Like every great work of academic literature, I’ll begin with the superfluous introduction to what lies ahead.
Chapter One: My name is Max, and you’ll find my columns on Fridays throughout the semester. I enjoy surfing, being outdoors and pretending to read Ernest Hemingway over a hot cup of coffee. That’s the concise, print-limited version of myself. On to Chapter Two.
University students are held captive by the courses they take. A textbook, for most classes, is the only true key to academic success. The expensive material that lies between the pages of a course’s mandatory book can be the sole means for a college-level education. What more can the aspiring student do but face the list of required materials with an open wallet?
I’ve spent a total of $250.84 on used and rented textbooks for the Spring semester. Compared to last year’s barrage, I consider myself lucky for dodging this year’s unavoidable financial bullet. A receipt or order confirmation of more than $500 is hardly unheard of at the university level.
Over the past decade, print companies have fed off the imprisoned ambitions of the feeble-minded college student at a rapidly increasing rate. A study by the Student Public Interest Research Groups reported that the price of college textbooks has risen 73 percent over the last 10 years. Over the course of just one decade the monetary bridge to education has stretched to even larger distances, quickly becoming unattainable for some students.
It is unsurprising that this issue exists; a market owned by only a handful of printing companies can limit selection and regulate prices as it sees fit. Students are left with no choice but to read the “chosen book” that has been granted the responsibility of educating the masses on any given topic. Effective learning stems from the collection of several sources, authors and vantage points — not one drawn-out school book that costs 50 cents per page.
Although invaluable, the books necessary for a proper education should not be coming with a $427 price tag (Reginald H. Garrett’s “Biochemistry, Fifth Edition”). Students who already struggle with tuition, rent and food costs need not bear the burden of the inflation of a required textbook.
The desperation is made clear via online textbook exchanges, often found on social media websites, that display the absurdity of these high prices in its simplest form. Students creatively duck the problem of expensive books through resale and barter, doing whatever it takes to save money.
Ideally, an effective trading system at this university should be implemented in order to help disadvantaged students pay for educational materials. An opportunity for students to pay for books through volunteer hours or donations would help to solve an ever-growing financial outcry.
But for now, to alleviate the blow of pricey paper, consider buying used books, renting or searching the library for a copy of your required text. Rental websites like Chegg and Amazon can save hundreds of precious dollars for the careworn college student. The certainty of high textbook prices calls for alternative means of access to higher learning.
It is important, of course, to actually use these materials once they’ve been purchased. With the sharp rise in the prices of these required books, one can only gain a larger appreciation for their value and significance in furthering the growth of knowledge.
Max Chesnes is a UF journalism sophomore. His column appears on Fridays.
