A quick trip to the bookstore for batteries or tissues during the first week of classes usually doesn’t turn out to be so quick. The line of students with stacks of textbooks in hand reaches toward the back of the store.

To avoid the line and the cost, some students are looking for alternative ways to get their textbooks.

Senior nursing major Brooke Withers bought her books at the campus bookstore her freshman year because it was convenient but has since changed her mind.

“I realized I was paying too much money,” she said.

Now, she swears by Amazon.com.

“They’re a lot cheaper, and you can sell them right back,” Withers said.

Cassie Kerns, junior Spanish translation major, also chooses to shop for textbooks online.

“It’s much more convenient,” Kerns said. “You don’t have to carry around papers to find what you want.”

Keith Mollohan, sophomore electronic media production major, rents his books from the campus bookstore and Chegg.com.

“Renting is a lot cheaper than buying a book I will only use a few times,” Mollohan said.

While many students try to get their books right away, Mollohan advises to wait until the first week of class.

“Some teachers don’t use all the required textbooks, so by the end of the first week you usually get a feel for which books you’ll need,” he said.

Other students choose to check out books from the library rather than pay for them.

Marie Kunze, sophomore integrated language arts major, often gets her books that way. Kunze also said she buys from Half.com, a subsidiary of eBay.

“I found an $80 book for $5 once,” Kunze said.

With so many options — web stores, off-campus bookstores, the University Bookstore — a student’s choice seems to come down to two things: cost and convenience.

Rachael Veal, senior visual communication design major, usually buys on Amazon, but often turns to the campus bookstore because “I’m lazy.” She said the on-campus bookstore was more convenient.

Freshman exploratory major Emma Reilly agreed.

“[You] get it the day you buy it,” she said, “but it’s expensive as hell.”

Contact Angel Mack at [email protected].