10 Ways E-Textbooks Will Change Your Life

By Victoria Robertson on October 14, 2018

All bookworms will be the first to tell you that the look, feel and even smell of a new textbook is unlike any other. That being said, when it comes to the college experience, sometimes that new textbook feeling has to come second to other qualities in your reading list.

While the topic of e-textbooks has been heavily debated, the truth is, e-textbooks are a real lifesaver when it comes to college, for numerous reasons. Yes, it’s always nice to have a hard copy of a book versus your phone or tablet. However, realistically, e-textbooks make the college experience much easier on you, at least as far as assigned reading is concerned.

Don’t believe me?

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

You don’t have to take my word for it. Here are 10 ways that e-textbooks will change your life this semester.

1. No Heavy Textbooks

Yes, it may seem like a dramatic point, but the weight of your textbooks is a big consideration when looking at your required readings. If your course schedule is anything like mine, you find yourself running from class to class without enough time to stop back at the dorm/apartment, which means that you have to carry all of your materials for the day, all day long.

While this isn’t the case for everyone, this is a common problem, and when you’re dealing with oversized textbooks for each class, the weight of your bag adds up a little too quickly. With e-textbooks, the weight of your bag is decreased significantly, as all of your texts can fit on one device.

So lose the heavy-duty backpack that’s trying to break you down and throw your tablet into your backpack for usage all day long. While you won’t be getting as intense of a workout every day, your back is most definitely going to thank you.

2. Eco-Friendly

Maybe you aren’t typically the environmentally friendly type, but when it comes to textbooks, the number of trees you’re killing is astronomical. Think about the number of students you have in a single class, the number of texts required for that class and the number of pages in each of those texts. That adds up really quickly, doesn’t it?

When you start thinking about it in terms of the environment, it’s clear that college courses are not typically environmentally friendly. Luckily, however, you can be!

Even if the environment isn’t something you’ve ever truly cared about before, using e-textbooks for your courses instead of the traditional hard copy texts saves a whole lot of pages, which is better for the environment.

Now think about what would happen if everybody decided to switch to e-textbooks. Exactly; the world would probably be a much nicer (and healthier) place. So call your inner “Go Green” champion, because you’re saving the environment, one textbook at a time!

3. Available on Demand

One of the most annoying problems with purchasing textbooks for an upcoming school year is the amount of research, locating and shopping around that’s required on your part. When purchasing textbooks, you typically need to visit multiple stores, compare prices, wait in long lines with hundreds of other students and ultimately waste the first few days of school each year just acquiring textbooks.

Plus, have you ever showed up to a store to learn that the textbook you need is sold out? Then you have to hunt online for that book and pay extra to ensure it’s shipped to you on time.

Granted, it’s not always the world’s most stressful experience, but it definitely can be. With e-textbooks, this is no longer the case. E-textbooks are available on demand, which means that as soon as you order the book, it’s yours and in your device ready for usage.

So the long lines that you’ve had to battle every other year to get your books is no longer a concern. In fact, you’re more than prepared to start reading as soon as you make your purchase!

4. Easier for Notes

Taking notes in hard copy textbooks requires a large number of post-it notes, especially if you’re renting a book that you’ll have to return at the end of the semester. Plus, you have to pause, set your book down, write down the note and once again find the page so that you can refer back to the notes later on.

With an e-textbook, your notes are easily made, right there in the book itself. You don’t need to have post-its and pens at the ready; you simply need to have a device in which you can take notes and then get started! Some e-textbooks even let you highlight on the pages so you can refer back to specific passages later on when you need them.

Plus, when you need to go back and refer to your notes later on, you can easily search throughout the book and find what you’re looking for. So yes, writing your term papers has gotten a whole bunch easier.

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

5. Always with You

Are you forgetful? Or at least, have you ever walked into class and experienced that sinking feeling as you realize you grabbed the wrong textbook?

When it comes to e-textbooks, your text is always right there at the touch of a button, no matter the class. As long as you remember to grab your e-reader, you can access any of your available texts as you need them. So essentially, you no longer need to worry about whether or not you have everything, because you already do!

Just make sure that your e-reader is always in your bag and fully charged, and your books are all at the ready throughout the day. You can have multiple course texts all in one, convenient location and you’ll never find yourself experiencing that sinking feeling again!

Infographic by Victoria Robertson

6. Money-Saver

How can you save money? Textbooks typically cost college students an arm and a leg, which adds up really quickly on top of tuition and housing costs. For many students, books can be one of the most expensive components of attending school, and, when money is an issue, the act of purchasing textbooks is so much harder.

So again, how can you save money when it comes to purchasing textbooks? Easily enough: purchase e-textbooks.

For one thing, e-textbooks typically cost you less money, as you aren’t paying for a hard copy of a book. Additionally, e-textbooks don’t require shipping costs or cost you gas money when you go to pick them up from the store.

On top of all of that, e-textbooks are easily kept forever, which means you don’t have to pay to ship any books back or pay to return a damaged rental book at the end of the year. The book is entirely yours and it didn’t cost you an arm and a leg because it was delivered free and conveniently to your e-reader.

7. No Shipping Hassle

Building upon that note, you don’t have to worry about the hassle of shipping your books, either to your address or back to the store at the end of the year. For many college students, shipping textbooks to your apartment or dorm is the easiest method of picking them up, but it does also cost quite a bit of money as well.

In addition, most college students rent their textbooks, which means that they also have to pay for shipping to return the books after the semester ends.

Obviously, when it comes to e-textbooks, there is no shipping charge. Instead, you simply need a nice wireless connection in which you can easily download your book directly to the device of your choice.

So forget the shipping charges, because you don’t have to cover them any longer! Simply purchase, download and get reading when you’re ready!

8. Easily Searchable

When it comes to textbooks, it’s no mystery to college students that note-taking is a must. In fact, most courses can’t be passed without vigorous note-taking that typically takes over the entirety of your textbook. As previously mentioned, taking these notes is much easier when using an e-textbook.

That all being said, there’s another important consideration to keep in mind when it comes to referencing your textbook: search features.

Think about how many times you have to return to a text to reference a specific quote or passage. How long does it take you to find that section?

Now think about how much easier that search is when all you have to do is type in the search bar the information that you need to find. That’s right; the search feature available in e-textbooks makes your life so much easier, if not simply in saved time when it comes to referencing your text for a second or third time.

9. Great Reference Guide

To build upon the previous point, referencing a textbook (or multiple textbooks for papers and other assignments) can be a major hassle. Think of how often you have a specific passage in mind, but you can’t for the life of you remember which page that passage was on.

While the search feature in your e-reader helps with all of these items, it’s also important to remember that using your e-textbook as a reference guide when it comes to studying for tests or writing papers is a whole world easier than shuffling through the pages of a hard copy book

Not only can you easily reference all of the notes that you took throughout the book at the simple push of a button, but you can also re-read highlighted passages without shuffling through the whole book, see notes taken by other readers (an option available on some devices, though not all) and easily search a specific page number.

Basically, when it comes to using an e-textbook, you’ll find that they are much more effective reference guides than any hard copy book. So while you may prefer the look and feel of a hard copy text, the ease with which you can use an e-textbook as a point of reference is going to quickly outdo that feeling.

10. Perfect for Sharing Information

Finally, though certainly not least of all, e-textbooks are perfect for sharing information with other students, teachers and/or anyone else you may need to share information with.

The one purpose in which this often comes up is in group projects. When it comes to group projects, you’ll be hard pressed to find a college student that enjoys them. That being said, sharing information in group projects is so much easier and less stressful when you have an e-textbook.

In this way, you can easily reference specific passages and/or send your notes to the group directly from your e-reader, so you no longer have to type and organize your thoughts before sending them out to everyone.

In addition, if you have a question regarding a passage, you can now easily reference that passage and include it in an email to your professor for a more immediate response so you no longer have to wait around for office hours to get an answer to a question that is easily addressed through email.

While sharing information from textbooks isn’t always necessary, it’s much easier when you have an e-textbook, which is just another reason they are a great addition to your college experience.

Whether you identify as a bookworm or you’re simply just trying to get through your college courses alive this semester, required readings are a major pain in the butt and only made harder as the number of required books climbs throughout the semester.

Luckily for you, e-textbooks are an absolute lifesaver when it comes to your college courses, whether it’s your preferred method of reading or not. The above ten ways that e-textbooks will change your life this semester is just a starting point, as e-textbooks are truly great additions to your college experience regardless.

So before you stress out about the number of required readings and the overall cost of your course materials, consider using e-textbooks for your classes. You’ll be more than glad that you did!

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