The end of the fall semester is rapidly approaching. For many students, this means it is time to cram for final exams and submit those last few class assignments before going home for the holidays.
In addition to these worries, returning students must also set time aside to prepare for the upcoming spring semester.
Advisement, registration holds and financial aid issues can all create added stress during this already hectic time of year.
To remedy end-of-the-year blues, http://www.Books4thalow.com, a student run book buy-back and purchasing service, is attempting to ease the troubles of students at Florida A&M University with their ” Free Books for the Semester Give Away.”
Brothers James and Jamar Breaker started Books4thalow.com to help students fight the cost of university books and give back to FAMU students.
According to staff representative Rico Howard, a third-year engineering student from St. Petersburg, the company offers books to students for significantly lower prices than other competitors. Their back buy process intends to give college students less to worry about and more money to spend.
” We’re college students ourselves and we know that purchasing books can be a headache,” said Jamar, a junior graphic design student from Jacksonville. “Our goal is to help ease the burden for other students and save them some money.”
Baker said the concept for the company came from the hassles he and his brother experienced when buying books from bookstores.
” My freshman year I ran into problems finding the books I needed for class. I couldn’t find what I needed in the bookstore, so we put together a small network of students to exchange books with,” he said.
The network that the brothers intended to use as their personal resource for school supplies expanded into a business venture to help college students at FAMU and beyond.
” This company is our way of giving back to FAMU students. This is our way of saying thank you,” said James, a fourth-year business administration student from Jacksonville.
After two years of preparation, Books4thalow launched its services in August of 2004, serving over 7,000 students on FAMU’s campus alone. The company prides itself on their low purchasing prices and book buy-back procedures
” With the economic stress that people in this country are going through, getting books for education shouldn’t be an additional problem,” said James.
Books4thalow.com sells books for 30 to 50 percent less than bookstores. Their book buy-back program is unique because any student that uses the service receives 90 percent of the profit for posting his or her book back on the website.
” I think the book buy-back program is great because I already saved $100 on books,” said Danielle Morris, a 20-year-old junior English student from Atlanta. ” I’m very excited about the contest, too. Who doesn’t want to get their books for free? It’s a win-win situation. “
“The purpose of this contest is to help students by letting them know that there are alternatives to buying from bookstores,” James said.
James said that the support the company receives from the students gives them the opportunity to hold contests such as this one.
” We would definitely like to help more students as we expand. The more support we get, the more we can give back.”
The brothers said entering the contest is easy and available to all FAMU students. To enter the contest, students must register at books4thalow.com, fill out the contest entry form, and upload their schedule for the spring semester. Books4thalow.com will select three random students and present them will gift certificates for the amount of their books on the Set. The contest has already begun and will run until January 15.
Contact Tauheedah S. Asad at fmaunlifestyles@hotmail.com