So I am frustrated with my program right now and I haven't even started yet. We had our orientation today. Back in JUNE I heard a rumor that they assign homework at the orientation before classes even start.
So I called and asked if I should start buying my books one by one so I will have them by then. I called the nursing department directly and was told, NO DO NOT buy them until orientation because you might "get the wrong books".
Fast forward to today. We have orientation and are assigned 50+ pages of homework, 100+ pages of reading, a 6 page paper and a poster and video modules to watch that are part of the access codes from our books. Many of the assignments require the books and they are due the first day of school.
School starts August 25th and they randomly aren't disbursing financial aid until September 5th by which time there are hundreds more pages worth of reading due. My plan is shot because the FA office repeatedly stated that FA would be disbursed the 29th of August and they were telling me incorrect information and my plan was to borrow the $1000 I needed for the books from my mom and pay it back on the 29th. The 5th is too late for me to get it back to her.
I am beyond annoyed that I was told not to worry about it and not to buy any books until after orientation since it was clearly a ploy to make the bookstore money (they raised the price of the main package from 590 to 675 a couple days ago for the same books that were already there).
Has anyone else dealt with anything like this? I am feeling frustrated and now I have to scramble to come up with $1000 when I could have easily planned for it if I was informed earlier.
Even though you were told not to buy the books yet, why were you not saving money for when you could purchase them? As frustrating as this you, either way you would need that money to buy the books, yet since you couldn't buy them early, you didn't save the money you would have used to buy them earlier is what I am understanding. You are part to blame for this stressful situation you are in. Part of the reason they say not to purchase early is because they wait to see if new editions come out, or if an instructor wants to change which books they want to teach out of. In most cases buying an older edition doesn't matter, but a complete book change would. It is also possible another book was added to the package or that the online access has become more expensive, hence the price change. And I recently learned that nursing schools pretty much break even and do not make money because the program is expensive to run. The books in the bookstore being slightly higher priced helps offset the cost of the course. This does not stop me from purchasing on Amazon or chegg or whatever to save money, but I at least understand the price difference.
See if a classmate who buys the bookstore package would be willing to give you the ISBN numbers from all the books in the package so you can start to purchase the books cheaper. On Amazon, the listing will tell you if access codes are included or not. I saved over $200 by not purchasing from the bookstore on campus. Also, see what books your assigned reading is out of. I doubt they are having you read from all of your books before day one. Purchase just the books that your required reading comes from until you can get your FA to purchase the rest. Some of them will likely be lab value, nursing diagnoses, and skill books that you wont use in the first week anyway. My block 1 didn't have a very large pre start homework load, but my block 2 that starts on 08/25 has reading, 2 quizzes, and 2 online lectures to get through by the first day. Welcome to nursing school, where you have no life for 4 months at a time lol. GL
Not everyone has money to save for school text books! I know I don't! I start nursing school next week, and if it wasn't for my aunt, I would not have money to purchase a lot of the stuff needed until my financial aid arrived! Every family/student is different when it comes to income. :)
NurseYomi
13 Posts
Not everyone has money to save for school text books! I know I don't! I start nursing school next week, and if it wasn't for my aunt, I would not have money to purchase a lot of the stuff needed until my financial aid arrived! Every family/student is different when it comes to income. :)