might be mentioned in the schedule of classes,
or you could find out from your professor or the department.)

And then, there's book money. Books are expensive, even though,
in the grand scheme, they generally account for only a tiny
fraction (probably less than 5 percent) of a student's total
college expenses. One state school, the University of South
Carolina, estimates that students will spend about $495 a year
on textbooks.

Are you helpless? Is there no hope for saving money here? Don't
be silly! Of course there's hope. First, you can shave a huge
chunk off your total cost for books and supplies by buying the
things you could get anywhere—notebooks, pens—at an off-campus
discount or warehouse store.

Save even more by buying as many used books as you can and by
being creative. For example, if you're assigned the Oxford
edition of Pride and Prejudice, you could pick up a cheap used
paperback at an off-campus bookstore and, assuming the basic
text is the same in any edition, just read the Oxford edition's
introduction (to note any important points of criticism your
professor may discuss in class).

Borrowing. If you're lucky enough to find willing lenders, this
is also a great way to save. Ask around—befriend and/or plead
with older students in your major (or in your dorm, club,
fraternity, or sorority) and see if they'll lend you their
textbooks. (We know you already know this, but if you borrow
somebody's book, treat it with kid gloves. Treat it better than
you'd treat your own book. Cherish it. Nurture it. Protect it.
Don't write in it, don't dog-ear pages, don't read it in the
bathtub, don't mark your place by leaving it open, face-down,
and ruining the binding, and don't abuse the goodwill of the
person who lent you the book. And don't forget to return the
book when you've finished with it.)

Buy used books whenever possible. As you can imagine, used
books are gobbled up fast, so buy early. (This means that you
should sign up for advising and preregistration as soon as
possible, so you'll know what courses you'll be taking. If you
register late, you probably won't find a huge selection of cheap
used books to choose from.)

At the end of the semester, you can recoup some money by
selling your own books either back to the bookstore or to other
students. You won't get the full price back, but you can recover
at least some of your costs. (Note: If you think you might be
selling the book one day, plan ahead. Take the steps mentioned
above to care for the book; in particular, don't write in
it—you'll lower the resale value.)

Buy only what you really need. Finally, be sure to find out
whether each book on your course list is required or
recommended. If it's just recommended, you may be able to get by
without buying it. (Bookstores are supposed to label these
distinctions plainly, but they don't always do it. If you're not
sure, ask a clerk to check the professor's ordering
instructions.) Tip: Some professors put copies of the books on
their list on reserve at the library. Which means that you may
be able to avoid buying some books altogether. (But be aware
that this could be risky if you count on getting access to the
books in the reserve room just when you need them most—like a
few days before a big test.)


About The Author: Gene Grzywacz is also written the College
Student Survival Guide
http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/StudentSurvivalGuide.html and
about nursing students
http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/nurse.html and other college
tips. http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/page2.html