I have been trying to get one of my textbooks since the first week of school.
Every time I walk into the University Bookstore, the line is either out the door, or the book is out of stock. I have been frustrated time after time until I realized something. I have been doing well in the class for almost a month without the book. In fact, my professor hasn't mentioned it since the first day of class when he said it was required for the course.
That got me to thinking. How can a textbook be classified as required if it is never directly used in the coursework?
I understand that reading a textbook can aid in understanding material taught in class but if it is not directly used or referenced in class, it shouldn't be listed as required. If a professor wants to tell students about a textbook that will help them learn but is not immediately needed for success in the course it should be listed as supplemental.
The sad truth is college students barely have time for homework, let alone reading tedious chapters of textbooks. Professors need to realize that some students will never open a textbook if they aren't ever directly told to.
Another unfortunate truth is that the price of textbooks is absurd. It is not uncommon to spend upwards of $500 on textbooks for five courses. The price of textbooks needs to decrease, but that is a complicated topic for another time. Right now, let's focus on having professors comb more closely through their syllabi and make sure that all the textbooks they have listed under the required materials section are truly required.
School is expensive enough as it is, students don't need to pour more money into books they won't ever open. Maybe a few years ago textbooks were absolutely needed to learn material for a course, but now, in the age of such advanced technology, it is easy to access material from free sites or PowerPoints made by professors. I often find that textbooks explain concepts in a more complicated way than sources online or videos on YouTube.
The bottom line is that textbooks need to be more closely inspected by professors in relation to their coursework. If they aren't undeniably needed, list them as supplemental. To all the students out there on a tight budget like me, wait until after the first class or two of a course before deciding whether or not the textbook is needed. You will be surprised at how many "required" materials aren't used once.