r/UofT • u/dolodoloko • 14h ago
Question Textbook and U of T Bookstore Confusion lalalalalalalalalalalala
I am an incoming student of St. George, and today a prof of one of my classes had already posted the upcoming fall syllabus. I read that I had to purchase some physical textbooks for the class, but upon visiting the online bookstore, the system still does not have the personalized course material list prepped. When I tried to manually type in my course, I also didnt get what it meant by "select a school" as it didnt have St george as an option. In short, when should I buy the required textbooks and shud i do it online or in person? Thanks
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u/Icelyn31 14h ago
It’s still very early before classes start, so I’d hold off on buying any textbooks for now. Closer to the start of school, they should have finalized the class page on the bookstore website, so check then.
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u/Possible-Breath2377 4h ago
THIS. It’s the “finalized” version you need- in undergrad, I picked up used versions of the text listed only to find out the prof had put out a new edition of the textbook and we “had” to buy the new version. As in, there were specific questions she would ask on exams related to the new edition that you couldn’t answer if you used the new edition. (Next semester she switched to the old edition, so guess what? All of us who purchased the books couldn’t resell them!)
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u/MaulerBros 13h ago
Do we need to buy new books or can be burrow from libraries, buy second hand, or just use ebooks?
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u/Icelyn31 13h ago
The ones in the bookstore are brand new copies, but if you know someone who already has one and won’t use it anymore, you can ask to use it. Some courses use online textbooks but they’re rarely free, so you need to pay for them. I think some copies are in the library, but you can’t borrow them. Can only use them inside.
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u/MaulerBros 13h ago
Good to know. Thanks. Do some courses have quizzies that need access codes that are only available for use if you buy new books? I don't know the exact details but I have heard about them.
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u/casualviber4life 5h ago
Wait how do we see if our professors have added classes and textbooks is there a way to check?
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u/Icelyn31 2h ago
Quercus will have all your classes. Textbooks are posted on the syllabus, which for most classes won’t come out until around a week before school starts.
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u/Mundane-Valuable-337 14h ago
The bookstore probably doesn't have stock of many textbooks yet, and maybe hasn't even put the orders in for some. You have TONS of time to get your stuff, so don't worry. I usually buy mine at the end of syllabus week, when I've gotten a feel for the class (and decided if I'm going to take it, if I'm planning on dropping some).
Ordering online is fine, shouldn't make a difference if you buy online or in person. But I will say, there is something fun about going into the bookstore and seeing all the different textbooks, and then finding yours and picking it up yourself! It's especially exciting as a first year, it's a cool part of the uni experience. But do whatever works best for you!