One of the joys of coursework postgrad study has just hit me – purchasing textbooks. The wallop is multifaceted; financial, academic and physical blows combining for one knock out punch. So join me for this three round super heavyweight bout! BAM!
Textbooks are important components of postgrad coursework learning. Lecturers set readings from texts to further aid the material presented in class, allowing students to reinforce concepts in their own time. That being said, textbooks present a few issues that you should consider before the start of semester
Firstly, textbooks aren’t cheap. This semester my two units each have texts set, each being worth about $120. If you’re a poor uni student, that can be a big hit! It's best to take this into account and budget ahead; put a little money aside each week and you’ll have some saved for the start of semester. What I would also recommend is having a look at the Student Representative Council (SRC) second hand bookshop on campus (or other second hand academic book shops) to see if you can get a second hand copy (make sure it is the correct edition – often a rookie error!).
The second issue is the academic blow - actually getting the readings done! I’m quite fortunate in that I can generally read something once and get a fair understanding of the content; some people need to read things a few times over to allow the material to resonate. It’s important to make sure you have enough time each week to go through the readings, be it once or more. Readings generally take an hour or so, so make sure you’ve scheduled that in.
Thirdly, I can’t get over how heavy one specific book is this semester! I walk to uni each day and carrying the lump of a book is nearly a health and safety issue! In all seriousness though, your uni bag can get pretty heavy once loaded up with texts and the like, so make sure you don’t overburden yourself and hurt your back.
So there are the three rounds with the text. Hopefully we can all go the distance and make sure texts don’t deliver a KO blow.
Comments
Hey Brendon, did you think you could hide on the grad blog?? You're back! BOOM! See you at lunch!
Posted by: Asako | August 12, 2009 09:49 AM