The time has come: Kennesaw classes are back in session and, unfortunately, this is not high school anymore. Textbooks are not supplied to university students straight up. Therefore, students need to figure out how to obtain these learning materials on their own.
The obvious first option is the on-campus bookstore. Located in the southern end of the Student Center, the on- campus bookstore is the most convenient option for most students. Easy to navigate, you can rest assured that the books you need can be found here. Most of the books are available for semester-long rental, which is cheaper than buying. Remember, when you buy your books here, your money stays on campus.
Another popular option is the off-campus store, The General Bookstore. The General Bookstore is located across the street from KSU next to Mellow Mushroom and Jimmy John’s.
A local business, The General Bookstore promotes itself as “the cheaper alternative” but do not expect to get 95 percent off. While they can be cheaper, the prices are often comparable to the on-campus option. Just like KSU’s bookstore, The General Bookstore has the ability to rent out textbooks.
If students are seeking yet another option, Amazon Student is no secret. Amazon Student is a free version of Amazon Prime available only for registered .edu email addresses. This membership qualifies you for free two-day shipping, deals and promotions exclusively for students. After 6 months you have the option to pay $39 (usually $79), but then also get unlimited instant streaming of movies and TV episodes.*
There are several other online options for students looking for alternatives. A relatively unknown site, bigwords.com is an aggregated website that searches for the best deals for what you are searching for. Apple has an app called iBooks, in which you can download e-books for your iPad. And, of course, as the pioneer of e-books, the Kindle is always an option.
Now that you have the information, you only have to decide which outlet to use. Figure out the best option for you and pursue that, but whatever you do make sure that you get textbooks. College is hard enough to get by with the reading material.
*Editor’s Note: this is updated, corrected information. A correction will also run in the next issue of the printed publication.
