UC Davis Tip #2

Hello! My name is Gabbi and I will be a junior at UC Davis this upcoming 2013-2014 school year. I will also be an RA or Resident Advisor in the dorms :) Part of the reason I wanted to become an RA is because I enjoy helping people. This is also why I've decided to start blogging tips about going to UCD!

Gabbi's Tip #2

Dear freshies & other UCD students,

This is going to be a long tip, so I've decided to break it up into sections!

Tip #2.1

Just wait.

Wait to buy your books! I've definitely been guilty of jumping on buying my textbooks for classes, only to drop a class or be told by a professor that I didn't actually need a book. So just wait about a week to buy your books. I say a week because usually school starts on a Thursday, so you will go to all of your classes on Thursday and Friday, but you might have a class that only meets on a Monday or Wednesday. So go to all of your classes first, then gauge each class to see whether or not you really need that expensive textbook.

Tip #2.2

Okay, so you've decided you need the book(s). 

Now what?

Where do you find out what books you need?

First check your syllabus that you got on your first day of class. It should be on your syllabus! 

Oh, you skipped the first day of class? That's cool (NOT), but luckily you can use the UCD Bookstore website to find your required books. 

Go to the bookstore here and search for your classes.

Once you find what books you need through the bookstore, you can also see that they list a few competitor's prices underneath.

If you need help navigating the bookstore, here is a link to a different blog post that has pictures to guide you: Gabbi's Guide to the Online UCD Bookstore

Tip #2.3

Now you know what books you need, go look for them!

• You can try Facebook groups like the Textbook Exchange or even the Free & For Sale group (these are both for Davis).
• Sign up for Amazon Prime as a student fo freee (for 6 months)! Then you can get those expensive textbooks you're ordering off Amazon with two day shipping!
• UCD Bookstore both sells and rents out textbooks to students (the bookstore is located in the Memorial Union or MU). There are pros and cons to each, some people like to buy because then they can get money back on the book by selling it. Some like to rent because it can be a lot cheaper.
• Ask your friends to trade books, take their books, share a book...etc.
• Try out Slugbooks.com which will compare tons of websites selling the book you need so you can pick the cheapest option (or the cheapest option that you actually trust...).
• See Tip #2.4

Tip #2.4

Additionally, books might not even be used in the class even when you don't drop a class or a professor doesn't dismiss it. It seriously sucks that I can stare at a little pile of books that I didn't use at all in a few of my classes! This brings me to the fourth part of my tip:

Use that library card which is actually just your UCD Student ID card.

Check to see if the library has the book you need for the class! It is almost guaranteed to be in the Reserves section of the library. At the Reserves desk, you can check out the book you need for 2 hour blocks (usually 2 hours, but sometimes up to 2 days+). Sometimes you have to stay in the library with that book, sometimes you can leave.

Regardless, this is FREE (well...you pay for the library with tuition; even more reason to use this method) and it will force you to study. I have testimonials that using the Reserves desk to check out the textbook, rather than buying it, led to actually studying more, doing better in the class, and better time management!

Tip #2.5

Search online...I mean you know what I mean.