Tuition prices are killing me!!! and so are book prices!! $100 for a math book I'll use ONE semester?! this past school year I have spent aproximately $1,000 in school books and I know some people spend more.....

Tuition just went up this year for me!!! OU started to be able to charge private college tuition, so it went up about 30 percent!!! sucks!!! not to mention books are like 200 per class.....

IADOREHIM said:

yeah tuition is going to keep going up! i can't beleive this! a teacher from when I was in middle school said that with $100 she had mostly everything paid. and i am guessing she went to school a LONG time ago.

oh girl, i know! my tuition is just a hair under 20k, and most of my classes require 3-5 books! i'm a poli sci major and all of my poli sci classes have at least 4 books at about 30 bucks each used. new is about 50. i take four classes a quarter and there are 4 quarters! that's a lot of money on books, dammit!!

SassyBritches said:

oh no!!

i plan to major in pol sci (i haven't declared yet) I want to double major with something else too. but i am not sure in what else. there are so many things to pick!! ( AT A HIGH COST TOO!)

Paradisekiss03 said:

what is your career goal?

See, that's whay I buy my books used, and sell them back at the end of the semester. That's the way to go.

kiss85 said:

my books ARE used, and still 200 per classs..... OU is a ripoff

SassyBritches said:

i want to be a diplomat and have a job traveling the world.


have you guys used ecampus.com? i heard it had cheap books
[This message was edited Wed Jun 2 22:19:36 2004 by Paradisekiss03]

Suck it up!

And don't you dare sell those books back at the end of the term!!

I'm just wrapping up my education. Tuition has gone up approximately 10% every four months (the government regulated maximum) for the last 4 years, and it has been killing me. In addition to that, I've been nickled and dimed to death: Increased gym membership fees (compulsory, but I use it anyways), lab fees, resource fees, library fees, etc.. Photocopying and printing went up 5 cents, recently a convocation fee was introduced; that's right, I have to pay a fee to walk across a stage while my mom claps.

The specialty nature of my program means the classes I must take are only offered once per year, so if I want to sell my books back I have to wait an entire year to do so, and the bookstore never buys them back. Plus, all the textbooks are including these waste of money extra services like CD-ROMS and subscriptions to online websites that I don't care about. It's just an excuse to mark up the price even further.

It makes no sense to me that the group of people who are making the least money, and those who are working to be educated so that society can continue to survive and thrive, always seem to be the ones who are punished the most. They don't have a voice, nobody cares how much tuition goes up, or what cuts are made, they fail to look at the big picture; the long-term. And with insurance rates pounding young people at record highs as well, it only makes matters worse.

Additionally, while tuition where I live has gone up roughly 200% in the last 10 years, scholarship funding remains relatively stagnant. And student loan restrictions make it even harder for many to borrow money. While I don't get support from my parents for tuition, their salaries play a role in determining if I qualify for financial support, which I don't. The only way it wouldn't play a factor is if I lived away from them for two years, which would make it even HARDER to pay tuition. This means that to go to school I pretty much either have to take two years off before starting, or borrow money from high-interest banks to get started right away.

It's amazing how many ways students get screwed, some good, some bad

But, for all my complaining, I value the education, and don't regret a moment of it, and I've managed to make/borrow enough money to ensure that my life isn't NEARLY as uncomfortable as it could be. It's actually pretty good, but most people haven't been as lucky as me.

2the9s said:

All too often, I was told during textbook buyback that a book had "no value" because a new edition was being released. Interesting how the book had plenty of value just a few months ago when I bought it from the same store, eh?

Anyway, I don't remember much about college, but I have a diploma, so I guess I attended and even graduated somehow.

savoirfaire said:

yeah! it seems everything adds up! and some people don't even use the gyms, copycenters, or libraries at the schools. For example this year I didn't have time to check out what was being offered at my school's gym and the stuff was free! so whatever i payed just went down the drain.
[This message was edited Thu Jun 3 9:18:25 2004 by Paradisekiss03]

When I was a freshman in college almost 10 years ago, my books for a quarter generally didn't cost me more than $300-400. And I started out at Ohio University. Wow have times changed.

On the plus side though, most universities offer significant discounts to students on stuff like software. You can also get free email and internet access, not to mention discounts on stuff like laptops and other computer equipment.

If you look around, there's alot of resources on campus you have access to, things you'll have to pay for out of your own pocket when you're done and graduated.

2the9s said:

WHY?????
I've been to nursing school and now physical therapy school for 3 years.... and have never needed a book i sold back..... i'll never need them again so why keep them?

IADOREHIM said:

you might need them for future reference later on.

Paradisekiss03 said:

no thanks..... medical textbooks are just an extra 40lbs to lug around.

IADOREHIM said:

speaking of textbook weight!! i think i'll have a bad back by the time i graduate!

savoirfaire said:

Paradisekiss03 said:

I'm not sure how I feel about mandatory fees for student services. For instance, my alma mater, Indiana University, worked out a system whereby all students are charged a "universal transportation fee" in exchange for free use of the city's transit system. (Ironically, the fee does not cover most of the bus routes operated by IU itself, for which a cash fare or separate pass is required.) Just flash your student ID card, and you can ride a city bus for free. This benefit was introduced because many students wanted it. Yet, the students who never ride the city buses dislike paying a fee for a service they never use.

I suppose IU could avoid the controversy by simply "hiding" the transportation fee (i.e., by building it into the price of tuition), but doing so would prevent IU from understating the real cost of attendance by having a tuition price that does not include the numerous mandatory fees .

isn't there a way students can ask the school to take away fees for stuff we wont be using?

in just a few short weeks I will no longer be a college student!

The only thing I can say to help you through the financing of school is make full use of all the tax credits...deduct your tuition, deduct "related expenses" etc...last year my 'puter died and I needed to buy a new one. With being in school it wasn't a 'want' but a 'NEED'. So, I ended up writing it off as a school/business related expense...You have to itemize your taxes to do this, but it helped me get a chunk of maney back at least.

I'm at uni n ive got only TWO EXAMS until i'm officially on HOLIDAY!!

lilmissmissy said:

good luck!

endorphin74 said:

Why thankyou endophin74!!

endorphin74 said:

I can't wait for dat moment!!

lilmissmissy said:

trust me, you will get there! If I can do it anyone can!

endorphin74 said:

Don't be 2 hard on yourself!!

I'm in college too here in IN! If NE1 is going to june 18th St. Paul show we should hang out!