I was thinking about my courses and what we are covering, and more important, what we are required and tested on and came to the realization that 90% of my formal college education is reading and knowing about 45 books. That's really it. Each course has about one book, you read and regurgitate.

If you want to really dumb it down....If you go to class on a regular basis, and put forth a minimal effort, you should be fine in college. Clearly there are always exceptions to the rule, but I would say 8/10, if you attended class every day, you will be fine.

 

But think about your classes. How many are based on the textbook? How many do the tests come directly out of the text?

But think about your classes. How many are based on the textbook? How many do the tests come directly out of the text?

I haven't bought a book in like 2 or 3 semesters now. I guess it depends on the classes.

My modus operandi the past few years in college has been to just read the books outside of class and you don't actually have to attend the class very often. I buy my books from amazon.com for cheaper and then usually attend class the time before the test to see if there's a review or information given about the test, and I have been fine.

 

But yes, usually the class is simply a regurgitation of text books. Most of my better classes have come straight from the teachers knowledge and is actually interesting with their personal touch added to the information.

I'm an econ major. Half of my classes are really numbers based. In those classes, we learn about a theory, get tested on it, then kinda forget it because it's so theoretical. The other half are just lecture based and actually about real problems and thinking about ways to fix them. Those are the classes I'm actually learning something in.

 

Barely any books are used in my classes now. Freshmen/soph year, that's all we used.

I was thinking about my courses and what we are covering, and more important, what we are required and tested on and came to the realization that 90% of my formal college education is reading and knowing about 45 books. That's really it. Each course has about one book, you read and regurgitate.

Change your major to something more technical and see if you come to the same conclusion.

Taking seven classes.

 

One midsized lecture with 7 books to read. Have to go to this.

One midsized lecture with 2 books. Probably don't have to go.

One required class. Attendance mandatory.

One small lecture with 5 books. Helps to go.

One small class centered around teaching with mandatory attendance. Have to go.

One huge lecture. One book, don't have to go.

One online.

Over a career

History classes, learn the text book

Algebra, learn the text book

Pols req'd courses, learn the text

Intro Soc, learn the text

Intro to Psy, learn the text

Phil, learn the text

But why buy and learn the text (which is almost assuredly a limited amount of the text, thus paying for information you will not use) when you can just go to class and get the same information without having to spend the $75-200 on a book?

only 2 classes have the books taught me. The rest it's all lecture/discussion.