Last-minute textbook change

[bibliophile222]

Grrr, I'm a little peeved right now. Less than two weeks before classes start and I get an email that one of the required textbooks that will be used in two different courses has a newer edition than the one on the textbook list and now we have to get the new one and can't use the old one.

I imagine that at least a decent chunk of the cohort has, like me, already purchased the older edition, and it just seems like it's way too close to the beginning of the semester to make these changes, especially since the new textbook is $120 on Amazon (let alone at the school bookstore).

Does this happen often? If so I will try to restrain my enthusiasm in the future and wait to buy, which I don't like since I want my books in my possession as soon as possible (partly so I'm prepared, partly so I can lovingly caress them). ?

[Warelin]

I think the rule I've always been taught is to never buy a book prior to the first week of classes. Sometimes, books aren't required and are optional. Sometimes, professors forget to remove certain books or were just placeholders. Sometimes, they get a spark during the summer and change the direction of the course. Sometimes, the bookstore requires that they have a booklist ready by a certain time and are pressured to hand in everything earlier than expected. Sometimes, it isn't the professor's choice on which books are required depending on how much control the university/department has on that specific course.

[BabyScientist]

Could you return the older version? Maybe rent the new version to offset the cost? Sometimes school libraries have reserves of certain textbooks? 

[bibliophile222]

Yeah, hopefully I can return it (got it through a 3rd party seller on Amazon a few weeks ago and have thrown out the original paperwork). I'm planning on keeping all my relevant books so would prefer not to rent/use library, but it would probably be a good idea to check out the new edition and see just how different it is from the old one. 

I guess I was just surprised because my program is a 2-year MS with a cohort and a set curriculum, basically all core courses that everyone takes at the same time, so it seemed like books, etc would be more set in stone. Oh well, live and learn.