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Summary critique the high cost of college textbooks
Essay on the cost of college textbooks
Summary critique the high cost of college textbooks
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Vanessa Vazquez
Professor Woods
EH 102-1FB
10 February 2017
The Price of Knowledge in the United States Attending college and taking out one or more student loans is so common amongst American college students that if you do not take out a loan, you are immediately seen differently. Students will either then be seen as privileged or thought of as Albert Einstein. Although there are other reasons for a student not having to take out a loan, these are the two most thought of. So, why has it become so normal for a college student to take out one or more loans? One word comes to mind when attempting to answer this question – tuition – but one can fail to consider a smaller culprit – textbooks. The costs of textbooks have increased by eighty-two
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A PIRG report, "Fixing the Broken Textbook Market," which surveyed 2,000 students from over 150 campuses, concluded that 65 percent of students did not purchase a textbook because of its cost. While 48 percent admitted that they limited themselves to the amount of courses they could take because of textbook prices (Weisbaum). The cost of textbooks is so grand that it is preventing students from registering for more courses. In result, some students are graduating later than expected. This adds to the students’ stress which is already high because of other factors. Overpriced textbooks are an issue that needs to be addressed more seriously and strived to fix. After all, the price of textbooks in the United States are double that of what they are in oversea …show more content…
Tamar Lewin, a writer for The New York Times, found that “At one prestigious university, a sophomore imported 30 biology books from England .. and sold them outside his classroom for less than the campus-bookstore price, netting a $1,200 profit” (Lewin). This report was taken in 2003 and if this does not accurately depict how long this issue continues to be un-precedent, what will? Two juniors at Williams College found that the price of a $100 dollar textbook sold in the United States could be shipped over from another country for only $50 (Lewin). They were doing what almost every college student does now, surfing the web in search of cheaper textbooks. Recent studies have shown that more and more students are beginning to shop on Amazon.co.uk instead of just Amazon.com because the foreign prices are so much cheaper (Lewin). Purchasing textbooks overseas is more affordable and easier to do now than it was in years past. This is because of copyright laws that use to prevent Americans from legally purchasing textbooks from other countries. Since the Supreme Court made a decision to allow these purchases to be made, transactions are being made by many American students. Too much surprise, the National Association of College Stores has actually taken steps in times past to reach out to leading publishers asking them to stop this pattern of overpriced textbooks. Even a
In a recent study that was conducted the rate of individuals attending college has increased. This increase in students comes at a time when the country has been described as being in a recession. With job losses, companies closing and lack of job availability many people are returning to school. This return to the classroom comes at a cost. The rate of college tuition has risen in the last few years. In my home state of Kentucky, it appears both of the major Universities have asked to raise tuition every other year. When college cost rise so does the tools needed to attend college. One of the most expensive tools is books. Last year I enrolled my son in college when calculating the books for his classes, we soon learned that the cost of his books and the cost of my books were almost on month’s salary. My family soon learned if we were going to be able to not only attend college but have the necessary tools needed, we would have to consider alternatives to buying books. I did some research and soon discovered that technology had again come to the rescue. I found a company called Chegg that is an online book rental company. This company provides students with an alternative to buying books by renting them for a portion of the price. According to their article in CrunchBase named “Chegg edit” the company began at Iowa University in 2005 as a “hyper-local” classified directory. It was not until 2007 that the company introduced their textbook rental service. When looking at the company from an Information Systems standpoint I would say it ranks up there with the creative ideas of the century. You go online type in your order and it is processed within a matter of days. During the next portion of this paper we will loo...
This article, “Why Are Textbooks So Expensive?” by Henry Roediger reveals the truth of why textbooks are so pricey. He shows how textbooks prices are costly not because of inflation, corporate textbook companies, and frequent revisions, but because of the sale of used textbooks. The article is elaborating on why used textbooks are the real culprit as well. One main point that is highlighted is that used textbooks are resold for many years. The initial selling of the textbook is the only time the author will make a profit, but the bookstore will make a profit every time they resell a used book. It is essential for the author to raise the price to compensate for the loss of money when dealing with used textbooks.
When thinking about college the same fear is established in just about every student’s mind. How am I going to pay for college? With an increase in college tuition in the past ten years, that question has become more frequent. Whether it is a private or public institution, the price is still no pocket change and how to pay for it has become harder and harder to accomplish. In today’s society, the average person can not get as far as they’d hope without a college education. With that accomplishment of receiving a college education, comes the dreaded loans that some students have and pass on to their children.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, college tuition and relevant fees have increased by 893 percent (“College costs and the CPI”). 893 percent is a very daunting percentage considering that it has surpassed the rise in the costs of Medicare, food, and housing. As America is trying to pull out of a recession, many students are looking for higher education so they can attain a gratified job. However, their vision is being stained by the dreadful rise in college costs. College tuition is rising beyond inflation. Such an immense rise in tuition has many serious implications for students; for example, fewer students are attending private colleges, fewer students are staying enrolled in college, and fewer students are working in the fields in which they majored in.
Students have every right to be angry about the state of college tuition. In the past 20 years, "tuition increased twice as fast as the overall cost of livin...
In order to best understand why implementing such a loan program would be most beneficial to the students one must understand why textbook prices have spiraled out of control. The problem lies with textbook pub...
There is no escaping the fact that the cost of college tuition continues to rise in the United States each year. To make it worse, having a college degree is no longer an option, but a requirement in today’s society. According to data gathered by the College Board, total costs at public four-year institutions rose more rapidly between 2003-04 and 2013-14 than they did during either of the two preceding decades (Collegeboard.com). Students are pressured to continue into higher education, but yet, the increasing costs of books and tuition make us think twice. Sometimes, some of these students have to leave with their education partially finished, leaving them with crushing debts.
"As Costs of Textbooks Rise, E-books Emerge as More Affordable Alternative." The Daily Illini. Brittany Gibson, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
With the rapid growth of college tuition, it has become an important issue in higher education. College Tuition is simply defined as the charge or fee for instruction, at a private school or a college or a university. Most people agree today that college tuition is too high or that it needs to be completely dismissed. There are some however, that may disagree with the claim about college tuition and state that college tuition is necessary for college growth, and it’s primary purpose is to pay for college expenses to support the institution financially. Research shows that college tuition is too high and that debt has become a standard in America after attending post-secondary school.
In conclusion, America provides many ways to help reduce the cost of college textbooks but society is still not satisfied with the outcome. The Open Textbook, Affordable Textbook Act, and book store rentals are wonderful programs, but has its disadvantages that hopefully would be resolved in the 2016 presidential elections. The statistics show that many students across the nation benefit from learning with quality of teaching, the amount of accessibility it provides without having to worry about paying off student loans. School administrations should consider about transferring to an act that would benefit both the school and the students, but also provide more equality to the publishers and students.
Expensive Textbooks Textbooks are a must at almost every university. On top of tuition, dining and housing fees, the high cost of textbooks is a huge burden on the students. Every student wants to buy the textbooks for their class as the books are the best source for their study, but the main barrier is the high price of the books. According to NBC's review of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, textbook prices have risen over three times the rate of inflation from January 1977 to June 2015, a 1,041 percent increase (Popken). Further, research has shown that a student spends around twelve hundred dollars a year on textbooks (Senack6).
Textbooks are reliable, they can be used by anyone, and there are enough textbooks for each student to have their own, and be able to take them home. Also, technology is impacting the way the brain receives information. Reading digital print isn't as productive for readers as printed text, and there is limited access to resources needed for tablets to be effective when used by students. While this is true there are benefits to using tablets and other forms of technology in the classroom. It is easier for teachers to have assignments emailed directly to them, or post assignments on the internet, the use of technology is required in many core classes, and textbooks are easily worn, and expensive.
First of all, buying an e-book is cheaper than a printed book. As a student who is studying in college, I know students have to buy text books for all the classes. According to an article from website, “average price of best-selling e-books is $5-$11, and most text-books’ price is around $200 which are selling in bookstore even rental books should cost 50% of the new books’ price.” We can immediately know that e-books are much cheaper than printed
At the same time as the publishing industry was developing in the USA, the states enacted legislation controlling the adoption of textbooks and the provision of free textbooks. In Kordus’s (2000) article, it was found that legislation standardizing procedures for adopting textbooks arose during the mid-nineteenth century in each state in response to the development of graded organization requiring uniform textbooks for formal schooling in classes. Initially, uniformity was practiced at the local level through laws requiring each local school board to adopt a list of textbooks, which parents were required to supply over a given period of time.
With technology progressing from drones fulfilling shipments to electronic books becoming cheaper, major companies such as Apple and Amazon have had a big impact on not only the tech industry but the publishing industry as well. Companies are outputting resources like IBook’s and the Kindle bookstore to take full advantage of the transition to digital publishing. As a result of this we have greener, more budget friendly books, and outdated traditional copies of text. With the introduction to these resources it is making the lives of students and the mass market more convenient. Students are now able to purchase books on one device that won’t weigh their bags down on a daily basis. Companies have created bookstores that can be accessed from devices that we use every day, resulting in paperless copies of books that are substantially cheaper than the traditional hard copy. E-books are replacing physical books and textbooks rapidly, and as a result they are becoming more widely and readily available for students.