Varsity Books: Should be Demoted to the JV Team
Written: Jul 28 '01
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The Bottom Line
Nope, head on over to bn.com, BigWords.com, or Amazon.com until Varsitybooks pulls itself togther.
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| Full Review |
For the past 2 years, I have sat in the financial gutter that is graduate studenthood. Still, I'm no chimp, and I figured out during my first semester that one should NEVER purchase their textbooks from the college bookstore. Especially at a private school. I have been buying books through on-line vendors ever since. In this review, I will discuss one vendor that has a great concept but still needs quite a bit of work to become a desirable option for students.
One of a few on-line bookstores that exclusively sell textbooks, Varsitybooks.com aims its focus on students who may not have a limitless book budget as supplied by family members or scholarships. This store also attempts to offer convenience of home delivery, hard-to-find textbooks, and a school-provided book list.
I used Varsitybooks.com about 18 months ago to order books. At that time, the available book list was thorough, prices were very reasonable, and shipping was quick. However, Varsitybooks.com has gone through some major changes in their site throughout the past year. I recently returned to evaluate the site.
The home page of Varsitybooks.com allows users to choose many methods of searching for textbooks. One can search by entering the title, author, USBN code, or key words. These searches yield accurate results of available titles; the searches are very sensitive to spelling and words included. However, Varsitybooks.com's real boast is the custom book search option. By clicking on your school's name (all colleges and universities are listed on the search page), you can find required book lists as posted by professors of the courses you plan on taking for the next semester. Though this is a fantastic way to order books before classes start, not enough schools currently participate in this service to make it efficient for students. I noticed quickly that my school, the University of Southern California, does not submit lists, nor does my alma mater UCLA. Clicking on several other schools in California, I could not find a single school that submits lists for even a single course. Perhaps lists for the fall just aren't ready yet (I will post updates if they appear), but with my classes at USC starting in 3 weeks, I wouldn't want to wait much later before purchasing books to be shipped.
I then set out to determine if books that are common to my major (physical therapy) are available through this service:
Search #1-Principles of Neuroscience (Kendall)
This text is used throughout the medical and physical therapy communities, as well as in physiology and neuroscience courses. This book can be found in just about any medical library or bookstore. Available on Varsitybooks.com? No, not in any edition.
Search #2-Gray's Anatomy
Considered the utmost atlas of human anatomy for a century, this text is still used in most human anatomy programs in the United States. Available on Varsitybooks.com? Sort of. In stock are a $400 1901 version of the book and a $200 special United Kingdom version. The standard, run-of-the-mill current American version? On order.
Search #3-Anything involving goniometry (the technique physical therapists use to measure range-of-motion). All therapists employ goniometry, and many books serve as guides. Available on Varsitybooks.com? 1 book with computerized demonstrations, $200, that I had never heard of. Might be cool, but it is completely unaffordable for graduate students. The standard texts were not listed.
I searched through more general listings of history and french texts, just to discover that the vast majority of texts are listed as "on order". You can supply Varsitybooks.com with your email address, and they will email you when they receive a shipment of the text. However, they provide no estimate as to when they might receive this order-it may be too late for your needs. Especially for students working in the quarter system, who can afford to go through 1 or 2 weeks without textbooks?
Unlike other textbooks stores and bn.com, Varsitybooks.com does not sell used books. Too bad, as this would be an attraction for most of my cohorts. I would at least appreciate the option to compare prices for used and new books. Like most students, I am not too concerned with a few highlighted phrases or notes in the borders filled in by a student before me. The chance to buy used and save some bucks should be included in any textbook store.
Shipping times were consistent with other bookstores. UPS ground shipping takes 3-5 business days to reach your home; orders ship within 1 day of order placement. However, the shipping fees seem a bit steep: the price for ground shipping is $3.95 plus 3% of your order total. You may return a book within 45 days of purchase as long as its condition is resellable.
For the time being, Varsitybooks.com does not meet the needs of my colleagues and I. I would guess that most students would be better off using a major book vendor such as Amazon or bn.com.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dequebec
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Member: Jennifer
Location: los angeles, CA
Reviews written: 131
Trusted by: 118 members
About Me:
No longer an editor, thanks a bunch Nirav.
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