Ika Janiszewski, First Year Advisor

So you’ve picked your courses and now it’s time to start looking for textbooks. You will quickly come to realize that textbooks are no small expense, especially when each of your courses requires a different book. But worry not, there are several options for you to find the materials you need without breaking your budget.

A Key Note:
Always be sure to follow the instructions of your professor and purchase the books they recommend for the course. If you get used or older books, the edition may not be an exact match At best, you may have a hard time finding the readings or questions you need to complete during the semester; at worst, you’ll miss key information that may come up on exams.

So, where can I get my books?

York U Bookstore

This is a one stop shop for all the materials you need. You can search for your textbooks online based on the courses you are taking and order them for pick up, or browse the aisles in person. While the textbooks may be pricier, if having brand new books is vital for you, this is a sure way to get what you’re looking for. The bookstore also offers online, e-book, or PDF copies of textbooks, and these are usually bundled with the hard cover versions for your convenience.

Upper Year Students

Passing down books from upper years to younger years is a great option for courses where textbooks typically don’t change from year to year. This is one of the most economical options for getting your textbooks, and is highly convenient as you are usually able to meet between classes to pick up your books from a colleague.

Amazon

This is a great resource if you are looking for used or unconventional textbooks. Whether these are loose leaf versions of the books in a binder, or gently used paperback books, Amazon will typically get them to your door efficiently and effectively, just in case you are a last-minute shopper.

SSB Textbook Market

Housed on Facebook, this is a group where students can post their textbooks for sale, or put out a request to buy textbooks. This option combines the convenience of online shopping, with easy pick up of buying from upper years, to save you lots of time and hassle.

Third Party Retail

There are several discount book stores and sources, both close to campus and online, that carry commonly used books for various courses. While these shops may have lower prices, they may also carry older or outdated versions of the books, or have a different textbook “assigned” to a particular course than the one listed on your course outline. If you plan to shop here, be sure to triple check exactly which version of the textbook you need, and verify with your professor to ensure you get the right materials.

A key note about Connect: a few of your courses (most notably accounting and finance courses) will require you to purchase an access code to a platform called Connect. You want to make sure that you account for this when you are buying your textbooks – a less expensive textbook paired with a Connect code may end up costing more than a pre-made bundle sold at the York U Bookstore.

One take away piece of advice: no matter where you get your books, do your best to shop as early as you can to make sure you are ready for the first classes of the semester with the materials you need.

Happy shopping!