Week two of tips for a smooth start this year

With a new year comes new students and although you might feel like you’re starting to know get to know your way around the campus, we at The Advocate would like to take the time to provide some campus tips to help you where it counts the most: your wallet.

Along with the cost of tuition, there are a whole myriad of fees and other financial setbacks that hit students at the beginning of the year, and as per usual among the most complained about are the costs of textbooks.

We’re sure at this point, while you spend hours in the bookstore lines, that you’re beginning to realize just how expensive those heavy lumps of paper you lug around in your backpack all day really are. What you might not realize is there are many options for you, not only online, but at the school as well.

For example, are you finding it difficult to fish out $100+ for that biology book? Head up to the school library and check if they have the book on reserve. You can check it out, do your homework, and then turn it back in, although often the books cannot be taken from the library.

While the library is a great place to go to get your books free, if it isn’t available, check online. Sites like Amazon.com have many textbooks for significantly reduced prices, and might offer sharply discounted e-book versions.

If by chance you can’t find your textbook either the library or online, you might want to rent the book from the bookstore instead. You get the book you need for the whole term, at half the price. Just beware, not all books are available to rent.

Another pit into which students habitually dump their hard earned dollars is the one that feeds their stomachs: campus food. Vista Dining offers food in all different price ranges, but we advise hitting up the burrito/wrap line, as the food is more filling, has more vegetables available and is usually a buck or two cheaper.

In line with saving money on food, we also advise you to steer clear of the Bookstore as its snack prices typically exceed those in your local grocery store.
In fact, a student can save even more money by bringing their own meals and utilizing the microwaves placed in the Bookstore and Vista Dining room.

As it seems most students run on caffeine, The Advocate staff notwithstanding, we have found it to be more cost-effective to bring a coffee mug and fill up at one of the coffee-watering holes, for a discounted price.

We at The Advocate hope that these tips will help you from falling into the ever-present, poor-college-student-living-on-ramen rut.