How can they affored thoses books?
By songbaofang
@songbaofang (111)
China
November 7, 2009 6:35am CST
I have noticed that in North America and Europe the textbooks and academic books are so expensive. Usually every copy costs at least 50 dollars, some even cost hundreds of dollars. I wonder how students there can afford those books. Do they usually buy themselves textbooks like Chinese students do?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
8 Nov 09
In my country we can borrow the books from the school during elementary school and high school, but books for university and other schools are really expensive. When I went to nursing school, some of the books cost about $100 or more, so it gets really expensive if you have to buy them all.
The students from my class chose to borrow some of the books from the library and photocopy the books. We had to pay for the copies of course, but it is less expensive than buying the books. Sometimes a group of students decide to share the books, so that each student doesn't have to buy every book, but this is not a very good solution, because sometimes we all want to use the book at the same time, for instanse when there is an exam.
As a student we get something called a student card, and when you show that card to the shops they often gives you a discount, the books are still expensive, but sometimes you get a book for $80 instead of $100 or something like that. Another option is to buy the books from students who already finished the education, and you can save a lot of money that way.
@songbaofang (111)
• China
10 Nov 09
$80 is still too enpensive for students! And I wonder how many copies of a certain book libraries usually buy, I don't think the copies will be enough for students to borow. Maybe photocopying books is a choice, but a book of 500 pages will also cost a lot, does't it?
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
10 Nov 09
Yes, it is a lot of money, and that is one of the reasons why we don't buy all the books at once. That is not possible, because we also need to pay all the other things like rent and food. Many students choose the photocopies, we can buy a "photocopy card" at the school and the students sometimes share the card in order to save money, but if it is a book with 500 pages it still gets expensive. I prefer to buy a used book from one of the students who finished the education, but we can't always do that, because sometimes the teachers use the new versions of the books.
@joshualu5 (93)
• China
7 Nov 09
this is how it works for my school. the school buys all the textbook. they borrow the books to students to use for the whole year. you can spend 5 dollars for a textbook that cost $50 but you just cant keep it after you finished using it.
@songbaofang (111)
• China
10 Nov 09
In China, a library usually only buy at most 10 copies of a certain book. So I really don't think books that library offered are enough for students. After all every year so many students choose to take the same course. What is the situation in your country? How have the libraries dealt with this problem?
@nitin_hec (1096)
• India
7 Nov 09
In India, It is very cheaper. I think it also relate with living style. In USA cost of living is high than lots of other country. So compare to other country they will find everything in high cost.
