Need somewhere to vent & ask for help...

I can't afford to get the 300$ textbook I need for my course. I seriously have to drop the class (and pay for it out of pocket, $1,329.00) or fail the class completely and still pay for it. I rented the book from amazon, but I need the online course access that only comes from a new copy. I can buy just online access for $118. I need the online access to do all my assignments.

The textbook is Gardner's Art through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume II, 14th Edition. Amazon says you can rent it with the access code. Which is what I did, and it cost me $25. Well, I got the book and had to contact customer support only to find out used books don't come with access codes. I've looked EVERYWHERE for an access code, and it's not the kind of thing you can share with other people, like so many people do with textbooks. I don't know what to do. I can't afford anything, I have financial aid in order to attend school but they tell me that they don't cover physical textbooks. The other issue is that I go to an online school. So I can't go into their offices or anything or talk to anyone in person or cry at them lol. I've been going here for the past 6 months and financial aid has covered all my textbooks because they've been ebooks. So i've never had a problem until now. Can someone offer me some kind of advice? Any bookstores you know of that would have the book/access code for cheap? Any grants/scholarships you know of? Any idea on how to drop a class without paying full price out of pocket? Anything would help!

Oh god. What a crock of shit. :( College is seriously such a money grab now. When did your semester start? Where I live (Canada), if you a drop a course before a certain percentage of the course is complete (I think it's between 0%-15%, about two weeks roughly!) you get 90% of your tuition back. Hopefully there's a similar system where you go. :(

College is such a money sucker. Idk if either of these two ideas will work, but it doesn't hurt to suggest them.

My first thought is if there were any off-campus book stores around? I'm not sure how possible that is with you attending an online school, but if they still expect you to purchase a physical book with an access code, there has to be some options of where to get it from, right? (Could be wrong.) From my experience, I avoided the on-campus bookstore like the plague due to the prices and went to a nearby off-campus store instead when I needed a textbook that I couldn't just get online or through Chegg.

My second thought is to e-mail your professor, or potential future professor. Let him/her know your scenario. Sometimes professors have ideas of where else to purchase their required texts or access codes for better prices.

Otherwise, I agree with . At the college I attended in the U.S., if you dropped a course by the latest one week after classes begin, you would get a 100% tuition adjustment (I just double-checked to make sure!) If you dropped a class three weeks after the semester had begun, you would get a 50% tuition adjustment. It might not hurt to double check and see if your school offers similar!

Good luck with everything, and be sure to keep us posted. I hope you get this resolved in your favor!

Is there perhaps like a social media group for your college, or maybe an ad you can put out asking if anyone has the book and can lend it to you, or sell it to you for a cheaper price?

I also second emailing your professor and letting them know your situation. They're people too, and I'm sure they'll understand and hopefully can help point you in the right direction.

Unfortunately I don't have any advice, but I came to commiserate with you; my Spanish textbook pulled this on me too. I got a rented copy through the university book store. It SPECIFICALLY said looseleaf + access code. But no. I had to return it and buy a new copy. Luckily that was an option for me, so it was just a headache instead of a budget breaker.

Best of luck!

I wouldn't want you to get jousted out of a class for something that really isn't in your control. Is there any way you could borrow the money for that textbook at a bank? I know I always see emails that have people that are able to loan you the money. If there is someone you know of that can loan you the money, then ask them for help. As long as you pay them back you should be golden. I also found out later in a class where I needed the access code that apparently the ebook comes with an access code and it was cheaper than buying the physical code, so that may be another route for you. My tuition didn't cover all of my school costs for this year, so I'm making payments out of pocket. I really can't afford doing that and my parents are the reason that I have to pay because their income is high but they don't want to contribute to any of my school fees. College sucks ass but hopefully it will pay out in the end. Keep fighting, don't give up and drop a class. I have NEVER dropped, it's a waste of time and money. It will only cost you more in the end, I think you have that part figured out though.

I'm not sure about access codes but look into BookRenter.com. I rented a few text books from BookRenter.com and saved a few hundred dollars. They even give you the ability to ship the books back for free. Just save the box they were shipped in. I've heard of some other sites you can rent books from, so try googling them. I hope you're able to get the access code.

I did my own search and came across a site called Chegg Books. You can rent it as an ebook. Here is the link Chegg Books. It does say there's no guarantee it will come with an access code but I would think if you rent it as an ebook, it would? I hope that helps

As for dropping, I'm not entirely sure. I know at my college you would get a percentage back within a certain date of you dropping it but it depends on the school. You would have to get a hold of either the Business Office or the Registrar's Office or you Financial Aid Office

I'm not sure it's feasible, but definitely check to see if there's any social media groups available for the class and that someone would be willing to allow you to share the code or use their code if it's possible or can you get the textbook via a local library for check-out?

I rented through my campus bookstore because it was a lot cheaper and since my textbooks were new there were no used copies available which was a lot cheaper so you can see if that's an option. Otherwise, and I'm not sure how feasible this is for an on-line course, but check local book stores/used textbook stores as some of them do sell older copies of textbooks for cheap.

I'd recommend talking to your professor. In my experience most professors are willing to work with you if you just give them your situation.