How to Save on Back to School Textbooks

October 31, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Education, School, Textbooks | Reply

Purchasing books is an inevitable part of education, you can’t really avoid. Getting back to school is not that expensive in terms of textbook purchases. You just need time to compare prices to get the best deals.

Cringing on the notion that school is about to start? Surely, you’ll cringe more when the idea of purchasing books comes to you mind. Purchasing books is an inevitable part of education, you can’t really avoid. As compared to a generation ago, when the internet did not exist yet; there was no choice but to use books for reference.

However, the birth of the internet has changed everything; there has been less reliance on printed materials and more dependence towards online materials. This started the decline of printed ones; however, some information cannot be simply taken from the internet. This situation keeps the print publishing industry alive. However, the price to pay for these materials is still daunting; it certainly hurts the consumer’s pockets.

What can you do to lessen the impact of getting back to school textbooks? First, it is must to get the necessary books that are required for a specific semester. Getting the reading list or the required reading materials will give you the heads up on the extent of your book shopping endeavor. Imagine if you did not get the list at the earliest time, you will utterly cram. Hence, you will spend a lot of money since you cannot look for inexpensive alternatives. Given the list at the earliest time, searching for the books will be a breeze. You have the element of time at your side. Furthermore, you may scout for books that you may borrow from your friends.

Online shopping is your ally to get cheap back to school books. Online sellers surely have the best deals as compared to the university or school bookstore. Especially now when there is EBay, Amazon, and other similar sites; online textbook hunting has never been easier. If you are not really adept at online shopping; well, you should start trying it out. You will do save much if you do so.

Choices online are immense that will surely provide you the fix for you back to school books. In addition, books that are required for a specific semester can be easily searched using the International Standard Book Number or popularly known as the ISBN. With this number, you are sure that the book that you are getting is what you are really looking for.

All in all, getting back to school is not that expensive in terms of textbook purchases. You just need time to compare prices to get the best deals.

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How to Manage Student Loans

October 30, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Education | on student loan | Reply

Students loans are not as scary as you think. We know that buying textbooks are one of the biggest financial challenge students will face during their college days but most of these sources are from student loans. Most students pay them off when they start working after college graduation but with bills coming right in front of your doorstep, budgeting can be a big hurdle. Here are 3 surefire ways to get over them.

When you’re a student, when you’re still young and you’re still trying to figure out life, the fact that you have a loan to pay might be a daunting one. A little intimidating, even. You might think that you’re having such a hard time and that you are pulling bad vibes closer by starting your graduating year with debt. Let none of those thoughts worry you any more after you read about our Top 3 ways on how to manage your student loans.

Know Your Terms by Heart

First off, you must know your payment terms by heart. You must know how much you’re due and the date it falls every month. This is very important because if you miss out on certain payments, you will just sink into another round of penalty fees, and remember that you are bound to pay this loan even if you did not really finish school or even if you had very bad luck with employment.

Ask Advice from the Elders

Again, we know how intimidating paying off a loan can be especially in your teens or in your early twenties. That is why you will need advice from people who know better: the elders. Ask your parents, your teachers or some friends who also had student loans and how they got to repay it seamlessly.

Learn from the mistakes of others and focus on paying your loan off as soon as possible. Aside from personally asking the help of people around you, you can also check out some tips online. Visit college forums and look for topics under student loans. You might just be surprised how much you’ll learn from people you don’t even know.

Always Widen Your Chances

There are a few clauses to student loans which you must remember so that you’re nearer towards being debt-free. For example, if you borrowed in the previous semesters and you have just returned to school, you can come back after your grace period ends. This way, your loan will stay in repayment as soon as you return. Also, if you only go to school half of the time, you can lobby for deferment. Options for easier payment (for those who have irregular statuses) are available, just don’t abuse them. Discuss options with your loan holder.

See, they’re not as difficult as you imagined, right? Don’t worry, if you just be religious with the payments and work a little bit harder, you will be debt-free in no time! Just treat it as your first life lesson practical exam in loaning! Explore your loan options while continuing your education.

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Professors Must Know Their Professor Rate

October 28, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Education | on professor ratings, professor reviews | Reply

Aside from peer reviews, professors are able to know their performance through the feedback provided to them by their students. These professor review sites are the new tools by which students air their concerns about their teachers and provide information about how their teachers are performing inside the classroom.

As teachers walk through the corridors, they don’t know that some of those smiles and greetings they get are actually unreal. And as they enter their assigned classrooms and teach, they wouldn’t know the difference between silence for being attentive and silence because of fear. Yes, some professors could be THAT dense but it doesn’t mean that they don’t care.

There are a lot of deplorable practices by professors though. If professors think that putting the student’s grades at stake could help them in disciplining their students’ behaviour, well, it’s actually causing damage. And if professors think that raising their voices and threatening their students would make them a lot easier to understand, well, more people would be raising questions regarding their violent actions.

So, to avoid these kinds of dynamics between students and teachers, it is better for professors to check students’ evaluations. “Rate a Professor” sites could be a good source of students’ evaluations.

“Rate a professor” sites are online evaluation sites where a professor rate is equivalent to a valuable opinion by a first-hand experience. These sites have helped numerous students pick the best professors and helped professors raise the bar of their teaching.

Since some professors are clouded by their profession and great achievements, they tend to not see their own flaws; they find themselves perfect. Therefore looking from another angle would be much better: hearing out students say the things they couldn’t tell in class, and also, comparing a personal evaluation with others’.

According to the Johari Window (by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham), a model used to describe human interaction, each of us has windows that consist of four quadrants: the private hidden self, the public self, the blind self, and the undiscovered or unknown self. These focuses on how self-disclosure can affect what we know about ourselves, and how we feel about who we are.

The blind self part of the Johari Window generally means that there are things or traits in us that we are not aware of, but others can see. The goal here is: to let others assess you, so that we could be aware of whom we truly are towards others. We advise that professors rate themselves according to what they see in these sites. It is truly important to know how they are affecting other people, especially students. Remember that students depend on them to teach what they need to know about their course and the school also trusts these professors to do their job well.

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How to Assess Professor Ratings

October 27, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Education | on professor rating | Reply

We understand that college can be a really daunting part of one’s life. That is why, as much as possible, you get all the resources you can and try to make the most out of them.

You look for nearby dorms, pray that your roommate won’t be much of a pain in the neck, and, for the first time, might even value your allowance more than ever. Well, that’s just for the outside-university life. For other class-related worries, one of the most crucial factors is your professors. Why, you trust them to teach you everything you need to know about your course/ subject, right?

So you go around, ask your elder siblings and other friendly upperclassmen about the best and worst professors. If you’re the shy type or you don’t know anyone in the area (say, you come from a different state), don’t worry because all you need to do is to go online and check professor ratings.

We are lucky that today, with the aid of technology, we are able to assess a lot of things before we actually get to experience them. These “reviews”, “evaluations” and “ratings” help us make better decisions. Choosing your professor is not exempted to this. Search the internet for “rate a professor” sites and you will be delivered to a portal where you can pick your area, school and course out. Then, you can search for professors according to the departments that they belong to.

Before anything, don’t get too excited and remember that there are professor ratings that may not be as accurate as how the professor really is in real life. For example, a rowdy student can write bad things about a professor who sent him out in class because he was very talkative. On the other hand, a student can also write good things about a professor because that professor gave them a really easy time in class and went to class only 30% of the time. Try to get to know where the student is coming from and if the context is laid down properly. Make sure it’s not just angst talking.

Moreover, there are also students who will complain about professor qualities that may not be necessarily bad. For example, varying styles in giving exams, pop quizzes, or reporting-heavy subjects. What is important is that you also know which styles or teaching techniques you like and then pick your best bet for professor according to that. Of course, for those subjects that can only be taught by just one professor, you just have to suck it up, take his class and check those “rate my professor” sites so at least you know what to expect.

As you go along, you will notice that there will be credible and not-so-credible professor ratings. All we’re saying is that you must be more discriminatory, as you are invested in your first years of college. Good luck!

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Latest College Chemistry Online Textbook

October 26, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Textbooks | on chemistry textbook | Reply

Chemistry students look for the best and cheapest textbook they can use. This article lists chemistry book titles which students can download online.

Textbooks are one of the most essential tools of every college chemistry student. But with annual raise in textbook prices, buying all the books needed each semester has been a financial burden for students. A single new book can cost $100-$200. Depending on the number of classes you are taking and the specificity of your professors, you can spend up to $800 on books every year.

Fortunately, there are more and more digital textbooks ready for downloading off the internet. There are three means from where you can download your digital books. First, you can buy them from registered ebook retailers (Amazon/Kindle, etc.). You can also search dozens of websites offering digital books for no charge at all. Also, there are online bookshops (that usually sell or rent used books) that offer e-books for lower prices.

Here are some titles of the latest and most useful chemistry titles you can download online:

Biochemistry:

Biochemistry Online by Henry Jakubowski (2009)
Biochemistry by Charles Grisham and Reginald Garrett (2006)
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry by Albert Lehninger, David Nelson, and Michael Cox (2008)
Chemical Biology by Deniz Ekinci (2012)
Micro- and Nano-Transport of Biomolecules by David Bakewell (2009)

Physical chemistry:

Introductory Physical Chemistry by David Ronis (2011)
Atkins’s Physical Chemistry by Peter Atkins (2009)
Physical Chemistry in Brief by Josef Novak, Stanislav Labik, and Ivona Malijevska (2005)
The Physical Description of Chemical Systems by Geoffrey Blake (2009)
Dynamics of Open Quantum Systems by Keith Hughes (2006)

Analytical chemistry:

Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry by Robert Meyers (2001)
Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry by Douglas Skoog, Donald West, James Holler and Stanley Crouch (2004)
Analytical Chemistry by Gary Christian (2003)
Principles and Practice of Analytical Chemistry by Frederick Fifield and David Kealey (2000)
Instant Notes in Analytical Chemistry by David Kealey and Peter Haines (2002)

Organic chemistry:

Organic Chemistry by Amgad Rabie (2010)
Writing Reaction Mechanisms in Organic Chemistry by Audrey Miller and Philippa Solomon (2000)
Virtual Textbook of Organic Chemistry by William Reusch (1999)
Arrow-Pushing in Organic Chemistry: An Easy Approach to Understanding Reaction Mechanisms by Daniel Levy (2008)
Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reaction Mechanisms by Reinhard Bruckner (2001)

Inorganic chemistry:

Inorganic Chemistry by Catherine Housecroft and Alan Sharpe (2009)
Much Ado about (Practically) Nothing: A History of Noble Gases by David Fisher (2010)
Inorganic Chemistry by James House (2008)
Introduction to Organic Chemistry by Peter Nelson
An Introduction to Molecular Modeling, from Theory to Application by Dimitrios Vlachakis (2007)

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New Technologies Employed in Online Bookstores

October 24, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in online bookstore | on online bookstore | Reply

Revolutionary is one word to describe online bookstores – and they are changing the face of education. In this article, you can read about the new technologies being introduced by online bookstores and how they are making education better for both professors and students.

Online bookstores are providing professors and students with services they need to make education simpler and cheaper. First popular for selling textbooks are often cheaper prices compared to neighborhood bookstores, services expanded to selling used textbooks, renting out books for a semester, buying used textbooks and providing digital versions of their books. Truthfully, it seems that education is making the transition online.

Online bookstores are getting better and better – offering more services to students. Here are some new technologies you can now see in online bookstores designed to make life easier for both professors and students:

Book search and Price comparisons – Book search is already a feature available to most online bookstores. Price comparisons are additional features designed to make it easier for buyers to decide which books are cheapest – whether used, or rental books or even eBooks. Instead of doing a manual search for the various options then creating a table to compare prices, the online bookstore will already do the work for you – the only thing left to do is to decide which option works best for you.
Textbook trading or swaps – Some students do not want to fork out more money to get new books, so online bookstores are offering textbook trades or swaps. Swaps work by first assessing the value of your current book, and either giving it a dollar amount or a value in points. The money or points can then be collected or traded instantly for another book with the same value. And voila, both parties have new books to use for class.
Class networking – Social networking abilities are now being added to online bookstores, not just because of their popularity, but to the potential it holds to really help education. Most students would lap up the opportunity to have a virtual class page – where they can reconnect with classmates to ask questions, share tips or reviewers and simply get to know each other better.
Student forums or class discussions – This feature can be very helpful for professors who want to make their homework virtual – meaning, he can post a discussion topic wherein students need to comment or answer. Thus, the professor can truly check for understanding and utilize this tool to identify topics that are still misunderstood. Students can also use the forums to ask questions or clarify topics.
Online notes and syllabus – Instead of emailing notes, readings or the syllabus one by one, the professor can simply add all students to the network, upload these documents for everyone to freely access and download.

With the many possibilities the Web offers, education can truly be enhanced with these services offered by online bookstores.

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Rate A Professor: Relieving Parents of their Kids’ College Lives

October 20, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Education | on rate a professor | Reply

From the day you were born, to the day you first stepped the school’s premises, until your last breath—these are the times wherein parents make sure that they teach their children all that they know, and all that are necessary for future’s sake.

Of course, parents (or guardians) are very sure that the things that they pass on to their children and to the next generations are justifiable. One of the things that really faze parents is sending their kids off to college. They will eventually turn over their kids to professors’ care and hope for the best.

No matter how famous a school may be, we cannot deny the fact that the people who are working in that school are uncontrollable at times. Take for example: professors in universities. They may have passed those application requirements, but those results don’t reflect the kind of a person that employee may be during, or off, their working schedules. Setting aside physical and verbal abuses, the quality of teaching affect a student’s performance the most. It’s a good thing professors can now be more open to scrutiny and students can have a better feel of what they are looking forward to in a class. For such reasons, “Rate a Professor” was made, and has been very handy for many people.

“Rate a Professor” are online surveys which are made to evaluate professors and to help incoming enrollees determine which teaching style might help them best in learning the course’s lessons. In these online surveys, people, particularly students, are free to give comments and even discuss with others things that involves their teachers and Universities.

Also, through these online surveys, schools are aware of their performance and are able to discover possible improvements for the betterment of their management. Now, how is this important to parents? Well, first of all, since these surveys were made open and free to the public, anyone can access these surveys and discussions. Therefore, parents are able to see reviews regarding the school and their professors directly from the students and may even throw in their 2 cents worth. Well, it also help that at least they have an idea who their children are learning from.

However, even if “Rate a Professor” exists, it is better to personally check and assess the situation the students are in. As parents, the best way to check on your children is to hear them out personally. A simple check-up dinner talk would do well. It also says how invested you are in your kid’s future without being overly interfering.

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How to Buy Textbooks on the Cheap

October 19, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Textbooks | Reply

Purchasing textbooks can be such a pain in the pocket as prices of books are steadily rising. Buying expensive textbooks should be avoided as it is financially impractical and unreasonable.

The price of college textbooks are increasing steadily due to many factors not known to many. It now has become a huge challenge for teachers and students because it presents a huge impact student’s daily budget and hampering students to continue their studies.

The increase in textbook costs can be attributed to increasing costs for creating college textbooks. In addition, publishing companies have extensive marketing drives which move the prices textbooks even higher. Every semester entails new expenses on tuition and fees; not to mention buying textbooks are requirements for certain courses.

How do you buy textbooks at a cheaper price? There are some ways to beat the rising costs of books. Here are some tips that you may follow to get better deals on textbook purchases.

Since textbooks are considered priorities, you cannot attend courses without them. And since textbooks are requirements, you will acquire higher bills. Usually, this occurs when you buy textbooks from your institution’s bookstore. As this may be a popular practice, smart shoppers would consider this a waste of money and resources. You should know that purchasing textbooks at a university bookstore entails paying a very steep price for a single book. However, there are some bookstores that sell used textbooks.

Purchasing used textbooks would be a smart choice of a smart shopper. Used books have the same content with new books; hence you will get the same information at a fraction of the cost. Besides, you will more likely just use the textbook for a semester; hence, getting a new one is not really a practical and economical move.

If there are no available used copies of the textbook that you need, it is worthwhile to check online shops such as EBay, Amazon, and Craigslist. Online shops offer many options and varying prices when it comes to textbooks. Furthermore, you can bid for textbooks which may provide you a lot of savings. Amazon shows numerous options of brand new and used textbooks. In this website, you have the option to get a new one, perhaps, a cheaper price than your bookstore.

Exhaust all book advertisements online to have a lot to choose from. To get a better deal online, ordering books in bulks is a definitely a good choice. If you do so, the shipping fee will be lesser as compared to purchasing books online in several pieces.

On the whole, purchasing textbooks is a necessity. However, purchasing expensive textbooks should be avoided as it is financially impractical and unreasonable. Look for used textbook in your local bookstores and check online. Being economical in buying textbooks is the key in hurdling financial obstructions in education.

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Top Economics Textbooks in the US

October 18, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in Textbooks | on economics, textbook | Reply

Many Economics textbooks are available. Here are the top reference materials that are used in numerous universities and colleges across the US today.

Economics is one of the most important subjects being taught in universities and colleges today. It is important because it helps students understand the economy that affects all people in every aspect. Courses need that understanding to build and mold responsible and effective citizens in the future. It is not surprising that numerous reference materials about the subject are available. Here are the top Economics textbooks that are popularly and widely used in the US today.

Principles of Microeconomics

Author N. Gregory Mankiw has exhibited his engaging and clear writing style in this material, which is currently one of the most popular and widely used Economics textbooks in the US. The 6th edition is an updated version of the book, which contains concepts that are presented in an interesting manner. The book presents real-life scenarios, economic concepts, and useful facts that can serve as guide in decision-making.

Basic Economics

This reference material is one of the most widely used today. Author Frank V. Mastrianna presented a straightforward and streamlined introduction to basic topics in macro and microeconomy. The 14th edition has a 19-chapter format that is meant to be covered in an entire semester. Also included are student applications and supplements for the instructor.

Macroeconomics

Campbell McConnell, et al. has written one of the most popular and widely used textbooks in Economics not just in the US but also in the entire world. The reference material is innovative in teaching students in an unbiased and clear way. Its 19th edition dwells on the tradition of leadership through sticking to three goals: to help beginners master basic economic principles, to help students understand the then apply economic perspectives, and to promote interest in economics.

World is Flat: Brief History of the 20th Century

One unique feature of the textbook is that it was authored by Thomas L. Friedman, a bestselling author, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and New York Times columnist. The material describes the state of globalization in the current times. The World is Flat is a timely and effective discussion of globalization and its discontents and successes.

Microeconomics: Principles and Tools

Arthur Osullivan authored this book that focuses on microeconomics. The reference material consists of six parts. There are 19 chapters that are enough to keep the lessons smoothly flowing in an entire semester. Just like other Economics textbooks, this one includes special sections that facilitate clearer and better understanding of microeconomic concepts.

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How Online Bookstores Can Also Serve as Social Network

October 16, 2012 Posted by Jules Mariano in online bookstore | on online bookstore | Reply

An online bookstore can also serve as social network and be more helpful to students. Here are some ways those online bookstores can be more beneficial as social media portals at the same time.

Online bookstores are getting more popular for obvious and logical reasons. Many students today do not like the idea of having a hard time finding the textbooks they need in brick and mortar bookshops. They dislike the idea of not being able to buy their books because copies have run out or because other editions are still unsold in the bookshelves.

It is not surprising that more and more students prefer to buy from online bookstores these days. But as to be expected, they maximize the use of those Websites. Many students now use online bookstores as social networks. This can be more advantageous because they can limit their online social network exposure only to other students from their schools or from other universities.

How can a typical online bookstore serve as a social network as well and help facilitate student learning? Here are some practical ideas.

Tracking book purchases

Online bookstores can of course facilitate tracking of textbook purchases by students. Users can use the information to find other students who have bought and who are using the same textbooks they use. That can be a good foundation for establishing connection.

They can begin interaction through discussing their common denominator – the textbooks. From there, they can start exchanging information from personal data to academic knowledge. As they go on, they can discuss with each other their insights and learnings about specific content in textbooks. Many students will benefit from using social networks for completing homework and having interesting discourse online.

Creating discussion groups

Online bookstores serving as social networks as well must have features that facilitate messaging (instant and emails). Thus, they can host discussions among groups of students who want to exchange knowledge about lessons in textbooks. This is widely used today through existing forums, wherein students post and leave messages to the entire group to answer questions or challenge some insights.

Instant messaging helps groups conduct discussions in real time without having to go out to meet somewhere. Students only need to log online, get into the portal, and join instant messaging discussion groups (more like chat rooms). They can exchange information and insights instantly. The advantage of this is that big files and videos can even be attached and shared to be viewed by other students in the same group. This can take student learning to a higher and more effective level. No one can doubt that it will surely work.

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