Like many college freshmen, Molly McGowan wanted to save a little money wherever she could. So when she found a used version of a textbook for her biology class, she bought it without hesitation. It was only later that she discovered that she also needed the unique code inside the textbook for an online component of the class—and since her book was used, her code was invalid.
“You had to have a new book, which I want to say was like $60 or $70,” recalls McGowan, now a senior at Eastern Kentucky University double-majoring in forensic science and anthropology. “Luckily, I had enough money in my account.”
College students like McGowan are all too familiar with the financial struggle surrounding textbooks which can add hundreds of dollars a semester to a student’s cost of attendance. According to the College Board, the average college student spends more than $1,200 a year on books and materials. Students face the debate over buying new or used. In some cases, they weigh the temptation of not buying a book at all—only to rush to the bookstore to find it when it becomes integral to the course at hand.
And the ramifications can be greater than that. The EKU administration has heard stories of students having to change their class schedules because they couldn’t afford the books associated with some courses. Anecdotes like those, along with the additional financial pressures brought on by the pandemic, led EKU in the Fall 2021 semester to launch BookSmart, a program that provides students with free textbooks and other required course materials. Met with an overwhelmingly positive response, the program is continuing in 2022.
Eliminating textbook sticker shock
“If you have extra bills, like me, or if there's some extra financial burden, it helps with that,” says McGowan, from northern Kentucky. “I feel like it makes the process of choosing your major a little less stressful because there’s a financial aspect that goes along with that choice. I remember being a freshman and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a science major—my books are going to be so expensive.’ So even choosing what you want to do can create another barrier there. This is something that is helping to overcome that.”
McGowan says she was fortunate that her older sister’s college experience gave her an idea of what textbook costs would be like. But to the first-generation college students who make up a large percentage of EKU’s enrollment, there’s no prior warning. BookSmart, designed in conjunction with EKU’s bookstore partner Barnes & Noble, eliminates that sticker shock by providing free textbooks to students studying both in-person and online.
For families, it’s a welcome cost saving. For students, it eliminates the question of whether they should take the chance of not buying more expensive textbooks. “Especially when you’re a freshman, there’s always this talk of, ‘Hey, don’t buy the book—your professor isn’t going to make you use it.’ That’s a big thing you hear students talking about,” McGowan said. “Then, you have a lot of students waiting until the last minute, or sometimes your financial aid doesn’t kick in until later. So there are a lot of factors at play.”
BookSmart saves students from that quandary. Under the terms of the program, textbooks are loaned to students and must be returned to Barnes & Noble afterward. Students opt into the program through a website, and at the end of the semester have the option to buy the textbooks at a reduced price if they believe the books will be helpful to them going forward at EKU or in their careers. Books can be picked up on campus or delivered directly to students’ homes or residence hall, and can even be highlighted or marked in as students use them over the semester.
A step in the right direction
McGowan’s reaction when she first heard of the program? “I was excited,” she says. “I'm starting to wrap up my two degrees, so I was excited that I could get materials for any extra core classes or anything else that I might need. And living off-campus and paying my bills, it was nice that I didn’t have to worry about budgeting for books on top of Covid and everything else. So I was excited when I first heard of it.”
McGowan estimates the BookSmart program has saved her around $600 so far and knows it will prove an even bigger help to students just starting at EKU. “It’s a step in the right direction,” she says. “And I think it came at the perfect time with us migrating back toward normalcy. It’s going to help a lot of people behind me who are in their freshman year. It’s going to be a big thing that students will probably end up coming to EKU for, and it’s going to help change a lot of people’s lives.”
Interested in learning more about Eastern Kentucky University, the BookSmart program, or other potential cost-saving incentives the school offers? Reach admissions at (859) 622-2106, fill out their online contact form, or visit their website at EKU.edu for more information.
