The start of a new semester can be exciting for many reasons, one of them being that it is a fresh start. I especially love the fall semester because there is excitement in the air as there are lots of new faces on campus as incoming students get settled in. However, along with the start of a new semester comes all the expenses. Coffee everyday ( a must have ),new clothes (first day of classes outfit) , and a meal plan (I guess it would be nice to eat everyday ). These are just a few of the necessities that we need to budget for. We all know that college is expensive, but that does not even include the price of the textbooks that are required! I was in my college bookstore the other day looking to buy a book for one of my classes and it was $244! I was in shock that a tiny book could cost that much. Needless to say I rented a used copy.
For many classes you may be able to get away without actually reading the book, but I have found that as I have gotten further into my major related classes, not reading the book is not going to cut it anymore. This semester I got all of the books for my classes. You bet that I am going to do all of the reading assignments. I set high standards for myself because it keeps me motivated to do better. My last two semesters I wish I had done just a little bit better in my classes to achieve my goal GPA. This semester I am determined to do better than I have in the past and I think that reading the books will give me that extra push. I have done a good job staying on track with all the reading, although I’ll admit I am behind. If you tend to have a hard time reading textbooks, use colorful post it notes to help you stay on task, bright highlighters, or create an incentive for yourself if you finish X amount of pages.
All my textbooks are specific to my major, so I have found that I actually enjoy reading them most of the time. I am a Psychology Child Life major. Therefore, all my books are about development and how to play with children. Personally I also find psychology to be a really intriguing subject anyway.
Moral of the story, I think it is a really good idea to read the required text for classes because it will most likely lead you to getting better grades and understanding the material you are learning in class. Who knows, maybe you might actually like what you are reading about!