1L Books - Real cost Forum

[seagan823]

My school's budget for books is $1250/year. Is this over/under? If I decide I want to buy E&Es and hornbooks how much more am I going to need to budget? I know this will vary book to book and school to school but any ballparks would be helpful. Assume a standard 1 L curriculum.

[BigZuck]

My school's budget for books is $1250/year. Is this over/under? If I decide I want to buy E&Es and hornbooks how much more am I going to need to budget? I know this will vary book to book and school to school but any ballparks would be helpful. Assume a standard 1 L curriculum.

Buy used and rent from places like Amazon when you can, try to avoid plopping down 250+ for each textbook like the bloodsuckers will try to get you to do.

[twenty]

1L I bought all my books new from the campus bookstore. Huge mistake. I spent $1300 first semester, $500 second, $20 dollars third, and $0 dollars this semester.

[Nachoo2019]

My school's budget for books is $1250/year. Is this over/under? If I decide I want to buy E&Es and hornbooks how much more am I going to need to budget? I know this will vary book to book and school to school but any ballparks would be helpful. Assume a standard 1 L curriculum.

Buy used and rent from places like Amazon when you can, try to avoid plopping down 250+ for each textbook like the bloodsuckers will try to get you to do.

Will buying the books be beneficial for any reason later on down the road or is it like undergrad where you use the book all semester then never look at it again?

[Poldy]

I bought all of my books new but compared the bookstore and Amazon for best prices. I didn't buy any supplements and ended up spending around $1,400.

[unsweetened]

I think that I ended up right around $1250 for books. I bought all of my books new since other people's notes hand highlighting drive me crazy. Everything was purchased on Amazon. I very much doubt that I will keep any of the books next year, as most of the important stuff gets outlined. You can always go back and reference your class notes if you want to re-live the trauma of 1L.
Supplements ended up being another $250 or so...

[Nachoo2019]

I think that I ended up right around $1250 for books. I bought all of my books new since other people's notes hand highlighting drive me crazy. Everything was purchased on Amazon. I very much doubt that I will keep any of the books next year, as most of the important stuff gets outlined. You can always go back and reference your class notes if you want to re-live the trauma of 1L.
Supplements ended up being another $250 or so...

So renting textbooks and buying supplements is better than buying the textbooks?

[star fox]

$1250 for the year sounds about right. Don't buy them New from the Bookstore. Buy used from Amazon. Occasionally you might get fucked and the casebook will be a brand new edition (you can roll the dice and buy the older edition which won't actually matter but you're a 1L so you're probably thinking you'll go all in and not do this). I think I've recouped about $800 on re-sale for my first three semesters books fwiw.

[seagan823]

Thanks, this is all really helpful information. Just wanted to make sure I didn't end up estimating like $500 under actual cost assuming the $1250 if I want to buy supplements.

[Phil Brooks]

Zero. All the books should be available on reserve in your school library.

[unsweetened]

I think that I ended up right around $1250 for books. I bought all of my books new since other people's notes hand highlighting drive me crazy. Everything was purchased on Amazon. I very much doubt that I will keep any of the books next year, as most of the important stuff gets outlined. You can always go back and reference your class notes if you want to re-live the trauma of 1L.
Supplements ended up being another $250 or so...

So renting textbooks and buying supplements is better than buying the textbooks?

I like highlighting and writing in textbooks, which I don't think you can do if you rent?

[BigZuck]

I think that I ended up right around $1250 for books. I bought all of my books new since other people's notes hand highlighting drive me crazy. Everything was purchased on Amazon. I very much doubt that I will keep any of the books next year, as most of the important stuff gets outlined. You can always go back and reference your class notes if you want to re-live the trauma of 1L.
Supplements ended up being another $250 or so...

So renting textbooks and buying supplements is better than buying the textbooks?

I like highlighting and writing in textbooks, which I don't think you can do if you rent?

Oh hell yes you can if you rent on Amazon

My school's budget for books is $1250/year. Is this over/under? If I decide I want to buy E&Es and hornbooks how much more am I going to need to budget? I know this will vary book to book and school to school but any ballparks would be helpful. Assume a standard 1 L curriculum.

Buy used and rent from places like Amazon when you can, try to avoid plopping down 250+ for each textbook like the bloodsuckers will try to get you to do.

Will buying the books be beneficial for any reason later on down the road or is it like undergrad where you use the book all semester then never look at it again?

Nope, you'll never in your life need that book again

[ND2018]

I bought all of my books new but compared the bookstore and Amazon for best prices. I didn't buy any supplements and ended up spending around $1,400.

This just can't be right, stop trying to scare the 0L's. OP rent or get used books, you can always highlight over shit/type notes. Talk to 2L's and 3L's about supplements. Most will have shit lying around that they are willing to get rid of for free or at a very low cost to you.

[unsweetened]

I think that I ended up right around $1250 for books. I bought all of my books new since other people's notes hand highlighting drive me crazy. Everything was purchased on Amazon. I very much doubt that I will keep any of the books next year, as most of the important stuff gets outlined. You can always go back and reference your class notes if you want to re-live the trauma of 1L.
Supplements ended up being another $250 or so...

So renting textbooks and buying supplements is better than buying the textbooks?

I like highlighting and writing in textbooks, which I don't think you can do if you rent?

Oh hell yes you can if you rent on Amazon

That's amaze-balls. Def doing that next semester.

[Bleeeh]

Is Amazon the best place to rent through? I was thinking about renting books through my school's bookstore for convenience

[Kinky John]

I bought all of my books new but compared the bookstore and Amazon for best prices. I didn't buy any supplements and ended up spending around $1,400.

This just can't be right, stop trying to scare the 0L's. OP rent or get used books, you can always highlight over shit/type notes. Talk to 2L's and 3L's about supplements. Most will have shit lying around that they are willing to get rid of for free or at a very low cost to you.

5 classes per semester * $140 per class * 2 semesters = $1,400

How is this scaring anyone? And books routinely cost $140+ to rent.

[Hikikomorist]

I'll end up spending around $700 for the year on books, assuming I return all my rentals/resell the others in a timely manner.

[ND2018]

I bought all of my books new but compared the bookstore and Amazon for best prices. I didn't buy any supplements and ended up spending around $1,400.

This just can't be right, stop trying to scare the 0L's. OP rent or get used books, you can always highlight over shit/type notes. Talk to 2L's and 3L's about supplements. Most will have shit lying around that they are willing to get rid of for free or at a very low cost to you.

5 classes per semester * $140 per class * 2 semesters = $1,400

How is this scaring anyone? And books routinely cost $140+ to rent.

OP's taking 5 doctrinal classes in one semester? We take 6 and one elective the entire year. Legal Research and writing require purchase of a blue book. 140 to rent is also pricey IMO.

[Londonbear]

First semester: buy used on amazon $1000+
Second semester: rent, around $500-$700
Third semester: buy old, resale on amazon (you can usually get a decent price on resale, so that it is cheaper than if you rent. Sometimes renting is just outrageous, see $140 to RENT. But you do run the risk of no one buying if there's a new edition)
After 3rd semester: school library's course reserves $0. Unbeatable.

[Poldy]

I bought all of my books new but compared the bookstore and Amazon for best prices. I didn't buy any supplements and ended up spending around $1,400.

This just can't be right, stop trying to scare the 0L's. OP rent or get used books, you can always highlight over shit/type notes. Talk to 2L's and 3L's about supplements. Most will have shit lying around that they are willing to get rid of for free or at a very low cost to you.

It is right if you buy all your books new. That also doesn't take into account resale (which you probably won't get much for anyway since new editions come out nearly every year.

[BigZuck]

We all need to stop being part of the problem and start becoming part of the solution. It's bad enough that we have to get taught by law professors but lets not keep lining the gilded pockets of those FAT CAT VAMPIRES any more than we already do. "Oh hey Torts prof, I see that you just put out a 7th Edition. Yeah sure, I'll buy that, teach me everything that has changed in the ever-evolving field of Proximate Cause since the 6th Edition that was published two years ago."

Just say "No" to buying new books if you can help it. Deal with someone else's highlighting if you have to, it's for the greater good.

[ND2018]

It really is criminal. New Edition Con Law: 250; Old Edition: 0. The only difference? (at least for con law I purposes). 1 case...