As the spring semester ends, with summer classes soon to follow, students are tasked with deciding
whether they prefer to rent or buy their textbooks for the semester ahead.

With pros and cons to both renting and buying it is up to each individual student to weigh their options
and decide what is best for them. The decision may be made easier by hearing other people’s take on
the topic.

“Renting gets my vote, it’ll always save you a bit of money,” said Gregory Tierney, CF’s bookstore
manager.

According to Tierney, the exact amount of savings depends on the type of material you are going to be
renting. For example, whether a book is new, used, or digital are all factors taken into account when it
comes to pricing.

“The average savings when renting a book vs. buying would be about 25-30 percent”, says Tierney, “If
the student opted to rent a copy in the digital form it could increase the savings from 50-60 percent.”

There are students at CF who seem to share this same point of view when it comes to this renting vs.
buying debate.

“I would rather rent them,” says Arian Thomas, a CF student, “It’s a lot cheaper than buying and it
provides more opportunities for others to rent textbooks once you return them.”

Renting a textbook means it will have to be returned at the end of the semester. According to Tierney,
there is a grace period after the date the rental is due. However, if the book does not end up being
returned the student will be charged for a replacement.

On the other hand, students can opt to buy the textbooks for their classes. With this option returning a
book is not necessary.

“I normally buy, because I can write notes in them” ,says Julianette Rodriguez Perez, a current student at
CF.

Moreover, Perez raises the point that when students buy a textbook they can continue to use it down
the road, such as when a current class covers topics from old textbooks.

Whichever stance students decide on, there are some important pieces of information to consider
before summer classes begin.

“Buy or rent your textbooks during the first two weeks before class, don’t wait until the first day,” says
Tierney.

Lastly, Teirney suggests that students stay updated on important financial aid dates ( Financial aid ), as
well as filling out a bookstore authorization form located in MyCF under the financial aid tab ( Financial
aid ).

Whether students decide to rent or buy, you can take any concerns or questions you may have to
bookstore employees. The phone number for CF’s bookstore is 352-291-4470.

“If you have questions please ask,” says Tierney, “Our booksellers will do their best to make sure students have the information to make the best buying decisions.”