Starting this year, a new law will require colleges to release the ISBNs and book prices for every class as students are registering. The law was part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act and will go into effect sometime this summer. For most of us students who need to be careful with textbook prices, this is great news. Often, I get to campus at the start of the new semester with one goal: get to the bookstore to scope out the best used books before anyone else can buy them; however because the bookstore is trying to make money themselves, they often sell these used books at a premium. With more time to look into other options, I cash-strapped students will be able to shop around for the best deals, order the books from far away without worrying about receiving them before class starts, or get hand-me-downs from student in other classes that use the same books. This will be a much more economical way of getting textbooks and I for one am incredibly excited.

Having experienced the luxury of looking at the whole reading list–as well as the syllabus–when registering for my classes at the University of Exeter, I have realized the importance of having this list early for the sake of decision making as well. While class descriptions are nice, knowing exactly what the class will entail (especially for English classes when a listing like “Shakespeare” doesn’t give you enough information) allows for less disappointment come the first day of classes.

Wondering how Kenyon is going to adjust,

A

(image courtesy of publicbroadcasting.net)