With school being so close, I’ve been thinking an awful lot lately about school supplies. I know it must sound strange, but I love school supplies. I love folders and planner books, note cards and paper clips. I love the idea of organizing my desk- a container for pens, a jar for pencils. I love organizing my desk so much that I even have a small basket for “miscellaneous items”.
It’s like that scene from “You’ve Got Mail”, where Meg Ryan tells Tom Hanks via email that she loves the fall because it reminds her of freshly sharpened pencils. Unlike Meg Ryan, however, I get my kicks from those “Sharpwriter” mechanical pencils with really soft erasers. And I’m not emailing Tom Hanks, I’m blogging to all of you!
Every year, since the summer before I began school in Mrs. Zeigler’s PM kindergarten class, I have had to go out and purchase school supplies. Unfortunately for me, Mrs. Zeigler hasn’t sent me a school supply list since I was five years old, and a box of Crayola crayons, an Elmer’s glue stick, and colored pencils are no longer the necessities. Nowadays, the shopping list looks a bit more like the catalogue for an engineering library, and a bit less like a Hello Kitty backpack (which is not to say that there is not merit in owning a Hello Kitty backpack).
So how do you shop for college classes? How do you know how to get the right books? When do you buy them? How do you even buy them? Luckily enough for you, I would consider myself an expert on upper level institutional school supplies, and am about to impart some crazy facts all over this page!
Where do I find my books???
Oftentimes, your professor or course lecturer will you email with a list of books. In the event, however, that they have NOT emailed you a list, I have provided a step by step process to compiling your own list below!
1.) Log onto e-lion
2.) On the left, scroll down to “Student Schedule”
3.) This is what your screen should look like
4.) Highlight “Fall 2011”, select “Course Detail”, and click “Display schedule”
5.) In the left hand corner, just below your schedule, you will see a button that says “select all”- Press it! You will see a check mark appear in each course box in the “Buy Books” column
6.) Click “confirm selected books”
7.) Click “submit to Penn State bookstore”
a. NOTE: This DOES NOT sign you up for a book purchase through the Penn State bookstore! All it does is redirect you to the Penn State bookstore’s website, which gives you a list of the books your professor has listed as course materials
How do I know which books to buy???
In the list of books that the Penn State Bookstore generates for you, you will notice that some books are listed as “recommended” or “required”. People love to throw these words around, and they do it like it’s their job (because it is!) They key to knowing what recommended books you really need is knowing how you study! Some people love study guides, some people like solutions manuals, some love both! It all depends on how you learn! If you think you don’t need it at first, but later discover that you do, you can always go and buy it later!
What if it turns out I DON’T need one of the books I just bought?
The bookstores have an awful return policy. In many cases, you can only return books within the first two weeks of school. This is why it is important to be sure which text books you really need. Ask one of your mentors- I can guarantee you that they, or one of the other WEP mentors, took the exact same class!
What about buying online?
There are lots of websites that sell textbooks at reduced prices. I personally favor half.com, which is an extension of Ebay. You sort of have to take a gamble though, because they don’t always come right away. Personally, I think saving a hundred dollars is worth it- but it really depends on how comfortable you are with buying textbooks online! If you have questions or concerns, feel free to ask me!
And renting?
Both the Penn State bookstore and the Student Bookstore offer textbooks for rent. I know a lot of people who really prefer to rent textbooks. Only consider this as an option if you KNOW you are not prone to losing and/or damaging textbooks! I like to keep all of my textbooks, because I like the idea of having an “engineering library” all to myself, so I myself have never rented one. I’ve heard, however, that it’s a pretty good deal!
And selling them back?
You can sell textbooks back! The bookstores at school tend to buy them back at a very reduced price, but it’s still something! If you’re looking to recover more capital, I would recommend selling them back online. Again, if you’ve never treaded those waters before, ask a mentor!!!
And school supplies?
WEP hands out an AWESOME coupon booklet to the Student Bookstore at the end of orientation. You get a great discount on school supplies- so I would recommend waiting to buy things like paper clips, folders, notebooks, printer paper, and Penn State apparel until you are up at school. The Student Bookstore offers some awesome deals- you just have to catch them! For example, I bought printer paper last spring for $0.49/pack!!! Also, as far as printing goes, the school offers 100 free sheets per semester at the labs. When you print at the labs, be sure to print double sided- it saves paper!
I feel like this is getting a little lengthy, so I’ll sign off here! I can’t wait to meet you all at WEP!!!
Elizabeth (Liz) Krauss is a Junior in Architectural Engineering. She will be a WEPO Mentor this year and is also involved in Vole and SWE. This summer, she had an internship with Gilmore Group in New Britain, PA.
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