ATAR Notes: Forum

Uni Stuff => Universities - Victoria => University of Melbourne => Topic started by: Stick on January 21, 2014, 10:40:52 pm

Title: Textbook pdfs
Post by: Stick on January 21, 2014, 10:40:52 pm
Do university textbooks tend to come with a pdf version when we purchase them?
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: pi on January 21, 2014, 10:53:04 pm
Do university textbooks tend to come with a pdf version when we purchase them?

Some do, some don't. Many Health Sci ones come with a code for web-access (eg. StudentConsult) instead of a pdf.

Many pdf's can be found if you look in the right corners of the internet though ;)
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: ~T on January 21, 2014, 10:58:07 pm
I've purchased a few of my textbooks as PDFs already.



*cough*
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: scribble on January 21, 2014, 11:09:38 pm
i will bow down to whoever finds an ecopy of the first year bio textbook. i swear it's impossible.
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: slothpomba on January 22, 2014, 05:47:48 am
Its fairly rare for books to come with CD's anymore. As Pi pointed out, many books do come with a scratch off code (only valid for a year) inside that allows you access to their website, including a PDF copy. This applies to some books, in particular science ones but definitely not all books. There are a fair few floating around the internet as well. While i'm here, i might as well plug http://www.booko.com.au for looking for books.
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: Stick on January 22, 2014, 03:50:10 pm
Alright, thanks. The reason I ask is that I'd much rather take a tablet to university with all the textbooks on it than lug around all these textbooks myself.
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: Russ on January 22, 2014, 03:50:47 pm
You don't need to take textbooks to uni, just leave them at home
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: Stick on January 22, 2014, 03:52:18 pm
Oh, whoops. :S
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: pi on January 22, 2014, 03:53:42 pm
You don't need to take textbooks to uni, just leave them at home

+1, pretty rare for anyone to bring anything other than a small textbook (eg. Netter's Clinical Anatomy) to uni.

When you need them go to your library, should have multiple copies.
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: b^3 on January 22, 2014, 05:10:47 pm
You don't need to take textbooks to uni, just leave them at home
A lot of Jaffys go out and buy all the textbooks on the list in first semester. You're not always going to need them tbh. A lot of mine have ended up as really expensive paperweights, a pile as a stand for a desktop monitor or to prop up a laptop to help with cooling problems. Sometimes they'll put that 'access code' thing to try and get you to buy them, just for you to realise that the extra tests and such that you get with the access code won't actually be needed for the course.

After you've done first sem or though if you're not using the majority of your textbooks then maybe wait until the first lecture or so to find out if you're really going to need them or not. I have a lot of expensive paperweights sitting on my desk at the moment...

EDIT: 3333rd post.
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: LeviLamp on January 22, 2014, 05:31:35 pm
Some textbooks are definitely worth buying, though, and the language textbooks in particular are pretty much necessary.
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: Dismounted on January 22, 2014, 06:10:49 pm
Some textbooks are definitely worth buying, though, and the language textbooks in particular are pretty much necessary.
Yep. I found my first year Physics and Biology textbooks invaluable - though maybe I should've paid more attention in lectures...
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: b^3 on January 22, 2014, 06:11:49 pm
Some textbooks are definitely worth buying, though, and the language textbooks in particular are pretty much necessary.
Yeah, I'm not saying don't buy any, rather work out which ones are the ones that are worth buying.
Title: Re: Textbook pdfs
Post by: Starlight on January 22, 2014, 06:27:56 pm
i will bow down to whoever finds an ecopy of the first year bio textbook. i swear it's impossible.

Don't forget about the libraries! I had a book for about 10 weeks because I kept renewing it.