General Discussion

KharmaTrain

(31,706 posts)

17. If The Teacher's Name Is On The Book...Drop The Class...

Sun Jan 13, 2013, 10:39 AM

Jan 2013

Book deals in some schools are the shoe endorsements of academia. Professors gain extra income through publishing their own textbooks (as well as getting the ego stroke) and can enhance their careers as being "published authors". If that book is published through the University's press, yep, the money gets spread around.

I just finished a decade of helping pay for my kids college and saw the sticker shock on textbooks compared to when I was in their situation 30 years earlier. Not only did the books cost more but they got very little when they sold the books back...and it became more and more common that they had to buy new books (at higher prices) cause the older books were considered "obsolete".

One thing I learned was that a teacher who used their own textbook tended to be beyond reproach when asked or challenged. Thus if I noticed that the name on the textbook was the same as the teacher, I'd drop the class...

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The ridiculously high price of college textbooks [View all] ashling Jan 2013 OP

won't this all be moot with e-books? hollysmom Jan 2013 #1

I don't know. What's the average cost per semester for ebooks? Fridays Child Jan 2013 #2

I doubt it. LAGC Jan 2013 #7

A lot of those are either still quite expensive or designed to self-destruct anyway. (nt) Posteritatis Jan 2013 #38

It's moot NOW with "Previous Editions" Volaris Jan 2013 #43

Students should no longer even need a textbook. It is all online. graham4anything Jan 2013 #3

It's a racket GCP Jan 2013 #4

It's like calculators in High School graham4anything Jan 2013 #5

Graphing calculators are superb for exboyfil Jan 2013 #6

What is PSEO? postulater Jan 2013 #13

Post Secondary Education Options exboyfil Jan 2013 #14

Ah! Thanks. I have some of that PSEO postulater Jan 2013 #23

I loved my graphing calculator Aerows Jan 2013 #35

If The Teacher's Name Is On The Book...Drop The Class... KharmaTrain Jan 2013 #17

Most of my ME books at Purdue were exboyfil Jan 2013 #24

That wasn't true in some of the classes I took. hunter Jan 2013 #30

I followed that rule until my last semester of grad school Recursion Jan 2013 #32

I would disagree with the "ego stroke"... teenagebambam Jan 2013 #33

One of the worst Professors I ever had Aerows Jan 2013 #36

Meh. Best lecturer I ever had wrote most of his own textbooks. (nt) Posteritatis Jan 2013 #39

HA! Now they just assign their own book. Our daughter elehhhhna Jan 2013 #31

I agree with your point about students being provided with a computer TheDebbieDee Jan 2013 #10

yup graham4anything Jan 2013 #18

The profit motive also comes into it DeltaLitProf Jan 2013 #8

It's like the rediculous maintenence costs on a BWW/'Benz... OneTenthofOnePercent Jan 2013 #9

except when there is a brand new must have that specific edition, and no used ones. graham4anything Jan 2013 #20

My son bought his text books used ChazII Jan 2013 #26

It's harder to buy used now laundry_queen Jan 2013 #34

I know that I saved hundreds of $ buying used textbooks from Valore.com and Alibris.com TheDebbieDee Jan 2013 #11

I remember being outraged at having to buy new editions of Shakespeare each semester Orrex Jan 2013 #12

Higher Education has been turned into a money-making racket. bemildred Jan 2013 #15

"What are you going to DO, suckers? You NEED this piece of paper to even get yer foot in the door!" HughBeaumont Jan 2013 #19

If your self-image depends on buying your way through *that* door, then you gotta pay the price. lumberjack_jeff Jan 2013 #25

I remember when I was in college I had to pay $100 for a math textbook WooWooWoo Jan 2013 #16

Agree 100% n/t ChazII Jan 2013 #27

Textbooks were always expensive, in inflation corrected dollars they've doubled in price but HereSince1628 Jan 2013 #21

I'm not sure college textbooks are disproportionately expensive. maggiesfarmer Jan 2013 #22

I hate the prices, but it occurs to me that for science and math texts, the proof-reading hedgehog Jan 2013 #28

Or pretty much any of the other disciplines. Posteritatis Jan 2013 #41

Can't buy them used, anymore? nt Honeycombe8 Jan 2013 #29

I have attended college on and off most of my adult life. SheilaT Jan 2013 #37

The really expensive ones tend to be really specialised or those first-year survey textbooks Posteritatis Jan 2013 #40

If you're buying textbooks, kiva Jan 2013 #42

Education ripoff Publiuus Jan 2013 #44

That's an admirable idea, but maybe not practical. Viking12 Jan 2013 #45

Required text Publiuus Jan 2013 #46

Some friendly advice... Viking12 Jan 2013 #47

Not too worried Publiuus Jan 2013 #48

As a current college student, I know this feeling. justanidea Jan 2013 #49

Textbooks Were Ridiculous When I Was In College Too ChoppinBroccoli Jan 2013 #50

It's a disgusting scam jsr Jan 2013 #51

Called monopoly, elleng Jan 2013 #52

That is why I LOVED the rental program at my school Lady Freedom Returns Jan 2013 #53

D'ya ever get the feeling that college isn't focused on learning but is instead focused on profit? nyquil_man Jan 2013 #54

I mostly keep up with math. dimbear Jan 2013 #55

You can rent them here for almost any school: coffeenap Jan 2013 #56