How To Save On Textbooks

With the beginning of each semester, a concern grows in the mind of most students: very expensive textbooks and access codes. Textbooks in Canada can be very costly, and the options offered at the college's bookstore are often very inaccessible to students who are in a tight budget, as well as buying textbooks directly from the publishers' website. Here, we compiled a list of alternatives that can help you save some money at the start of each new semester:

1) Craigslist, eBay, Kijiji, etc.

These websites often have offers of used textbooks for half of the price of a brand new textbook, and are worth checking before running to your college's bookstore straight after receiving the booklist for the semester. Beware of the conditions of the books and the reputation of the users selling them, they may not be as advertised.

2) Amazon.ca, Amazon.com

Amazon.ca also has a selection of textbooks that are slightly cheaper than the general prices from publishers, especially on the Marketplace section of the website. Additionally, the website offers digital versions of textbooks for more accessible prices than their print counterparts. Amazon.com can also be a good option, if your course does not require the Canadian version of the text.

3) Facebook student groups

Students of your college probably have an online group on Facebook dedicated to sell used textbooks after they finish their courses. Might be a good idea to check it out and see it any of your required textbooks and access codes can be purchased for cheap from other students.

4) Textbooks.com, AbeBooks, BookMob, etc.

Some websites are dedicated to offer textbooks to students in prices they can actually afford. Textbooks.com and BookMob offer a great selection of textbook for sale or rental that can help your savings when starting a new course.

5) eBooks

If you have an eReader or a tablet, you may consider getting the digital version of the text. These are usually available for a reduced price even when offered directly from the publisher or from your college's bookstore and might be a good fit for you, if you do not mind not having a physical book with you.

We hope that these suggestions help you to save money on textbooks at the beginning of the next semester! Until next time..

Study tips to improve your grades.

I have decided to dedicate this post to study tips that I have been using for what feels like ages. Compared to how I used to study before I started applying those methods, my grades improved drastically. For example, before I used to get a 4 from certain tests I would take (in the Czech marking scheme the grades go from 1, which is the best, to 5, the worst), but now, getting a 4 is a rarity...

What may help?

A great starter is to know, what type of learner you are. There are three types: Kinesthetic, Auditory, and Visual.

Now, onto the tips!

Tip #1
Find a comfortable place to study. It should be somewhere you feel safe, somewhere quiet, and without distractions (I study in a different room than my actual one and I even leave my phone in there because that's the biggest distraction..lol). I would recommend not to do any type of work on your bed as it is a place you should rest at.
Tip #2
Find a method that suits you the best and gives you a feeling of confidence. Some people summarize their notes, memorize them, or just read them and of course many other methods. Don't be afraid to try something new, as it may be "the one". I actually have different methods for different subjects!
Tip #3
Break down your work. Now this one is very helpful and allows you to get more work done during the day. What I do is I break down my materials into smaller parts and learn each part on a different day. This has also decreased times when I get super frustrated because the test is the next day, it's already getting late and I still have plenty of stuff to do.
Tip #4
Keep it organized. Keep all your notes as neat as possible. Use colors, highlighters for important information, even draw diagrams. All of these will help you study, but be careful I used to write nearly every sentence in a different color. You can pretty much guess the result of that. Unicorn puke. I could NOT study properly and ended up skipping that part...
Tip #5
Find the best time to study. For me, it's between 6-8 p.m. This is the time you are concentrated the most, so studying will be easier.
Tip #6
Sleep, sleep, and sleep! If you're a student you should get at least 7 hours of sleep. This is something I found out recently. The amount of sleep you get affects your grades (at least in my case). I personally need at least 8 hours of sleep if I want my grades to look the way I want and not to feel like killing my classmates. *sigh*
Tip #7
We have officially gotten to the very last tip! My very last tip is to do the easy work first. I do the easier work first, because I know I will get it done in a short amount of time and then more have more time to do the harder work.
That is it my friends. I have no more things to say. If you found any of those tips helpful, don't forget to leave a comment or if you want to share some of your tips, please feel free to do so!! See you next time.

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