Textbooks can be one of the biggest hassles in college; the cost, the text itself, not knowing whether you can write in them, losing them – it’s all super inconvenient. But I have a solution to that issue: E-books! I discovered my love for E-books during my sophomore year when I accidentally bought an e-book thinking it was a physical textbook, until I received an email saying “New digital content is in your library” from Barnes and Noble. This ended up being one of the best decisions ever and here’s why:
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1. I was able to multitask during class. Some professors like to refer to the textbook during their lectures, so while you are taking notes on your laptop you can also flip to the actual page the professor is referring to or you can easily search the terms your professor is using and search that way too.
2. My back did not have to suffer. Carrying around textbooks can put too much stress on your shoulders and your back, so having all of your textbooks on your laptop can give you access to 30 pounds of literature in only the weight of your laptop.Â
3. I didn’t go broke buying textbooks. Some of my used and rented physical textbooks were over $200 each, which left me broke and sad. But my e-books never exceeded $125. E-books are less expensive, because the customer is not paying for the printing, shipping and handling costs. All the customer has to pay for is the content inside the book and maybe an access code. Also, you don’t have to worry about the stress of sending rented books back or taking them back to the bookstore, because they expire 180 days after you rent them.
4. It is still a legitimate textbook. I am still able to highlight, annotate, add notes and bookmark where I left off in an e-book. I normally rent my textbooks from Barnes and Noble and they upload to a website called Yuzu so all of my textbooks stay in one library along with flashcards you can make within each textbook.
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Overall, I love e-books, because they are easy to use, they are less expensive, you do not have to worry about the book being on backorder and you can take them wherever you go. If you are one of those people who adore actually highlighting important information and drawing doodles in your textbook, stick with the physical book, but if you aren’t, I highly recommend trying at least one e-book this Spring and I bet you’ll love them as much as I do!