Frequently asked questions about textbooks: 1. What is an E-Book? An E-book is basically your textbook but you read it online instead of a hard copy version. You can buy it from the U of A bookstore located in SUB. 2. Should I buy an E-Book? It depends. I hate reading stuff online and I physically need to have the book in my hands in order to study but many people like reading textbooks online. Its up to you. An E-book is sometimes cheaper than a hard copy version so that might come into play. You can usually find them on Library Genesis (gen.lib.rus.ec) or other textbook piracy sites, or by searching (name/isbn of book) pdf 3. What is an Access code? Do I need it? Many classes have homework which you are required to do online (Math 100/101/102/ 113/209, ENGG130 etc...). There is a specific website where you go to register in the online homework portion of the class and for registering you need an access code and the Class registration code (Which your professor will give). For example for ENGG130, you need to access a site called Masteringengineering and register with an access code and a class registration code. Many classes require an Access code but some classes Like Chem 101/103/102/105 do not. Your professor will specify. Pay attention! 4. Should I buy (Insert textbook) for (Insert class)? It really depends. Most classes dont require a textbook and you will usually not require one unless homework is assigned from the textbook (SUch as ENGG 130 or STAT 235). For example, My PHYS130 textbook was absolutely terrible and for most of my classes I barely used the textbook (Except Math, I used Stewart quite often) Ive been in university for 2 years now (going into my 3rd) and I feel that textbooks arent really required that much and most of the time you can use YouTube videos or ask your professors. Some textbooks are nice (MAT E 202) but some others are absolutely terrible. 5. Can I buy a Lab manual from other places? Absolutely not! You MUST buy the lab manual from the respective department (or book store) since when you do lab write ups, you are given questions to answer. These change every year so you MUST obtain the most recent version or you will have HUGE HUGE problems. 6. Do I NEED to have the latest edition of the textbook for my class? Can I use an older edition? For many classes no, you do not need the latest edition. For classes like Chem 101/103/102/105 you SHOULD be able to use ANY edition of Silleberg and still do well in the class regardless. You do not require the latest edition of the textbook unless your professor specifically says otherwise. For some classes, you do need the latest edition (Such as ENGG130) 7. Do I need all my textbooks right away? No. In fact, I recommend waiting a few weeks before buying textbooks to avoid long lineups and for the first 2-3 weeks (At least in first year) you really dont do much... 8. Do I need to carry my textbooks to every class? No. Imagine carrying 500 pounds on your back! Ohh man... If your professor refers to the textbook for lectures, they will specify when/if you need to bring it to class. (Ive NEVER seen that happen personally)
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 06:43:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015