Going to law school isn't cheap. This is probably the reason why a huge percentage of students in any given law school in the Philippines hail from the middle and upper spectrum of the economic ladder; evidently, these are the families that can afford to dispense with tens (or in other cases, hundreds) of thousands of pesos each semester for their children's law studies.
Save for the tuition and lodging expenses, one of the other major expenditures while in law school are, well, the law books used in class. These aren't the ordinary textbooks used elsewhere, neither are these similar to the ones that you are probably familiar with during your high school or undergraduate days. Law books are often thick and heavy tomes of specialized legal information, mostly annotations of laws or statutes with a discussion of existing jurisprudence. They can be very intimidating. Even worse, they are bound to punch a gaping hole in your wallet.
This is all well and good if mommy and daddy have pockets deep enough for this kind of expense. Otherwise, it can be very challenging (and frustrating).
The situation need not be helpless, though. In fact, it has been proven time and again that law students can be very enterprising and creative, especially when stuck between a rock and a hard place. If there's anything law school teaches you, it's the need to find a solution where there's none.
So here are a few ways to score otherwise pricey law books without suffering from financial coma:
1. Scout the most obvious place for these kind of things: the Internet.
Ah, the Internet. What would life be like without this invisible ether of immeasurable human information, right? Go to sites like OLX or eBay.ph and you are likely to find volumes of secondhand law books being sold at a discount. Forums and social media groups are also good places to scour scoops on items being sold.
2. Visit secondhand bookstores.
In Manila, the go-to destination for cheap hand-me-downs is Recto. Here you will find volumes and volumes of textbooks on every imaginable subject. It can be tough looking for items on your own, so make sure to solicit the help of the vendors; you'd be surprised at the breadth of their knowledge.
To avoid confusion and to make your search more manageable, make sure to have the book title, author, volume, edition, and year of publication handy. This can be very useful, especially since most law textbooks are constantly being revised.
3. Settle for photocopies.
First off, a warning: some professors scoff at photocopies of law books, more so when they are the authors of said books. But these are the exceptions more than the rule; in most cases, professors don't mind so long as you are able to keep up with the discussion. Check out your school's photocopy stands and inquire about the availability of textbook references. Else, go to the library and loan out the titles you need and have them photocopied outside. Note, though, that some libraries may impose a strict no-photocopy rule. In which case, the next number might be of help.
4. Take digital copies instead.
If you have a tablet or a smartphone with a decent camera, what is there to stop you from taking snaps of the pages you need?
5. Visit dorms, preferably by the end of each semester.
Chances are, you will find students who are likely to sell their used textbooks rather than carry them to their province. Many students also dispose of their used materials en masse by the end of each school year. There's a hint.
6. This is perhaps going to be tough, but get in touch with law school dropouts or kickouts.
Unlike your undergraduate years where you probably graduated with friends you've had since freshman year, law school is a different kind of beast altogether. There's just no way of telling who will drop out or get kicked out next. The mortality rate in law school is high, precisely because of two reasons: one, the high-stress environment may not be suitable for some students, who later drop out upon realizing law school isn't for them; and two, law schools are strict in weeding out those who they think are likely going to flunk the bar.
Granted, these dropouts and kickouts share something in common: they'd want to get rid of everything that reminds them of law school, and you should be there to cash in on the opportunity.
Indeed, every little chance to save cash goes a long way in sustaining your studies in law school. Do you know of any other helpful tips? Share in the comments section below.