As we brave a new year, new changes arise. We have to remember to write ‘2019’ instead of ‘2018’, football in the bluegrass state officially ends and the spring semester of classes begin.

As we all come out from our Christmas hibernation and make our way back to campus the question arises: “Should I buy the textbook now, or wait for the class to start?” And if you’re already ahead of the game and have the textbook, should you start reading it before your classes get underway? You’ll see articles and opinions about this everywhere as the semester comes closer, but from the perspective of a junior, I don’t think there is one clear answer.

If you’re a first year student and as such are new to the college experience, I would recommend reading the syllabus and holding off on buying any textbooks until you have your first class. Your syllabus is free and can prepare you for the general course requirements. Until you get into your own college rhythm, I would recommend any freshman to hold off on cracking a book and focus more on the overview of the class. 

On the other hand, if you’re more familiar with your course load (upperclassman taking major-related courses), and you have a broader idea of what’s expected of you in a specific course, I would say go for it. In situations like these you can give a better guess as to if the professor will require a textbook or want you to read any material before the class begins. You might even know the professor from a previous class and remember that they usually expect a lot of preparation or reading beforehand.

I would recommend taking a trip to the bookstore and buying your books before the lines get too overcrowded. This makes your life easier when you have 30-plus pages of reading and two quizzes due by Friday of week one.

Whatever your choice is— to wait or to buy— remember to always keep the receipt and write down the due date for each book you rent. May will be here before we know it, and it’s best to be ready for it.