Your College Textbooks: where they at?

[Imp]

I have two Bankers Boxes of textbooks from college. They sat on a bookshelf for over 5 years, probably touched once or twice in that time. Then I added more...

Logical side is telling me to give them away because they're "outdated" -- math and scientific principles go bad in 5 years, yo.

Other side is pissed that there's like $2000 worth of books worth virtually nothing.

What'd you do with them?

 

[gorcorps]

I have a couple at work that could be applicable. The rest weren't worth keeping

 

[iLEktron]

same, collecting dust

 

[TheGardener]

Just have a dozen collecting dust.

 

[jman19]

Some at work, some in a closet, and a few on a bookshelf.

 

[Platypus]

what few textbooks I actually purchased I sold off long ago.

 

[KingstonU]

I got a lot of enjoyment in burning them. I kept my psychology 101 book though, as I actually liked that class and found it very useful. That is definitely just collecting dust though for 7 years since.

 

[jman19]

I got a lot of enjoyment in burning them. I kept my psychology 101 book though, as I actually liked that class and found it very useful. That is definitely just collecting dust though for 7 years since.

You actually burned your textbooks?

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

in a super-heavy box buried somewhere in storage. i've lugged them around through multiple moves too. I should really consider burning them. Could be cathartic.

 

[brianmanahan]

sold most of them on amazon, made 500$

 

[IronWing]

I lugged mine around for many years like Sigune dragging the corpse of Schianatulander. Then I found inner peace and traded them in at a local bookstore.

 

[BoomerD]

I donated most back to the college for underprivileged students. I kept a few accounting and bookkeeping textbooks...but haven't even opened the box they're in since I packed them away almost 4 years ago.

 

[Imp]

what few textbooks I actually purchased I sold off long ago.

I made the mistake of getting sentimental and thinking that I would use them for reference in the future at work -- wrong, work had their own reference materials.

I lugged mine around for many years like Sigune dragging the corpse of Schianatulander. Then I found inner peace and traded them in at a local bookstore.

My local used bookstore only pays ~$3/book. I actually hauled most of my fiction/non-fiction collection there for $60.

 

[IronWing]

I donated most back to the college for underprivileged students. I kept a few accounting and bookkeeping textbooks...but haven't even opened the box they're in since I packed them away almost 4 years ago.

I think you're missing a zero there.

 

[BoomerD]

I think you're missing a zero there.

 

[IronWing]

I made the mistake of getting sentimental and thinking that I would use them for reference in the future at work -- wrong, work had their own reference materials.



My local used bookstore only pays ~$3/book. I actually hauled most of my fiction/non-fiction collection there for $60.

My local bookstore offers pretty good trade credit toward used books. I made bank in trade credit. I still have no idea which textbook was the jewel spitting mongoose but I got $320 in trade credit for a box of books that were ~20 years old.

 

[TheGardener]

Aren't new college textbooks pretty much available online, and you can't resell them?

 

[Brainonska511]

I kept my math and chemistry books. I have them sitting above my desk and occasionally have used them for reference.

 

[Imp]

I kept my math and chemistry books. I have them sitting above my desk and occasionally have used them for reference.

I'm definitely keeping my Calculus textbook. Linear Algebra can go to hell.

My stupidest textbooks are the Water/ Wastewater Treatment ones that set me back about $250 -- and they were only RECOMMENDED. Barely used them. Pointless for reference too because I have everything still memorized and what I need is generally Google-able.

 

[DrPizza]

I misplaced one of my textbooks and have been upset for a couple of years that I can't find it. It was an applied mathematics textbook. Last time I had it, I took it in to class for a student who intended to major in biology. The book was packed with differential equations types of problems that all related to bio. It wasn't the type of stuff most bio students would do in college, because most wouldn't be able to handle the level of mathematics in that textbook. The math was pretty beautiful, and demonstrated how important it could be if you wanted to really stand out in biology. There are a couple of other texts that I've looked at - from time to time, I glance through my "textbook" from Chem 451 - Organic Chem. And, once in a great while, I'll browse through math texts to prevent forgetting how to do things I haven't used in a decade.

But, my grad thesis: burned it. All 87 pages.

 

[Imp]

But, my grad thesis: burned it. All 87 pages.

Got all my grad stuff backed up on a USB stick.

I have paper notes though. My grad and undergrad notes take up 1.5 Bankers Boxes. I got rid of a lot of undergrad stuff -- spent two days shredding it -- but I actually kept good notes in grad so want to keep those.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Kept them for a few years, then came to realize that they were all pretty much useless. I do still have a few of the computer science classics, though: Wirth, Dykstra, K&R, Booch.

And I still have my 9th grade chemistry book.

 

[jman19]

Kept them for a few years, then came to realize that they were all pretty much useless. I do still have a few of the computer science classics, though: Wirth, Dykstra, K&R, Booch.

And I still have my 9th grade chemistry book.

Some classics in there

 

[Imp]

And I still have my 9th grade chemistry book.

Did you swipe that?

All my high school textbooks were loaners and it was 1 book per 2-3 people, books never left the room or had to be signed out.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Did you swipe that?

All my high school textbooks were loaners and it was 1 book per 2-3 people, books never left the room or had to be signed out.

That's a good point. No, it's a paperback and I'm pretty sure I bought it. I only attended that school (a private Catholic high $chool) for a year. And it's the only book from high school that I have.