College textbooks are the biggest scam in the country.....

[ace23]

At my school, you can only do the homework (It's online) if you purchase the code that the campus store sells with the book. You can buy the code separately but it's obviously a better deal to buy the code with the book.

[IamRAMBO24]

Education is the largest monopoly in America. Prices can be inflated since there are no competition.

[BurningHammer]

Buy copies.

[9erempiree]

I understand there are sites that you can download the PDF version of the textbook. That is why used books are useless.

You need the online code to do assignments and it forces students to buy the book with a code.

My whole point is that codes are more valuable than the book itself. There is really no way around this.

I recommend students take a course depending on the cost of the textbook. It use to be about the class and instructor. Now students look at it as a cost.

[ALBballer]

I recommend students take a course depending on the cost of the textbook. It use to be about the class and instructor. Now students look at it as a cost.

Sure if you are attending a public school. But anyone attending a 50k/year type of school should be more worried about tier tuition than the $100-200 book.

Btw I agree OP. Books are a scam and thankfully I only had a few classes that required these online courses when I went for my undergrad.

[Tarik One]

It depends on how much course content is dependent on the access code. If there is enough work that can be done (term papers, midterm, take home assignments) that can amount to enough to get you an A or at least a B, then you can do without the code.