With the start of the year, the topic on the minds of most students is paying for college. There is tuition, student fees and students are also expected to pay for textbooks. The average student pays more than $1,000 for college textbooks a year, and so the question arises: Are textbooks really worth the price, and how can they become more affordable? 

 The average textbook costs about $200 each, but Dylan Cogan, a junior studying business administration, said he believes textbooks are great to have. 

 Jesse Crane-Seeber, a teaching assistant professor of public and international affairs, said that while he can understand why other professors might want to use a textbook, he does not like to use them in his classroom. 

“They are an illusion of completeness,” Crane-Seeber said. “There is no real wisdom in textbooks, just a bunch of facts. It makes studying easier when there is a textbook to reference; the prices are a bit steep, but they’re worth the money.”

Cogan advised students to shop around and keep various options in mind, like hardcopies and eBooks; however, some professors dislike eBooks.

“Textbooks are a great reference to have. It’s nice to be able to have it available to flip back to for information,” Cogan said. “Yeah, the price is a little steep.” 

Crane-Seeber also describes textbooks as a scam because the manufacturers are making the majority of the money while the authors don’t see their fair portion of the profit. Publishers tend to push out new editions every year or two, forcing students to buy the newest edition of a text instead of being able to purchase a used book. 

“Students don’t take decent notes and they’re just reading another screen that does not stand out from whatever else they’re doing on the computer,” Crane-Seeber said. 

Students using laptops and tablets in class is worrisome, according to Crane-Seeber because it is difficult to know whether or not the student is paying attention or checking Facebook. 

Unfortunately, the high prices of textbooks can result in some students turning to illegal methods of obtaining the course material. Prices have increased by more than 800 percent in the last 35 years, according to Vocativ’s, an online newsource, article “Why College Students are Stealing Their Textbooks.” 

The price tag for college tuition can be a steep one when school fees, housing, meal plan and textbooks are added on.