Your Guide to Sharing Textbooks With Your Classmates

Your college years are filled with countless expenses and a big portion of those expenses are spent on textbooks. Students drop hundreds of dollars a semester on course material they may not even need. However, you do not need to break the bank for your classes anymore and can reduce those costs greatly just by sharing textbooks with your classmates.

Sharing books is not the most convenient of options, but it does end up saving you a lot of expenses in the long run. If you know a close friend who is taking the same class, ask if they would be interested in sharing a book. Odds are they will be just as swayed by the financial benefits sharing has to offer.

However, it is important to keep in mind whether your professor requires the book in class or not. If the textbook is merely supplemental reading, then sharing may be the most beneficial route to go. Sharing books can present some difficulties, but with the right amount of discussion and preparation beforehand you and your friends should be good to go.

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1. Find someone to share with

The first step to sharing a textbook is to find someone to share with. Obviously, you want someone who is both in your class and trustworthy. If you have a close friend or roommate in your class, then that makes your book sharing decision rather easy.

However, if you do not know anyone in your class, then you should try to make friends with at least one person in your class. This will open up a conversation about the class and you can use that time to ask if he/she would consider sharing a book. You can explain how getting the textbook would benefit both of you since you both get the usage of the book for a reduced price. It can be a little awkward to ask to share a textbook, but it definitely will save you both money when all is said and done.

2. Decide how the cost will be managed

After you and your classmate decide to share with one another, you want to decide how exactly you will go about it. Does one person want to buy it and the other will pay that person back or do you both want to pay up front right away? It is important to resolve right away how you both will be paying. Some prefer to pay first to get it out of the way, while others may want to pay later on.

Either way, you should both be clear on when and how the cost of the book will be covered. You also want to be clear on the costs because if you divide it 50/50, you want to ensure that each person is paying the proper amount. This step is very important because it eliminates any trouble or misunderstanding in the future.

3. Set up a sharing schedule

A sharing schedule is arguably the most vital part of this process because it ensures the book is being shared fairly. Both people should take the time to create this carefully thought out sharing schedule. The sharing schedule will include the days in which each person will be using the book and can be catered to fulfill each person’s preferences.

For example, if one person likes to study and read early in the week, they can have the book early and the other person can have it later in the week if they do not mind. The key is to find a schedule that works for both of you and tweak when necessary.

4. Study together when you can

Instead of having countless solo study sessions, you can study together with the textbook. Studying with others can sometimes be more effective than studying by yourself because you can both benefit from quizzing one another. By studying together you both can get the benefit of using the book and not have to wait for your turn to use it.