i know it may seem like buying books is a simple enough business, but, as with everything in life, it’s much more complex than you initially assume it to be (see: anyone who’s ever tried to wire something up in their house ever).
so listen up, bub, ’cause i’m about to save you a lot of time.
1) should i even bother getting?my books?
fair question. textbooks cost several hundred dollars a year, and if you can avoid buying some books at all, that’s awesome.
there are some classes for which you will never even open the textbook/readings, and some for which you’ll carry your?book with you all year. for that reason, some students like to?attend a couple of classes to see how essential the course materials are.
2) okay, fiiiiine…i’ll buy the books. some of them, at least. but where do i buy them?
most books can be found at the uoft bookstore. you can also use the uoft bookstore’s website to find out exactly which books you need for each of your courses. just click the ‘Find Textbooks’ tab on the homepage, and log in using your UTORID.
some profs will upload?their book lists onto the bookstore site sooner than others, so if you’re trying to see what materials you need for a certain course, and you get this error message:
don’t worry. that just means the prof hasn’t uploaded the course list yet. some profs don’t publish the required course materials on the uoft bookstore site at all, and that’s fine, too. in that case, they’ll let you know what you need during the first class.
but wait, there’s more!
some course materials won’t be available at the uoft bookstore.?you may also have to buy course materials from the bob miller book room, from alicos printing,?or from other stores/copy centres around the city. and how do you know where in the seemingly endless number of holes-in-the-wall you need to get your incredibly specific edition of Spencer’s?The Faerie Queen or Stewart’s Early?Transcendentals?
well, it won’t be listed on the uoft bookstore website if it’s not available there, so just sit tight and wait for your prof to tell you where to find it.
you can also buy books through the discount textbooks store across from the main uoft bookstore. the uoft bookstore itself also occasionally offers used books, and has??textbook rental and textbook buy-back services.
3) wow, that all sounds horribly complicated. when should i go to all these places to avoid a crowd?
a few days before or after the first week of class, but?never during. it’s positively apocalyptic.
and with that, i wish you good luck!
cheers,
aska
P.S. a tip: if you know you’re going to be buying a lot of books, a little wagon or trolley may be a good idea if you don’t have the luxury of a car to bring your books from the bookstore to your house/residence.