The Bookstore

So, while procrastinating my homework (it is Spring Break after all; I should be on a break), I decided I would tell you a little bit about UVU's bookstore! This is probably my favorite information to share for incoming freshman.

UVU's bookstore is located on the main level of the Student Center (SC). You can buy UVU clothing, souvenirs, jewlery, car stickers, water bottles, etc. There is a ridiculous amount of school supplies: planners (which are super handy...and I highly recommend buying a UVU planner every year), notebooks, binders, pens, highlighters, backbacks (the Dakine backbacks are expensive but super durable and can hold a lot- I've had mine for 2 years now and it has stood the test of mulitple English anthologies at one time!), art supplies, photography supplies...there's a lot! There is a small selection of novels (but not the best selection. It is good for the classics-and for a fairly good price- but I would stick to Borders if you are looking for a wide selection). There is also a small electronics section where you can find headphones, recorders (which actually might be helpful if a teacher gives a study guide lecture), and other various electronic goods.

Personally, my favorite section of the Bookstore is the Apple section. You can buy Apple desktops, laptops, iPads, and all of the various forms of iPods. There is even a student discount on all Apple products! But you have to talk to the salespeople there to find out what kind of discounts. There is also a large selection of Apple accessories and software (as well as PC accessories and software).

"Like" the UVU Bookstore on Facebook to get news on sales! This is actually really great because at the end of each semester, you could get school supplies at a discount. There are also occasional holiday sales where you can buy Apple products at an even bigger discount! http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/UVU-Bookstore/10333431772

But of course, the reason why it has its name, the Bookstore is where you can buy all of your textbooks! [Some teachers choose not to have their books available in the bookstore. Mainly because it can take a while for orders to come in. Or because the order can get messed up. And a lot of the time, Bookstore prices can be more expensive than finding the book yourself.] But anyway, for the most part, you can find the majority of your textbooks here!

It is a fairly simple set-up once you understand it.

Here is the best way to make your Bookstore experience great (read everything from this point to the end of the post, you'll see why!):

• To avoid lines at the Bookstore, about two weeks before classes start (or even a week before), go onto UVLink and print of your schedule with all of your class names (For learning purposes, I'm going to use ENGL1010-001 as my example)
• Go to the bookstore and head to the textbook section (currently, it is located on the north end of the bookstore, otherwise known as the side opposite the door). There is always a Bookstore worker there to help you if you need it.
• The textbooks are arranged by departments alphabetically. So, if you are looking for your ENGL1010-001 textbooks, you would head to the aisle that houses "ENGL".
• Within each section, the books are arranged numerically (There is a little paper in front of each book with the course name). Meaning ENGL1010-001 would be at the very beginning of the ENGL section.
• When looking at your course name: "ENGL"=department; "1010"=course level; "-001"=section number
• Make sure you are looking at the proper section number! Different teachers teach different section numbers, and each teacher chooses their own textbooks!
• Also, make sure you get every book for that specific course. In my English 1010 class, we had 3 separate things that we needed to buy.
• Note that on each sign for books, there are two prices: the "new" price and the "used" price. If there are used books available: BUY THE USED BOOK! (More on that later in this post)
• Then you can go and pay for books!

**Another alternative, you can go onto UVLink or the Bookstore website and use BookMatch, a way to see all of the books that you will need for each of your classes. I believe that you can even buy the books right on BookMatch. If you would rather buy the books in person, you can use BookMatch as a way of knowing which books you need before you even walk into the Bookstore.**

This next bit is very important (but really, I think everything I say on this blog is important. So I guess this next bit is super important). While it is great to buy your books 1-2 weeks early so you can beat the lines at the bookstore, sometimes it is better for you to wait until the first day of school to get your books. I know, that seems crazy. A lot of the time, you will get to class and your teacher will tell you that your textbooks aren't necessary. Or they will say you only need one (My first day in one of my history classes, my teacher gave us the option between two books, I returned the more expensive one). So for me, waiting in line at the bookstore is worth it if I don't have to spend more money.

As promised, I am going to give my pledge that buying used books is better. Yes, it is wonderful to have a nice new shiny book, and that is great if you know you are going to use that book forever, cherish it, and give it a special place on your bookshelf. That is what I decided for my beautiful Bevington complete works of Shakespeare book. But really, about 99% of your textbooks, you don't need a nice new shiny copy.

Really, other than the nice new shiny thing, there are only pros to buying used books:

• They are cheaper. And to a college student, cheaper is always great!
• A lot of the time, you can find them in nearly new condition. I am that person that sits on the floor of the Bookstore looking at every copy of used books to find the best looking one.
• Sometimes, there are notes already in it (or highlights). Which is an awesome plus. Unless it is like Tom Riddle's diary...

I always try to keep my books in good condition--because at the end of the semester,there is Buyback. Which is when you can sell your textbooks back to the Bookstore---for cash. Occasionally, you can't sell you book back back because the Bookstore won't be using that edition the next semester. But Buyback is a great way to get rid of textbooks that you don't need while making money for textbooks for the next semester! Usually, the buyback price is half of what the original texbook price is. So while you don't earn back your full purchase price, you are still getting something.

Before I give you my next bit of advice, please know that I love the Bookstore, but I have to make decisions based on what is best financially!

Sometimes, it is in a student's best interest to buy their textbooks somewhere else. I know, I know! I should have told you this before! But really, I think it is important to understand all of your options when it comes to textbooks.

When I say buy textbooks somewhere else, I mean buying your textbooks on http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.bn.com/ (or even at Barnes and Noble or Borders). (But there is also a board near the Muli-Cultural Offices close to the Woodbury Business building that has ads for textbooks...and housing...where you can buy usedbooks from students)

Here is how this works: if you want to buy your books before classes start, go to the bookstore and find your books as if you were buying through the bookstore. On the back of the books (and probably on the info sheet in front of the books), write down the 13 digit ISBN number (sometimes 10 digits). Usually, I come prepared with the course names with gaps inbetween to write the following info: ISBN number, New Price, Used Price, book title. (Do not feel bad about doing this! You will always see people in the bookstore just writing down ISBN numbers!)

When you get home, go to your website of choice. My personal favorite is Amazon. On Amazon, all you have to do is type in the ISBN number in the search bar and the book should come up. On Barnes and Noble, they have a tab for textbooks and you can plug in the ISBN on the textbook page.

Whatever you decide to use, always look at the new and used prices. And for your online purchases, note how much shipping will be. I always have a big sheet comparing all 6 prices: Bookstore New/Used, Amazon New/Used, and Barnes and Noble New/Used. Most of the time, buying a used book on Amazon is the cheapest. It is a lot of work, but it saves me money, which is always my goal.

If you choose to wait to buy online after your first day (because of reasons previously stated), you run the risk of not getting your books in time. A lot of the time, you can get away with borrowing a classmate's textbook or using a reserved copy in the library until you books come in. But if you don't want to share and you can't wait, it is most beneficial to buy the book from the Bookstore.

You can also sign up for Amazon Student (I believe it is free for a year). This makes it so shipping is a little cheaper for you! Occasionally, there are deals where you don't have to pay for 1 or 2 day shipping!

Personally, I always wait until after the first day and buy used books online unless I absolutely have to have the book for class the next time we meet. So while I prefer to buy online, I usually am buying something from the Bookstore each semester.

Wow, that was a lot. And I probably missed something. Oh well, hope it helps!

Next post: First Day