By Thompson Perry

It is not a difficult task for the average student to find inconvenience within the college culture.

On any campus across the country, hassles abound, including parking, scheduling, advising and commuting, among others.

However, one of the biggest aggravations that students face comes in the form of a tool that is, ironically, intended to make the educational experience easier, the textbook.

Purchasing books is one of the most unsavory parts of college education.

Students are not shy about expressing their disapproval of the status quo.

“The thing that bothers me is that professors change the books so much, so you can’t get a used book and you can’t sell the books back,” said Luke Houchens, a junior psychology major,

Houchens makes a point that has caused students irritation for years: a new edition usually costs 45 percent more than a used copy of the previous edition, according to a 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office.

The same report found that college textbook prices have increased at twice the rate of inflation over the last two decades.

Students can also be frustrated with the recent increase in “bundling” books with other study materials, such as CD-ROMs and workbooks.

This can result in driving the costs up and possibly leaving the student buyer, who often has no choice but to buy the book and its added components, with unnecessary study aides and devices irrelevant to the class.

It’s not just the price tags that can have students reeling, though; many students may find themselves unable to find the books they need at local bookstores, a liability that can impede their progress to keep up with the rest of the class.

“School has started, and I’m still missing required books in two of my classes. They weren’t at any of the bookstores I’ve visited, so now I’m waiting for them to come in [from online],” said senior philosophy major Mary Jane Hill.

“It’s frustrating having to wait, but there are actually nine or 10 of us in the class who haven’t been able to get it yet.”

One may think textbook concerns are only present for the first few weeks of school, but such an assumption would be incorrect.

“Buying textbooks has become such a struggle for college students today due to their ever escalating costs, and many students are taking the alarming step of choosing not to get their books as a result,” said Steve Loyola, founder and president of Best Web Buys, an online company that has comparison shopping to help students save money on books.

Along with such tactics as comparison shopping, there are other efforts to make the process of buying textbooks a less painful and more efficient one.

In Connecticut, for example, publishers are now required to provide pricing information to faculty before the professors put in an order.

This is done in the hopes that educators will become more aware of the final cost which students will incur in purchasing required materials.

It may be good advice for students to start looking for their books early, either at area bookstores or on the Internet.

Trying to avoid procrastination and the desperation that results from it, can seemingly only make the process simpler for students.