When you think about university, you probably think about drowning in expenses..

 

Tuition

 

Residence fees or rent

 

TEXTBOOKS.

 

These are all things you spend money on in university. However, if someone would have told me I could get through a semester without buying a textbooks.. Well, that would have saved me a lot of money!

Now, just as a disclaimer, this might not work for everyone depending on the university you go to, or the type of classes you take.  What this will do for everyone is give you some tips to not relying so heavily on the textbook.

 

My freshman year at university I bought all the books right off the bat! I was always told you NEED the textbooks, that you WON’T survive a class without reading the textbook, make sure you READ IT FRONT TO BACK or else you’ll fail the class.

 

I was out a lot of money that year because I didn’t use a single one of my textbooks!

 

If you’re wondering why I made the conscious choice to not utilize my textbooks it is because..

 

1. I didn’t have the time

 

My day was already jam packed with classes.  I wondered when I would have the time to read the book.  I mean, I went to class, studied, did research for projects, had essays to write, when in the heck was I supposed to find the time to read the textbook?  I already had a pretty good system going and felt like I was retaining enough information from class that I would do fine on the tests.  So, I decided I wasn’t going to use my book for the first test and if I got a horrible mark then I would start reading the book.

 

2. The professor already overloaded my brain with information

 

I’m a student who goes to Every. Single. Class. without question. In my opinion, if you are paying thousands of dollars for something you might as well attend that class.  Also, when I say I attended every class I don’t mean that I merely showed up and put in my time.  I mean, I went to each class with my notebook or laptop, highlighters, and already prepared class notes. I did not stop writing or typing until class was over.  In my experience, professors don’t say something unless it is important.  They are busy people with demanding jobs, they make their time count wherever they go.  My rule is, if it’s important enough for the professor to cover in class, it is important enough to be on the test.  They normally won’t say something just for the fun of it and then not put it on the test.  Like I said, they are busy people.

 

3. I had no clue how to really use/read my textbooks

 

My freshman year I was so overwhelmed with trying to figure out how my classes worked, how to take notes, how to write a solid university paper that figuring out how to use the textbook just wasn’t an option for me.  Although this post is about not using a textbook I strongly believe having the ability to utilize one is a skill.  Still to this day, a third year university student, I do not possess this skill.  It takes time and effort to learn and in the midst of learning how to adult I guess I failed to acquire this skill.

 

My main reasons for not using the textbook did not stop me from receiving all A’s this past semester.  Instead, I learned alternative methods to get the grades I wanted without having to use the textbook.  If you want to save hundreds of dollars on textbooks and still get achieve an awesome GPA the following tips could potentially help you.

Go to Every Class

Just about anyone you talk to will tell you that your profs don’t care if you go to class.  This gives people a sense of freedom, thinking they can pick and choose which classes they attend.  Although this might be true, if you choose to skip out, it is at the cost of your own grades.  Oh, and don’t forget that you are paying for that class you are taking, you better get your money’s worth.  Going to every class will help you not only gather necessary information, it will allow you to pick up on the professor’s teaching style.  If you can learn to pick out what your prof believes to be important, perhaps he/she emphasizes certain material, or actually gives you hints as to what might be on the test, then you are about 10 steps ahead of everyone who is still in bed.

 

Going to every class might sound daunting but it is necessary if you want to get through without reading the book.  Going to each and every class has more benefits than that though, one of the most obvious is that… you learn the material better!  When you read through your textbook that’s all it really is.. READING.. Having a professor stand up in front of you explaining the content is truly priceless.  I personally have come to find that when going over my notes while studying I come across a tremendous amount of content that I just remember from class.  Content that I can remember hearing, remember seeing the profs actions, and remember viewing pictures on the topic while in class.  This content is much much much easier to retain for a test!

 

If those reasons have not yet convinced you, ask yourself this…

 

Are there really any negatives to actually showing up to class?

 

Prepare your notes ahead of time

You probably think I’m crazy for this one.  You’re probably asking questions like: what if the prof doesn’t go over that? What if that really isn’t important? How much time does that take?

 

The majority of university professors post their lecture material online before class.  They do this for two reasons 1. They are busy people and need to get the content up before class so they do not forget 2. They want to you review the material before class.

 

Use this to your advantage!

 

If the material is up on a server before class, print the notes out, or better yet, write the notes out by hand. That way, when you get to class taking notes will be much easier because they are pretty much done! This is time consuming, but not more than it takes to go over your notes while studying.  Here, to break it down even more I will tell you EXACTLY what I do..

 

• I check the student server to see if my prof posted lecture material

 

• I write out or print off the notes, depending on the time I have

 

• I read through the notes at least once before class.  Doing this gives me an idea of what the lecture will be about.  BAM, one study session already done.

 

• While in class I write additional information the prof is saying beside the printed out/handwritten notes.  If he/she is saying it in class, it’s important.  This is the biggest key to getting all A’s without the textbook! The additional info the prof gives you is the information that would be in the textbook just worded differently.  I try my hardest to make sure my additional notes are in my own words because that way it is much easier to remember.  As I take notes beside my prepared notes I take mental note of key things in each point.  This is amazingly helpful when studying because I can remember back to class and I almost never forget the stuff I wrote down in class!  BAM, I’ve gone over the notes once more, by just sitting in class!

 

• I arrive at my next class usually with about 5 minutes to spare before the professor start lecturing and I read over my notes again to solidify everything the prof just went over.  BAM, I’ve gone over the notes 3 times by this point!

 

• Each day, morning or night, I skim over my notes and usually only focus on the stuff I wrote down in class because it is WAYYY easier to remember.  About 5-10 days before the test I start to really study, this is when I go over my originally prepared notes, at this point all the information starts to piece together, I google information if I need more of an explanation and write down what I found on the same sheet of paper I that I have my prepared notes and class notes on.  I go over the information each day and say it back to myself in my own words, but I NEVER memorize! I simply try my best to make sense of all the information.

 

There you go, a breakdown of what I do!

 

Become a pro at taking notes

This is featured in the above heading but it is so important I will go over it again!

 

In my opinion, the most important thing about taking notes is picking out the important information! Nevermind, pretty, colorful notes, those are pointless unless you have appropriate information within all that beauty.

 

Make sure to read the above heading otherwise this step won’t make much sense.

 

When preparing notes before class from the uploaded lecture material to the student server don’t write down every word.

 

I suggest reading the slide, then putting it in your own words.  You will remember this better when it’s time for class and your prof is lecturing. You will recall what he/she is talking about in the notes you took before class, and then everything he/she says in class will enhance your understanding.  Slowly, information will come together piece by piece, and you will understand the material, rather than having to memorize it.

 

Use library resources

You will most likely be spending a lot of time in the library so might as well take advantage of the resources in there.  University libraries are stocked full of relevant material year, and there is a good chance your textbook is part of that stock.  This is especially true for history and english courses!

 

Even if you can’t find your textbook in the library there will absolutely be some helpful resources.  Just ask your school’s librarian if you need some help finding something, they devote tons of time to going through all the content they bring in.  

 

Oh, and don’t forget about those research databases.  Scholarly articles are a great way to find accurate information on a topic.

 

If buying the book isn’t an option for you, or you want to see if you can get through without it make sure to at least find out the authors and contributor of the text.  This way, you can type those names into a database and find articles that will be in the text.. but you get the information for free this way!

 

Google your way to great grades

Not everything you read on the internet is true. However, if you can pick out accurate information you are golden!

 

There is loads of information out there about any topic you can imagine, and chances are if you have a question, someone else has already thought of it and the answer is somewhere on the internet.

 

I always say if you learn to use the resources you do have, you can get through university without initially knowing anything about a topic.

 

Google is just one of those awesome resources I am talking about.

 

If you were completely lost during lecture try googling a video on the topic, I’m sure you will find one that helps.  

 

If you want to get through a math class without the textbook just google practice questions and explanations.  Although it seems a little juvenile, Khan’s academy helped me tremendously in both my statistics and algebra classes!

 

Can you think of a textbook that has as much information and different ways of explaining it than google?

 

I don’t think so!

 

It really is an awesome resource.

 

Understand the material, don’t memorize

This all starts with showing up to class.

 

By showing up to class you have the opportunity to ask questions to the professor in person.  If you still don’t get it after that, make an appointment with the prof during his or her office hours.  Professors aren’t all that bad, most do want you to succeed and by asking questions they know you are putting in the work to understand the material.  This can be extremely beneficial!

 

Why is understanding so much better than memorizing?

 

I mean, a lot of the information you learn in university will never actually help you in life…

 

The reason I try my absolute hardest to understand and not just memorize is because it makes me 99% more confident going into a test situation.  In university the test questions are not always straight forward, they require critical thinking which comes easily if you understand the content.

 

Also, understanding the material takes far less time than memorizing does.  When you try to understand the material it gives meaning to facts, statistics, information that was meaningless to you before.  Memorizing gives no meaning to information, making it much more difficult to retain and harder to write a test on.

 

Make practice exams

There is a large number of my uni friends who purchase the textbook for the practice tests at the end of the chapters because they have heard the prof asks similar questions.

 

This is so crazy to me when you can make yourself a practice test that REALLYYY helps you come test time.

 

Before this year I never made practice exams myself.  It wasn’t until one of my profs suggested it to me actually.

 

Now, I make practice exams for every class!

 

I do this by making up my own questions from my notes, ensuring I include all information the prof emphasized.  Then, I google example exam questions about the subject and get tons of results!

 

By asking myself questions, I am mimicking a testing situation.  This forces me to THINK about the information, opposed to just memorizing sentences from my notes.

 

Come test time I feel way more prepared because it is like I have already written 10 exams on the topic!

 

Adopt the personality of your prof

Ask graduate students what their experience has been with other prof and take all the tips they give you! Ask how they test, what their style is, and if there are trick questions.

 

Go talk to your prof in person, there is nothing wrong with asking the format of the test.

 

Some questions you can ask yourself to guide your thinking are..

 

• What did the prof put a huge emphasis on?

Okay, that will probably be a long answer.  

 

 

• What were the things you barely touched base on?

Know those, but they will probably be short answer or multiple choice!

 

Learn to think like your prof.

 

• Is your prof a mean one who likes to see students fail?  

Don’t worry, you got this!

 

Make sure to do your additional research through library resources, google, and write down EVERYTHING they say in class!

 

By adopting the teaching style of your prof you will be able to make practice exams that look very similar to the real thing! You will be able to pick out what is important and you will do awesome in the class without the textbook!

 

Don’t give up on yourself

You have the ability to do anything you set your mind to! With determination and commitment you can do it! Don’t give up!

 

Are you devoted to using the textbook or do you get through classes without it?  Do you have any tips for fellow uni students?