Briana Greco, Staff writer 

Textbooks get more expensive year after year, and publishers come out with new editions of the same book just so they can overcharge for the same information, just formatted a little differently. Being a college student is expensive enough, but by doing little things to save extra money and using online sites to find books cheaper helps to make buying textbooks a little easier.

Websites like Chegg and Amazon let you rent your textbooks for nearly half the cost they normally are. There are also websites like Slugbooks, which lets you search a textbook and then gives you a list of places to buy or rent the textbook from, finding the lowest price possible.

“Being a Psychobiology major, all the textbooks can get pretty pricy, but I always use Chegg when I can to save money,” Amanda Taurisano, sophomore, said.

She also said another way she has saved money is by splitting the cost of a textbook with a friend in the same class, then sharing the book throughout the semester. The financial burden of textbooks can be tough on a lot of students, so its great to know there are websites out there to make the experience less stressful.

Another way to make buying textbooks a little less irritating is finding small ways to save extra money beforehand. This makes it so when the time comes to purchase your books for the upcoming semester it doesn’t leave you unprepared and broke. One way is to just save your extra change. Any change you find lying at the bottom of your book bag or pockets at the end of the day can be put into a jar for textbook money. You would be surprised how much you can actually save up!

Utica College student Jaida Degristina said she puts a little bit of her paycheck away every week over the summer and by the time school starts has enough for all her books.

“I do the same thing during winter break, before the spring semester,” Degristina said.

These are a few of the things you can do to save extra money for your books before school begins.

Although textbooks are often viewed as ridiculously priced, there are several professors at UC who recognize the strenuous costs.

Junior Tionna Defreitas said, “I have had Professor Orzechowski for a few classes now and he only assigns textbooks when he feels it is absolutely necessary. Most of his classes don’t have any because of how overpriced they usually are.”

Brett Orzechowski is a Journalism professor here at UC and just one of the many teachers who feel the same way about expensive textbooks.

Ultimately, almost every college student faces the hardship of costly textbooks, so you are not alone. But you can take the weight off your shoulders by finding alternative ways to buy your textbooks, and get better on saving money ahead of time. Maybe one of the most financially stressful aspects of college just got a little bit easier!