How to Spell College

Drill it into your head that your campus bookstore is overpriced. But using a combination of these methods, I’ve saved hundreds of dollars on books. (My personal record for biggest savings was a $180 pair of textbooks at the bookstore for $18 total online—that’s including shipping!)

Condensed instructions for the most popular method: buying books online
Step 1. Get the ISBN for the book you need. It’s on the back cover.
Step 2. Search for the best prices on http://dealoz.com and http://bigwords.com/. They look through all the dozens of online merchants and compare prices for you, but they don’t always list the same places, so you’ll have to use both search engines.
Step 3. Use http://www.retailmenot.com/ to search for coupon codes before settling on what appears to be the cheapest option. You would enter amazon.com, abebooks.com, or whatever.

These are the same steps but with important but often neglected details spelled out:

Step 1. Get your list of required books.

(For BU: Go to bu.edu/studentlink, click on “Current Schedule” under Academics, log in, and click “Buy Books” on the left. Click OK or whatever a bunch of times. Not all your courses might have the books up yet though. Some profs never even put them online. They’re probably busy writing their own books… OHH.. and while you’re there, check out all your professors’ depressing photos!! Click on “Instructors” on your current schedule page. Woooo mug shots!)

Step 2. Get the ISBN of each book you need to buy. (The ISBN is the unique International Standard Book Number on the back of a book or on its inside copyright page. It guarantees you’ll have the same exact edition and printing as your professor’s book.)

Even if you find a book with the same title and author, it doesn’t necessarily mean you found the right one! Only the ISBN guarantees you’ve found the right edition and printing.

How do you get the ISBN?

- Your list of required books might list all the ISBNs. In that case, skip to step 3. (BU’s doesn’t.)

- If this is over the summer or winter break and you want to buy your books NOW so they’ll ship to you before the first day of class:

• Check the old semesters on your college course archive to see if the syllabus and required books are listed (for BU: http://courseinfo.bu.edu). Make sure the old semester’s books match this semester’s. If your prof didn’t list your required books yet but you found the required ones from last semester’s syllabus, I wouldn’t jump the gun and assume the prof is using the same books this semester.
• If the old syllabus doesn’t list the ISBNs, email the professor to ask for the ISBNs. It’s a good excuse to introduce yourself too!
• If all the above steps failed, use Amazon’s product details. If you need “The Prophet, by Gibran; Knopf, 73,” type in “prophet gibran” at amazon.com. Click on each search result and scroll down to the “Product Details.” Find the one published by Knopf in 1973 (your university’s setup might take the 73 to mean 73rd edition though—use common sense to figure out what the number means). When you find the right one, copy the “ISBN-10″ or “ISBN-13″ number listed. Either is fine. (Oh, and The Prophet is the only book I think every human should read, by the way. There’s a reason why it has hundreds of perfect Amazon reviews.)

- If you’re already on campus:

• Go to your college bookstore. Go to your course’s bookshelf. Copy down the ISBN number from the back of each required book.
• Or if you received your class syllabus already and it lists ISBN numbers, you don’t need to go to your bookstore (unless you want to compare prices).

Step 3. Once you have the ISBN for a book, use http://dealoz.com (formerly CampusI) and http://bigwords.com/ to find the cheapest option online (they search through half.com, amazon.com, and many more merchants to conveniently list the best deals for you). Check both sites. Sometimes one mentions a seller that the other doesn’t. You’ll notice that half.com and amazon.com are not always the cheapest, even if thousands of students swear by them!

Find a copy that’s the right balance between price and condition for you. For some classes, you might not care if you buy a super cheap but super beat-up book, whereas for other classes, you might want to spend some extra money to buy new books so you can depend on your own highlighting and keep the book for years.

Don’t be afraid of the super duper cheap international student editions! Other than being paperback and having black and white photos, they’re the exact same thing as the regular editions. Even their page numbers will match. (Don’t quote me on that, but at least it’s been true for all the ones I’ve ever bought.)

Step 4. Also check http://www.retailmenot.com/ for coupon codes before settling on what appears to be the cheapest merchant. (You would enter amazon.com, half.com, abebooks.com, or whatever. Half.com rarely has coupons though.) You’ll probably find coupons only about 10% of the time, but you can still test your luck with this step.

Step 5. After you buy it online with standard shipping, you’ll have to wait 1-2 weeks before you receive it. In the meantime, maybe buy it from the campus bookstore and return it for a full refund by the returns deadline. Or hang out at the bookstore and read what you need to there. Or pay for expedited shipping with all the money you saved!

P.S. It seems as if many people are scared of buying books online because they need to give away their credit card numbers and whatnot online. Just remember that all the sites (amazon, half, ebay, abebooks, a1books, etc.) you’ll find listed by DealOz and BigWords are legit and that even if there are some poorly rated merchants on those sites, the sites are the ones who handle your payments and can get your money back if you simply file a complaint against johndoe-the-bastard-merchant-who-never-sent-you-a-book (which has never ever happened to anyone I know). All you need to be careful about is when the book you want to buy is being sold by a seller with really poor ratings (let’s say janedoe, who has 2 stars out of 5 and has only sold 3 books with his username). You’ll still get the book, but its condition might be a bit worse than you expected. This can happen every now and then if you’re buying from a merchant with few and/or poor reviews. Life goes on. You still saved money. If you’re still super paranoid about online shopping, then there are still other ways of saving money:

Additional Wonderfully Delicious Methods for Money-Saving on Books:

- Buy the book on Facebook marketplace or through your friends.

- Buy the book through your university’s Facebook textbook selling and buying group. (BU’s: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76895628911)

- If it’s a little paperback, buy it from the campus bookstore (*shudder*). Sometimes it’s actually the cheapest option because you don’t need to pay for shipping. So once you get hooked on buying cheap books online, don’t forget this traditional way. And hey, if you bump into a friend who’s about to sell their soul to the bookstore, tell them about this awesomely useful blog post. =)

- Buy an electronic copy of it. Amazon offers them sometimes and they’re usually cheaper. Or download it (legally, of course…).

- Borrow it from the public library or the college library. Factor in one renewal and time it out so you have the book right before an exam or for writing a paper. Ask about the details for someone putting it on hold. You wouldn’t want the book snatched from you right before exams.

- Read it in the bookstore. It forces you to sit down to study. (And you have the chance to meet fellow bookstore roamers who are usually smart and driven. If you’re looking for potential dates, these people are gold! Saved money, got your reading done on time, AND met your new date. Score!) (P.S. If you recognize me at the BU Bookstore—where I sometimes live—say hello and let me know how much money you saved because of this article! lol)

- Read the copy put on reserve at your university library. (But not all profs put one there.)

- Borrow it from a classmate. (It’s a good excuse to umm.. ya know.. get together.)

- Borrow it from your professor. Go to their office and tell them that you can’t afford the textbook. Ask if they have an extra copy you can borrow. While you’re in their office, discuss your interest in the class, your career plans, etc. Perfect bondage time with your professor! Oooops, I meant bonding!

- Rent it through http://chegg.com for cheaper prices than buying books online. Of course you don’t get to keep the book though. This is sometimes a positive, since you won’t have to deal with the hassle of selling the book afterwards.

- Buy it and split the price with a classmate. Sometimes professors want you to buy the whole book even if you’ll be reading just one or two good chapters from it.

- Purposely buy an older edition of the book. Usually not that much changes from one edition to the next. Then maybe check with a classmate or at the bookstore to catch up on what you’re missing.

- Buy a copy of the textbook without the accompanying CD. I’ve never had a prof who required us to use the textbook CD.

- If the book is a classic, you can read it online for free at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page . It’s an archive of all the books that are old enough to be in the public domain. All the oldies by Shakespeare and Plato are on there, as well as books by more “recent” authors, such as Twain and Oscar Wilde. Check to see if your books are there. (Reading it online has an extra advantage: you can easily copy and paste important passages and condense the book down to what you really need.)

- Google it. Remember that “Prophet” book I recommended? For some reason it’s not on Gutenberg, but a simple Google search for “prophet gibran” finds dozens of copies of it online for free. Reeeeead it (it’ll take 2 hours max) and send me an email to discuss it. You’ll be my new best friend. Really. We’ll have some good bondage time together.

- This one is ultra-risky, but maybe don’t even read the “required” book at all. If word-of-mouth and ratemyprofessors.com (which isn’t always the best way to choose professors) say you won’t be tested on the reading, you might go this route. Of course this might take away from your learning experience, but sometimes you need the courage to read and learn what you want to. I have a bad (or is it good?) habit of reading a stack of books on similar topics for free at the bookstore or library, and sometimes just skimming the required ones. Hey, profs get very impressed by my additional knowledge. Free brownie points!

Good luck with the process! And remember to tell other students not to sell their souls to their campus bookstore. Use your extra saved cash to buy something useful, like red cups and ping pong balls… or all those magical items in late-night infomercials. Or maybe you can even adopt an endangered koala. Too bad you’re usually not allowed to pack them for your dorm.

- by Nathan Chow
Boston University student

As far as I know, this is the single most comprehensive dorm packing list that exists. All of the other ones neglect something that another listed, but this is a combination of them all.

Thousands of students have used this list over the years, but I still caution: You don’t need everything here. Before you pack something, ask yourself if you really need it. Every year I pack significantly less and less.

This list is not a “buying list.” You’ve probably had the good sense to buy and pack the absolute essentials, so this list is more of a checklist to keep you sane the moment before you leave home. This is everything you could possibly need, but NOT everything you should pack.

My recommendation is to copy the list, delete the stuff you don’t use and have never heard of, and print that list out. But of course visit here again in the near future =).

Also note to yourself:

• which items are easier to purchase upon arrival,
• which items are easy to improvise (you probably need napkins, but those can be attained on your first trip to the campus McDonald’s..),
• which items are easy to share with or borrow from roommates and floormates (It’s also a good way to meet the ones you haven’t met yet! – especially the super-nice ones who upon first impression look like they sacrifice squirrels. Okay, I digress.),
• and which items can be brought with you later, exchanged later, or shipped later, such as winter clothes.

Other notes

1. Remember to check your college’s housing site to see what’s not allowed. For Boston University’s: http://www.bu.edu/housing/services/furnishings/index.html.

2. Have a list of serial numbers, makes, and models of all expensive items. Have one hardcopy in your dorm, one left at home with your parents, one as a computer file, and one emailed to yourself. It’ll help in case of a robbery. You can also take pictures of the items.

3. If you think I forgot anything significant, please leave a comment!

Aaaand on with the list already:

Important General Stuff

wallet, purse, hand bag
ID, license, college ID (you might get this at move-in registration)
cash, change, credit cards, debit cards
ATM Card
watch
glasses, contacts

Basic Kitchen Stuff (even if you won’t have a kitchen)

– Necessary: –
forks, knives, spoons (plastic and metal)
Ziploc® bags, various sizes
straws
napkins
– Good to Have: –
paper plates
plastic cups
chip clips, clothes pins, twisters
– You Decide: –
microwaveable bowl
thermo cup/mug
food containers
can opener, bottle opener, corkscrew
water purifier, water filter, pitcher
cloth for dishwashing
wet wipes

Additional Kitchen Stuff (if you’ll have a kitchen)

– Necessary: –
ceramic plates
pots and pans
dish detergent
hand soap
sponge
paper towels
– You Decide: –
plastic wrap, aluminum foil
kitchen towel
dish cloth
oven mitt
toaster
coffee maker (only allowed at BU if you’ll have a kitchen)
blender (only allowed at BU if you’ll have a kitchen)
hot plate (only allowed at BU if you’ll have a kitchen)

Food

– Necessary: –
general medication (headache, cough, pain reliever, eye drop)
your prescription medication
– You Decide: –
non-perishable food: noodle cups, canned foods, soup
candy, cough drops, gum, mints
snacks, popcorn, cereal, etc.
bottled water, bottled drinks, soda
coffee
tea bags, powder drink mixes
vitamins

Room Needs/Storage

– Necessary: –
alarm clock
tissues
bags: garbage, plastic, paper
small wastebasket
photos of family, friends, pets
– Good to Have: –
night light, flashlight
all-purpose cleaner
Lysol® / disinfecting wipes (you really don’t know how few showers the previous inhabitant took)
dry erase board
boxes
storage bins, stacking baskets
fan
air freshener
posters
decorations
– You Decide: –
bedside lamp, clip-on lamp, desk lamp, decorator lamps, extra light bulbs (In some BU dorms, a desk lamp is provided.)
over-the-door hooks, adhesive hooks
desk chair seat cushion/pad (to make your ass happy)
desk chair (BU has them already, but I’ve seen some students bring more comfortable ones)
bulletin board and push pins
shoe rack
closet organizer
closet add-in shelf
various organizers: for CDs, for papers, for cosmetics, etc
tools, screwdriver, hammer
RackRaisers®, bed raisers
bunking kit
bookcase (BU provides a small one on your desk that should be enough)
dust wipes
plants

Computer Stuff

– Necessary: –
laptop, battery, AC adapter
CDs: your favorite software, emergency startup CD, backup of most important files (keep a copy at home)
ethernet cord, modem
head phones
USB key / portable flash storage drive
– You Decide: –
mouse, mouse pad
laptop case
desktop computer, monitor, keyboard
blank CD-Rs, floppy disks
CD cases
laptop lock
printer (you may want to share with your roommate or use your college’s printing labs), extra ink cartridge, blank printer paper
scanner
webcam
speakers

Electronics

– Necessary: –
surge protectors
cell phone, cell phone charger, accessories, and a contract that says you will call home every now and then to talk to those loved ones called parents
– You Decide: –
extension cords
3-2 prong adapaters
camera / digital camera, memory card/stick, upload cable, photo software CDs, camera accessories
calculator
PDA, electronic organizer
battery charger, rechargeable batteries, extra batteries
favorite movies
mp3 player, earbuds, cord for charging/uploading, accessories
audio recording device
CD player, cassette player, headphones, favorite CDs and cassettes (CD? cassette? people still use those?)
land phone, answering machine, phone cord (along with other items from the Jurassic era)

Linens/Laundry Supplies

– Necessary: –
sheets (for most colleges, including BU: extra long. Ha! That’s what “she” wants.)
pillowcase
pillow
mattress pad
blankets
comforter and duvet cover
clothes hangers
laundry bag/hamper/basket, pop-up hamper
laundry detergent (liquid or convenient tablets)
fabric softener
– You Decide: –
small pillow, headrest pillow
egg crate
measuring cup / small container to carry just some detergent to the laundry room
laundry marking pen
laundry stain remover
sewing kit
lint brush
drying rack
electric blanket (not allowed at BU)

Bath and Toiletries

– Necessary: –
towels: body, hair, hand, face, extras
shampoo, conditioner
body wash, or soap and soap container
toothbrush (and extras), toothpaste, toothbrush case
bathroom cup
dental floss
comb, brushrazors, electric razor, shaving cream, aftershave
nail clipper, nail file
Q-tips®
extra eyeglasses, case, cloth
contact lens solution
contact lens container
shower shoes, flip-flops (if communal bathroom) (your feet will thank you)
shower tote/caddy (if communal bathroom)
– For Girls (and for guys who wish to pack too much) –
pads, tampons
nail polish, nail polish remover
hair dryer
hair straightener
curling iron
makeup, cosmetics
Being-a-Model Kit
– You Decide: –
body sponge, back brush
mouth wash
hair gel, pomade, mousse, hairspray
deodorant
facewash, acne cream
lotion, facial moisturizer
perfume, cologne
tweezers
cotton swabs/balls
small mirror
scissors
sponge
bath robe
chapstick
Band-Aid® bandages
suction hooks
bathtub scrubber (if your room will have a bathroom)

Clothes

– Necessary: –
pants/jeans
shorts
shirts
sweaters, hoodies
underwear
socks
sweats
pajamas
sneakers, comfortable walking shoes
jackets: light, heavy, rain
dress shoes
dress clothes
1 set formal/business attire
1 set semi-formal attire
belts
umbrella
– For winters: –
winter coat
gloves
scarf
boots
– For Guys: –
ties
– For Girls: –
skirts
bras
blouses
dresses
– You Decide: –
slippers, flip-flops, sandals
robe
poncho
hat, cap
jewelry
bathing suit
sports equipment: shin guards, helmet, etc
gym clothes
hairbands, hairpins
sunglasses
– For Parties: –
Clothes that barely cover anything

Office/Desk Supplies

– Necessary: –
bookbag
assignment book, planner
lined paper
pens, pencils, pencil holder, sharpener, eraser
folders
scissors
Scotch® tape
– You Decide: –
calendar
notebooks: new, old (the bio class you took 3 pages of notes for could still be used like new), composition notebooks
binders, dividers
colored pencils, markers, crayons
highlighter pens (multiple colors)
heavy duty tape, masking tape, mounting tape, duct tape
tacky adhesive
stapler, staples, staple remover
paper clips
rubber bands
glue
ruler
Wite-out® (yeah, there’s no H. who would’ve known?)
pins
hole puncher, 3-hole puncher
index cards
Post-it® notes
stamps and envelopes, standard size and paper size
labels of various sizes
adhesive hooks, tack
protractor
compass
graph paper
string
book light
book ends
small memo books
typing paper holder/clip
stackable desk trays
hanging files or folders, folder storage bin
chain
combination lock
safe

Papers, Books, and Documents

– Necessary: –
textbooks for your classes
phone/address book, important phone numbers, contact list
maps of the campus, of the city, and of public transportation
insurance card/papers/forms
checks, bank stuff
any documents your school told you to bring (as far as I know, BU doesn’t require any special documents, other than your college ID for returning students)
– You Decide: –
old notes from previous classes that may be useful
course catalog
dictionary, thesaurus
reference books
guides/instructions for laptop, digital camera, cell phone, graphing calculator, etc
one or two of your favorite books
high school yearbook, BU Freshman Record
college phone/address directory
phone card
social security card
renter’s insurance
car insurance, registration (if you’re bringing a car)
Visa information, citizenship info, alien info
passport (if you’re considering traveling for Spring Break or other breaks)
financial aid forms (leave a copy at home if your parents will need them for reference when they’re renewing your aid in the spring)
road maps for how to get to the school.. (or a female driver who’s willing to ask for directions when you’re lost and it’s already the second day of class and you’re gonna fail and you wasted $50,000 in tuition just because a male driver was too macho to ask for help)

Misc Things

– Necessary: –
luggage/duffel bag (for going home during short breaks)
house key
any necessary items for specific classes (especially art classes and gym electives, such as ice skating)
any necessary items or books for your culture and/or religion
– You Decide: –
quarters (most of the big BU dorms have change machines)
key chain
favorite mementos/souvenirs
stuffed animals
ear plugs
sleeping mask
patches, thermal patches for aches
scale
beach towel, swim cap, goggles, swimming gear
sunscreen
bug spray
Neosporin®, Imodium®, Pepto-Bismol®, Viagra®, et cetera, et cetera…
condoms, birth control pills, contraceptives
pregnancy tests
a copy of “Juno”
favorite board games, electronic games
deck of cards
items for your hobbies (such as musical instruments or sports stuff)
sports equipment (basketballs, volleyballs, and a few other items can be rented for free at BU’s FitRec gym)
frisbee
car, keys, GPS, EZ Pass
bike, skateboard, roller skates, roller blades
helmet
bike lock, cover, pump

Shared Items (check with roommates to avoid duplication)

– You Decide: –
microwave-fridge aka microfridge (can be rented at BU for about $225 – split it with roommates/suitemates)
microwave (not allowed in a BU dorm, but you can bring one and share it in the common room)
fridge
TV, TV cable, remote
DVD player, Blu-Ray player
DVDs, Blu-Ray movies
video game systems, controllers, games
audio equipment
air conditioning (not allowed at BU)
handheld vacuum (can be borrowed for free at BU’s RA offices)
small brush and dustpan
bathtub scrubber
doorstop
area rug
iron
ironing board
floor lamp, tree floor lamp
TV/snack tray
fold-out chair
beanbag
full-length mirror
shower curtain (most BU dorms and apartments have them already)
curtains (most BU dorms have them already)

Absolutely the Most Important

a desire to learn, grow, take chances, change, develop, socialize, network, and have fun
a desire to cherish your four-year college experience from Day One! =)

- by Nathan Chow
Boston University student