ME cost in 2008
ME cost in 2008
(OP)
I can't think of a better place to ask such a question than this forum....
I was going through some old boxes and ran across my first semester book receipt...some $250 or so. That was in the 50's and it was quite a burden for a high school grad managing a gas station for a buck an hour to handle. A lot of used books and a used slide rule and drafting kit made up most of the bill. Does anyone have an idea what it would cost today? Just curious as it won't make me "un-retire" and go back to school. Just curious what others paid...I suspect I got off cheap.
Rod
I was going through some old boxes and ran across my first semester book receipt...some $250 or so. That was in the 50's and it was quite a burden for a high school grad managing a gas station for a buck an hour to handle. A lot of used books and a used slide rule and drafting kit made up most of the bill. Does anyone have an idea what it would cost today? Just curious as it won't make me "un-retire" and go back to school. Just curious what others paid...I suspect I got off cheap.
Rod





RE: ME cost in 2008
If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS
RE: ME cost in 2008
V
RE: ME cost in 2008
There were some "recommended" texts on our course, but none required. I bought a few (2-3 per year max) at £10-£20 each (in 1987-1990). None were any real use then or now.
- Steve
RE: ME cost in 2008
I had one professor who had put together his own course materials, and sold them via the campus copying store for about $7/"book." He earned many points from me for that... and the "textbook" always had just the right material in it for the course (whereas many others had multiple chapters and subjects which were skipped by the profs, due to outdatedness, redundancy, or lack of time in the course).
RE: ME cost in 2008
Tobalcane
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RE: ME cost in 2008
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: ME cost in 2008
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RE: ME cost in 2008
I put myself though college earning about $2500/yr in '70 - '74. Tuition and fees were about $500 a semester, dorms were around $750 a semester. Books were never more than $150 a semester. I graduated free and clear. I recently interviewed a kid who had $120,000 in student loans from a 4-yr BSME. I asked how that was possible? He went to a small private school in the East. I never heard of it, certainly not a high-profile school, and asked why he went there. He said they had a great hockey program...he didn't make the cut for the job.
RE: ME cost in 2008
Today, the screen on my laptop flickers, and it doesn't realize there is a battery, so it has to be plugged in. I'm sure years of hauling it around in a school bag with books didn't help, but it's still disappointing. I only keep it around because it has a video output, so I have it hooked up to my TV and can play the videos I download from the internet (MIT's opencourseware is awesome!). Unfortunately, it's not worth keeping an anti-virus subscription on, so I have to download to my desktop PC and use a USB device to transfer... One day I'll get a good laptop and throw that thing away!
-- MechEng2005
RE: ME cost in 2008
Cheers
Greg Locock
SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: ME cost in 2008
I can sum this up in one word: extortion.
- Steve
RE: ME cost in 2008
- Steve
RE: ME cost in 2008
It's definitely extortion to the extent that a new version is released nearly every semester now (twice a year). That's just plain stupid. I was also lucky enough to have a few professors who would work out deals with the distributors and use their university "discount" to buy in bulk and then resell to the students at a lower cost. These professors were actually concerned about our education and tried every avenue in helping us to achieve our goals.
RE: ME cost in 2008
College costs in general are getting out of control. My freshmen year my tuition was around 1400 a semester by the time I graduated it was closer to 2200 and they upped it another 10% that year. Our tuition had a double digit increase every year. I worked full time through college and I still have 20,000 in student loans.
RE: ME cost in 2008
As far as not buying the books/laptop... The books are a definate possibility as mentioned by sharing, etc. I even found a few classes that I did (unfortunately) buy the book for, and then just went to the school library to use older textbooks because they were more clear and understandable than the course textbook.
Also, for a Pro-E class I took I was able to get the book at SafariX.com. It is an "e-book," but obviously if you were doing anything in that class you were on the PC. The book was about 1/2 the cost of a hardcopy.
As far as the laptop, I don't know that not purchasing the school PC from the school would be possible. It was required, and you would probably have a pretty good fight on your hands to try to get the school to let you off not buying it. Also, a lot of the software was needed for the courses and would cost a lot to buy, so I don't know that much would be saved. Perhaps if student versions could be used. Otherwise it may just mean spending a lot more time on-campus in the computer labs. Although, I don't think all the software on the laptop was on the PCs in the computer lab, and sometimes it was hard to find an open PC in the computer labs. Also, all the PC labs had classes at some time, so you'd could be interrupted and have to leave occasionally. Not to mention data taking during labs. Sometimes I suppose it could be handwritten and the put in Excel later, but sometimes the equipment hooked directly up to the laptop. You could have a friend take the data and upload at the PC lab I suppose.
Overall, you'd have to fight the school to be allowed not to buy their laptop, wouldn't save much money, and it could cause a lot of hassles (not something stressed-out students need more of!). I do think the school could do a better job of bringing the price down, by negotiating better based on the large quantity purchased. Also, there was some expensive software on the laptops that was rarely used, that could have just been in PC labs, not on the laptops.
-- MechEng2005
RE: ME cost in 2008
RE: ME cost in 2008
RE: ME cost in 2008
Half.com is great. Couldn't always find what I wanted but saved me a bundle in the long run. I was also able to sell my books back. I do have to give some of my instructors a thumbs up because they went out of their way to help students use books that were a revision or two old.
RE: ME cost in 2008
They have some kind of deal with Barnes and Noble now where you can go on-line and purchase what you need.
RE: ME cost in 2008
While in school going for an ME Masters, I took an elasticity class. When I called the book store and asked if they had it and what the price was, she said, "Sure - it's twelve fifty." Just KNOWING she left a decimal place off, I went to the store prepared to shell out heavy bucks only to find out that the book was a small paperback and was indeed $12.50.
It's a good little book, if you're interested: Elasticity - Tensor, Dyadic, and Engineering Approaches, Chou & Pagano
If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS
RE: ME cost in 2008
RE: ME cost in 2008
Years later when I want back to engineering school, after someone had borrowed my big fat calculus and physics books and allowed them to get stolen, I had to pay much, much more to buy new ones. These days I'd estimate $100/book. Maybe $200 for the big fat ones.
Hg
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RE: ME cost in 2008
yes, we had all sort of log books, tables, work books, etc. plus the fact that we were not allowed any electronic aids, only a slide rule. Tuition was cheap as I was a Texas resident...something like $50 per semester as I recall (might be wrong on that) and just small fees for labs and such. The only class I took that required NO expense was Military Science...that one almost got me into the Vietnam experience.
As to 'shafted' in 58...hmmmm, no 'cause I now know what 'shafted' feels like. 58 was closer to 'messaged'.
Rod
RE: ME cost in 2008
I ended up buying A LOT more books than were required for class.
I have 3 steel text books (waiting on my fourth when S&J 5th edition comes out), 3 concrete books, 3 strength of materials books, 2 structural anaylsis books. The moral of the story is this: go to the bookstore and write down the titles and editions of the books you need (maybe even an ISBN number) and go check out the internet. I've had especially good luck using half.com
RE: ME cost in 2008
Since then I only purchased books for classes that I suspected the book would be necessary or valuable. One semester I only paid 50$ for books, but I borrowed friends books rather often that semester.