book money?

homewith4

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Is the $450/semseter for books put on a student account, or does the student buy the books and then file a reimbursement voucher.

If books cost less than $450 for any one semester, do you get to keep the extra money (on student account or in cash), or do you only get what you spend?
 
An MSIII cadet that I spoke with at freshman orientation(who was on scholarship)told me that the book stipend was simply deposited into your account. They don't require book receipts, but if you're an idiot and spend the money on something other than the books you need then I suppose that's your problem. However, I'm fairly sure that this is different for every school, because I have seen on this forum where people have had to bring vouchers, etc.
 
If you think that you can get away with 450 on books, even used, you will be shocked when you get to school.

For our DS in AFROTC he must submit the receipt. I don't think it is school to school, but it may differ branch to branch.
 
Is the $450/semseter for books put on a student account, or does the student buy the books and then file a reimbursement voucher.

If books cost less than $450 for any one semester, do you get to keep the extra money (on student account or in cash), or do you only get what you spend?

In AFROTC at my school its just deposited every semester in a personal account. I only spend about $100-$150 a sem on books. But thats mainly because im not an engineer and I only buy books that ill actually use. But we dont have to provide receipts or anything so I just get to keep the extra money and spend it on whatever.

People find out the hard way that a lot of times, a prof will tell you to buy all kinds of expensive books, and you dont actually end up using them. I recommend either waiting a while to buy books or ask people who've already taken the class what you really need to buy.
 
I've looked it up and renting the books comes $200+/- under the $450 allowed. I guess he'll have to wait until he gets to the Det & check what their policy is.

thanks for the info.
 
These days there are all kinds of ways to save on books. Use them.
There is no reason to buy brand new books each semester. The whole college book scene is one big scam and Congress has gotten involved. The bookstores now have to give you options to buying new which include renting books.
http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/how-to-find-cheaper-college-textbooks/?src=me&ref=business

Some places to look are:
www.amazon.com
www.chegg.com
www.half.com

Chegg is a book rental company with a good reputation. They even send the box for returning the books and shipping is free.

For free access to books whose copyright has expired (Classic literature) check here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Even science majors can find books cheaply. One of my kids is a hard science major and she will pay $270 next semester for 5 classes.
 
If you think that you can get away with 450 on books, even used, you will be shocked when you get to school.
My daughter has compared renting, buying used and buying new and no matter which way she goes it is more than $450.00 for the semester. Might be some savings during the next semester when she is able to sell some of these, but I have to agree with Pima; books are VERY expensive.
 
I will say this, on a yr basis, it has always been @900. The first semester our DS went we said yippee skippee, it was 270, the next semester it was 720. All of them being USED. We have stressed to our DS always buy used, because somebody else already highlighted the info for you:wink:

Math, Science and Econ books are incredibly expensive, expect even for USED 150 marker, if you are attending a large university. If you don't know there is a statement in the college academia world, publish or perish. The book that you will be required to buy was probably authored by the prof.

In the end, the most important thing is to realize you will lay out the money first.
 
Pima - the new law is intended to crack down on that stuff. No longer can textbook companies package workbooks in with a textbook forcing you to buy the new book just to get the workbook.

Kids - If your textbooks are too expensive, complain to your profs. Publishers are now also required to disclose the cost of the book when they are peddling the book.
When a new edition is published, see if the old edition is okay. Often the difference is no more than editing.

You now have the right to know which books will be used when you REGISTER for the class. There should not be any 'first day of class' surprises.

It's pretty easy to get used math and science books for less than $100, esp the intro classes.
Also keep in mind that when taking a two semester class - Chem I & II, Physics I & II, Accounting I & II etc..... often the same book is used both semesters.

Finally, never buy a book before the first day of class, especially a liberal arts class.

To check out used books on Amazon go here:
http://www.amazon.com/b/?ie=UTF8&no...r-20&hvadid=2927283165&ref=pd_sl_81ac9nkwxf_b
put in all the isbn numbers and they will come up.

You can also "google" the ISBN numbers and that should give you some good options.

One of the easiest ways to buy used books is to 'google' the isbn number.
 
I think the 'secret' is using one of the online used textbook sales companies. My youngest used to walk around campus after finals and collect all the discarded books and mail them back with his returns. He made spending money doing this.
I have taken a few courses over the years and it definitely pays to shop around online. Some ISBNs are not edition specific. Ensure that you get the correct edition.
I put my nephew onto the online sales. He is in his fifth year as an aero major at a State U. This thread reminded me to ask him yesterday how it was going. He said $200 usually covered it. And he keeps most of his books.
 
Our DS has always bought online when he can. Sometimes, the book required is not on line so he is forced to buy at the book store. Remember for some the cost will be more based purely on how many credits the student is carrying. Our DS has never carried less than 19, if he carried 15 it would be at least 1 less book.

I will also say because ROTC cadets are required to take foreign language, prepare yourselves to be shocked at the cost of those books. I assumed that the ECON book would be more than the language book, and was quick to realize I was wrong. The most expensive book for him that semester was his foreign language book.

I am impressed 200 a semester as engineering is pretty good. We just bought our DD's books online, all used, except for 1 and we paid 400. She is a sociology major.

JAM, I am not talking about workbooks, I am talking about the actual book. If you attend a well known university, the professors write their own textbooks and the school, along with other colleges will use their textbook.

I sit on the fence regarding not buying the book before class starts. Our DS is a Govt and politics major, i.e. Liberal Arts. Every book he was told to buy they used. If you wait to purchase the book you could be forced to buy new at the school.

As a parent with now 2 kids currently in college, I can tell you that the book store on campus, which traditionally will also sell used is packed during move in week because many folks take them straight to the bookstore after they move them in, thus, a week later when classes start the used books are gone.

I love that you can buy on-line because it can be cheaper, but it also relieves the stress for move in day. (If you go to a large university, and it is boiling hot or raining you will know what I mean:frown: ).

In the end of the day the point is don't view the book issue as a money making issue AND you will pay out of your own pocket first. It is also important to understand how the military finance system works. It can take weeks before they reimburse you.
 
The problem with buying books in advance - in some courses (liberal arts are notorious for this) they will give you 5-6 books to buy, so the kids go buy them.
Then they find out the first day that some are only 'suggested' and some will hardly be used.
After the first day there is plenty of time to buy online -they come quickly.

Don't sell books back to the bookstore on campus or buy used books from the bookstore on campus. BIG Ripoff!! You will get pennies for your books.
My kids put their books up online at the beginning of summer and they have been trickling out - it's easy to sell on Amazon.

Probably the easiest, especially if you go to school far away is www.chegg.com. They ship to you at school quickly and provide a pre-paid box for return.
 
For our 2 kids, their book list stated "mandatory" and "suggested". I am with JAM if it is suggested, buy a kindle or an Ipad because at least 4 yrs of buying suggested will pay back the cost of the product.

We never buy the suggested books, only mandatory, and for gpa purposes it has not seemed to hurt. DS has been dean's list for the past 2 yrs without ever buying the suggested books.

Additionally, college is different now than it was 10 yrs ago. Every student has a lap top that they take to class. Lecture halls and classrooms are wi-fi, if the prof starts talking about the "suggested" material, kids can easily google it and find that particular analogy on the net, while still taking notes in their word application...AND texting their friends at the same time:shake:
 
I'm just curious, my son is going to be a MSIII this year in the AROTC, he has received $600.00 per semester for books. The book money was deposited directly into his account and he was responsible for purchasing his books, he did not need to provide receipts and was allowed to keep whatever was left over. Between buying used when possible and shopping online, plus selling the books he would not need later at the end of the semester he never went over the $600.00 and sometimes came out pretty good as far as what was left over. I noticed that a couple people have mentioned $450.00 for book money, is that for a different branch other then Army, my son has received $600.00 per semester, could the $450.00 be for schools that are on the quarter system, just curious.
 
AFROTC gives 900 per yr. which is where you are seeing the 450 marker being stated. They do not break it into quarters, trimesters or semesters. It is 900 for the yr.
 
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