The price of Public Speaking: Strategies for Success (Penn State edition): $60. The price of College Algebra (Penn State edition): $100. The price of buy back for Penn State edition books: $0. The price of education: massive student debt.

Book buy-back time is here, and students are getting less and less money back for their books because of these so called "Special Edition for the Pennsylvania State University" books. In recent years, the availability and cheap prices of books online had sent students to the computers instead of books stores. So in order to make a profit, a plethora of Penn State edition books have appeared on the shelves. Students are obliged to buy these because they have a PIN number for online homework and activities. However, professors don't even use them majority of the time. Bookstores will not buy back these books because they are deemed worthless once they are opened.

So, here's a little tip for students out there. If you have to buy one of these "special edition" books with PIN numbers, don't get a new one. Buy an old one and get on the Web site provided inside the book where you can buy a PIN for much cheaper. If you have some of these books, post them up for sale because someone will buy them. Instead of spending $60 on a brand new Speech Communications book, I got a used one and bought a PIN number for $14.90 and I didn't even use it after all the hassle.