Book Buying Guide for PSU

Kristen's WEPO 2011 Group w/ Their Design Project

Hi!  My name is Kristen Myatt and I’ll be a Rover for WEPO ’12!  I’m so excited!

So, in the summer before my first semester (just last year!) I was so worried about the textbooks I would have to buy.  Which ones do I need?  Where do I get them?  When do I need them by?  I asked my WEPO mentor all about it, and after two semesters I realize that it is nothing to stress over.  Don’t worry, we’re here to help!

Which books will I need?

Okay, so after you schedule with FTCAP you can go to www.elion.psu.edu to view your schedule and find what books you’ll need.  Follow this sequence: elion -> student schedule -> select “Fall 2012” and “Course Detail”. Right below the list of your classes, on the right, there are two buttons.  Click “Select All”, “Confirm Selected Books” and “Submit to Penn State Bookstore”.  Don’t worry, it’s not going to order the books automatically! It’ll just show you what you’ll need for your classes.  Not all classes need textbooks, and you don’t need to buy all of the books it shows.  Some are required and some are just recommended.

Where should I buy them?

I know it looks like it would be really easy to buy the books online where the list is being displayed (as described above), but I have to recommend that you do not buy the books online here. It’s nice to know what you’ll need, but they tend to be overpriced. Don’t worry, they will still have all of the books you need when you get to Penn State.  Just buy them when you get to PSU, in person.  In fact, WEPO will give you a card for a 10% discount at one of the local stores (Student Book Store)!  You can get your mentor to go with you if you’re nervous J

When do I need them by?

You do not need to get them over the summer. But you should aim to have your books by around the third day of class, or at least by the end of the first week. Since you’ll be new, you may want to go as soon as WEPO ends so the store isn’t too crowded and you don’t feel too overwhelmed.  After your first day of class, your teachers may say you don’t actually need the book so be sure to keep the receipt so you can return them.  If you want, you can just wait until the end of the first day of class to go get your books, but the stores become VERY crowded and the lines become very long.  The bottom line is, you don’t need the books right away so take your time and ask for help to make sure you get what you need.

I hope this helps!  J

~Kristen Myatt

Kristen is a sophomore in Chemical Engineering. She is a rover for WEPO 2012.