I did something pretty risky this school year: I didn’t buy a single textbook.
This subtle act of rebellion wasn’t necessarily planned. My frustration with the textbook-buying process was ignited when I first calculated the total cost of my required textbooks. But when I found out that most of them weren’t even available at the bookstore, I finally threw in the towel.
And my decision to not purchase any books this semester has paid off — literally.
In a survey conducted by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group of more than 2,000 college students in 33 states and 156 different campuses, the average student is found to spend as much as $1,200 each year on textbooks and supplies. If a student graduates in four years, this means they will have spent close to $5,000 on textbooks.
Add in tuition costs plus room and board and you’re suddenly tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Though textbooks only make up a small portion of the total debt, $5,000 is hardly pocket change — a couple thousand is significant enough to affect whether or not a student can afford to go to college.
But perhaps the most painful part of purchasing textbooks is the fact that students are shelling out so much money on books that they had no say in choosing. Students can’t shop around for the best textbook at the best price; it’s entirely up to the professor. As Jordan Weissmann, senior associate editor at The Atlantic, wrote in an article, “Just as doctors prescribe prescription drugs they’ll never have to pay for, college professors often assign titles with little consideration of cost. Students, like patients worried about their health, don’t have much choice to pay up, lest they risk their grades.”
Lauren Berbari, a senior at Ohio University, knows firsthand what Weissmann is talking about.
“I bought the required book for one of my classes because I was scared I would fall behind if I didn’t,” Berbari said. “The worst part is that I only used it once.”
No students should feel their grade is in jeopardy simply because they can’t afford to buy a $100-200 textbook. Instead, professors should consider using handouts and other articles available to students in the university library for required readings.
I understand abandoning textbooks completely isn’t a realistic solution, as textbooks are helpful and oftentimes necessary learning tools, but if professors feel that a textbook is the only way to go, they should at least shop around and provide students with different, more affordable options.
If they want us to do our homework, they need to do theirs too.
Maria Fischer is a junior studying journalism. Email her at mf628211@ohio.edu.
