How to save up on books: Tips, tricks and techniques for college students
Disclaimer: The tips I have here are some that I have learned from various people and some I tricks that I did on my own as a college student before.
We all know that college is expensive, and with the addition of books and some other school supplies is going to really put a dent on your allowance, and parent’s accounts. So I have some tips to show and tell you that can help you save up in college.
Let us first start with the first week of college usually by this week some professors already give you a list or suggestion of books that they use and is best to use for a particular subject. Sometimes they are already available at your school’s bookstore, and as for the main books, they are usually bought at bookstores (National Bookstore, Powerbooks, etc.) or at publishing houses which always costs a lot of money.
By experience I have books that range from 750Php - roughly 5,000Php. In this case I end up telling my parents the amount of the books and before I even realized it, we could’ve used the money for something more or it can be my allowance for days/weeks. So for the first week in college, these steps are important in my tips,I listed it down in bullets so that you can easily follow and choose for different alternatives
- The first thing that you need to consider is, do you really need to buy the book?Is it a major subject or a board exam subject? Is it required by my professor to buy the original one? If yes, I recommend to just go ahead and buy the book but if NO, continue to the next step.
- If you answered NO for the first step, I suggest you to check if the book is available in the library or if you can buy a used/secondhand one from the previous batch and ASK them to lower down the price. Check the condition of the book if anything is highlighted, written, and if there are torn/missing pages.
- If the book is available in the library, borrow the book and photocopy the first few chapters, or check your syllabus on the topics you will be discussing until midterms. For this, I suggest that you have it photocopied elsewhere with good paper quality and in back-to-back. After this, you can have it binded (I suggest the ring bind one--like a notebook so you can easily flip the pages, and add an acetate for the front cover).
- The next alternative that I can suggest if you can’t find it in the library or no one sells that book--try searching for a pdf online especially if it is an international edition for the book, or maybe your classmate/upperclassmen already have one. If you can find a copy, then great! We are now on our way to the things that helped me lighten my bag and save money.
So, you probably read the entire enchilada above and found a pdf online through torrent or some sites. Now here comes the best part, you would have to go and use Adobe Reader and print it out in booklet if you are RICH, but then, we have photocopy and printing services for that.
Back to my college days, I actually found most of my major subject books online especially those that are part of the board examination so what did I do instead of reading it on a tablet or laptop?--I actually had it printed. I went to UP Shopping Center in Diliman, and you can find some of the cheapest printing service that cost about 1Php. After choosing the place for my book to be printed, you should make sure that you saved your file in a USB and have a staff check how many pages there are. When it comes to this part, I usually ask the them to print out the:
1. Cover page
2. Table of Contents
3. Chapters 1 - Last
4. Glossary (optional)
Indicate the pages for each section (1-4), and give them these instructions or format for printing:
- Ask them to print it out 2 pages per bond paper, back-to-back and in booklet and make sure that after it is cut the pages are in the right order.
Ultimately, the size will be in a notebook size with smaller fonts like this:
The printing may take awhile but since it is a printing service, they can actually finish it within that day. Aside from that, after everything is printed, divide the chapters into two notebooks.
Then for the next step, you can ask them for a ring bind, acetate front cover, and a colored paper for the back. All in all, the 2 books that I had printed which resulted to 2 notebooks each costs 1, 250Php compared to the original cost of 2 original books which costs almost 3,000-4,000Php. I saved more than half the amount.
This technique is best for those who have pdf files and prefer to read it on a printed sheet. One problem you might encounter is that, I printed mine in black-white or gray scale and so some pictures for diagrams may not be visible. For this dilemma, I just open my phone’s pdf reader or tablet to clearly see the diagram; but all in all this really help since it is particularly small/compact and saved me a lot of cash.
Another thing that I just decided my brother to do if you have a photocopy or an original book which is small, you can have it photocopied with 2 pages per sheet of bond paper and not back-to-back (or if you want, you can also change this if you want). The reason not to have it back-to-back is so that he can use the back of the page as a notebook/for notes to save up space on his table during lessons. And it looks like this:
This technique is very useful for those who prefer to work with less clutter in a small table; and just like what I did, he also had it ring bound, front cover with acetate & colored sheet, and another colored sheet at the back. And since the book is pretty thick he decided to divide the book into four and wrote a number below the front cove like this:
So that’s all for now, I hope this can help you and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me about this. Happy reading and saving dear college students! Study well and good luck on all your endeavors. This is Isabelle, signing out!
Let’s face it! The best place to study is at our own homes which includes the coziest amenities like your bed, unlimited free wifi, the oh so comfortable couch, the television, the refrigerator, shower and all that jazz. But in reality, we don’t exactly get much studying or work done. I am not saying that this applies to all but for me, this often happens and so I tried different methods like the Pomodoro technique, voice recording of lectures, note cards, and goal study plan. These methods actually work for some, and it does for me especially the Pomodoro and the voice recording of lectures that I play on repeat, but I will be talking about this in another blog. So back to the main topic, aside from these techniques I also found out that changing the setting or the environment where I study is particularly important as it enhance my chances of focusing on my studies or work, and so I present to you the places that I found conducive for studying here in Quezon City in no particular order.
1. Starbucks (#24 Matalino St., Quezon City - Behind Quezon City Hall)
Everyone knows Starbucks, but for me I really do appreciate this place. The coffee place itself is spacious with enough parking space and security. And in addition to this, I like the fact that the area’s environment is that of a professional kind or ambiance. Let me expound that–the people who go to this particular Starbucks are lawyers, doctors, government employees, nurses, “studious” college students (usually from UP), law students, medical students, businessmen and clients. Basically, when you enter the place, you don’t see a lot of people who are just chatting away their time. The place is honestly a “library” or “study hall” for students and professionals, that the people who come to this place to just chill is seriously out of their minds (just my opinion). In addition to all this, the best time to go there is around 6:30am till around 11am, but if it gets later than that you’ll probably have a difficult time looking for a perfect spot to do your work.
Along with this, the place has free wifi which is good for two hours, a clean restroom, a smoking area at the back, accommodating staff, the additional condiment area which always have shakers filled with vanilla, nutmeg, chocolate powder and cinnamon (I always add some to my drink - don’t judge!).
TIPS:
My tips in going to this place; bring a hoodie or jacket since the air-conditioning in this area is pretty intense (seriously!), and for the best spot to study is the couch near the door or the one at the far end. Those spots have outlets, and the one near the door is not too cold and not to warm (hahaha!), and also the security guard can always watch closely of my things when I need to pee or something (oops!).
I almost forgot, this place is open from 6:30am - 2:00am.
See photos here: https://www.zomato.com/photos/pv-res-6307735-u_ODkzMzkwMzU2ND
2. Quezon City Library (Quezon City Hall Compund - Just ask around)
The second place I want to recommend but rarely go to is the public library due to some cons that I experienced along the way, but is still a great place after being renovated. Let’s first start with the location and the time it opens; the place opens at 8am and is free which is a great thing but for me, I prefer to study at an earlier time rather than at a later period. Going back to the topic–as you enter, the guards will ask you to sign-in and leave your belongings at the baggage counter, give you your baggage number, sign-in and give you a sheet of paper to list all the books and gadgets that you will be taking inside, and then they will give you small clear plastic envelope to place your things which is not exactly useful.
Finally, after the hassle since you can’t bring your bag inside, you will carry your things and look for a place to study. The library itself is not the National Library but you can easily find a spot. The amenities inside are the usual ones you can find in your school library but if you are there for research, I highly doubt that you can find a proper book inside for additional materials. Moving on, since I brought my laptop with me I was not able to use their computers that is for free and know if there is a limited amount of time to use them.
After all that enchilada and some time, I encountered a problem--I forgot to charge my laptop at home, so I plugged in my laptop to an outlet. That’s when I found out a crucial thing which they failed to inform me. I actually have to pay 20pesos for every hour that I plug in my laptop, and they asked me to pay at the information or concierge thing. Another problem I encountered is that they were actually only operating until 12nn that day for inventory which they did not post on their website, and so I ended up leaving early and going to Starbucks.
TIPS:
First, I can say that this place can be good if you are only going to study with your notes and books, and plan to save money for food. You can pack your own lunch and put it inside you bag or eat at their cafeteria. Second, I highly recommend not bringing too much valuables that you can’t carry along with your books since you can’t bring your bag inside. Third, the internet connection is really slow so don’t expect a fast connection for any wifi service. Fourth, better contact the library a day before or around 8am and ask if they will be open the entire day since I experienced an unannounced inventory that day. And lastly, if you really need to plug in your laptop be prepared to pay for 20pesos every hour or just charge it earlier at home.
The library is open from 8am - 5pm (Weekdays) and 8am - 4pm (Saturday).
This is one of the places to go if you are to go all out for studying and thesis. It actually offers the “Filipino College Student Essentials”. So first I will start with the services they offer; the place is particularly conducive for serious students who are in it for studying and not just a place to chill. They have free Fiber wifi, unlimited coffee & juice, tons of power outlets, napping services. It is also the best choice for overnight thesis work or exam review, but of course you have to pay for it. The rates start at 70pesos per hour and 350pesos per day. They open at 12nn - 7am, which is one of the cons I found since I prefer to study early in the morning but all in all, I like the place. The cafe is a unique concept which is highly recommended for college students and so I hope they open more branches soon.
In addition to the inclusive services, they also offer shower services with shower kit (100pesos), locker services (40/day, 200/week & 700/month), meeting room (400/hr for 8pax), printing services (b/w starts at 3pesos & colored starts at 8pesos), and most importantly, FOOD which starts at 130pesos for a filling meal.
TIPS:
If you liked the place for the first visit and ultimately fell inlove with the place, you can just opt to apply for a monthly membership worth 2,500pesos per month (subject to change - check their Facebook page). Also, the best thing in this place is that if ever you tend to doze off too much, you can ask the staff for a wake-up call.
By the way if you are going to bring any food there is a corkage fee and for any questions you can contact them easily through Facebook messenger (they reply immediately). Lastly, the best time to go there is not during your finals week of exam week since there will be a splurge of people. But do come at 12nn when they open.
This is one of my favorite places since I get to eat breakfast menus any time of the day. The place is particularly small and not many people often come. I also love the homey purple couch they have, and if ever you need to meet up with my friends or anything, the place is already in one of the food places to be–Tomas Morato.
This cafe is small but you can make the most out of it. They have very accommodating staff and a clean restroom (the most important thing). Aside from that the place gets particularly cold in the evening so I suggest bringing a hoodie or shawl. For internet service or the wifi; the internet connection is pretty good and I have not experienced any problem so far. As for the coffee, it is not the best but it works in waking you up. The pasta selection that they have is actually really great and they also have some desserts though at times they only have one or two kinds.
TIPS:
Try the Chicken BBQ Skewers. The one they served me is not fatty and the rice is cooked really well. I think it costs around 200pesos. For pasta, try the Arrabiata, Pasta a la Carlo (a bit spicy and I think this is the expensive one), or the seafood one that they have (I forgot the name since they recommended it to me but it was not on the menu).
Lastly, if ever you crave for some Korean BBQ there’s one behind Figaro.
The place opens at 7am - 12midnight (Weekdays) and 7am - 10pm (Weekends).
5. Burger King (Matalino St, Quezon City - Near Mercury Drug Store)
Sometimes, I really try to stay away from coffee and tend to crave burgers especially from this one and so I sometimes go to this place. This Burger King location is pretty conducive for me in studying since the place is brightly lit and good for the days when I just can’t handle dim lights and when I am tired to the bone. But let me just remind you that the place is a fastfood chain and there will definitely be loud noise or chatting so bring your earphones or headphones. They open early in the morning (not sure of the time) and close at around 10pm (I think).
Not to worry, they won’t call your attention for staying the entire day but you still have to order every now end then like, breakfast, lunch, snack/dinner or atleast two meals. They have rice meals like chicken, so burger is not always the choice.
TIPS:
They do not have the usual outlets but the USB type ones so I guess the place is a whole lot better when you need to review using your notes, books or tablet. I am not sure about the wifi but I think they do have. Aside from that, guard your belongings with your life, and the crew is not as courteous as cafe staffs or library employees so just ignore or complain to the manager about some catcalling incidents and frighten them with the Catcalling fine (hahahaha).
So there you have it, the five places I recommend to go to when you need to get some work or studying done. I still have some places to recommend but I need to go back and try the place twice or three times before I give my verdict. As of now I am currently in the process of reviewing and going to some places in Tomas Morato and the newly built Starbucks at Vertis North. Up next in my blog are the best study techniques that I have tried and tested and those that I am still currently using till now.
Thank you for reading! Study well and continue to stay focused. Remember that success follows as hardwork perseveres. This is Isabelle, signing out!
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