In theory, but they would have ended up with a lot of books they didn't need. My wife taught them that you only buy your textbooks after a few class periods -

In theory, but they would have ended up with a lot of books they didn't need. My wife taught them that you only buy your textbooks after a few class periods - you never know if the professor will actually use the books they add to the course list and sometimes the list is just plain wrong. There were many instances where a book was on the list but never used - so my kids just never purchased those. You really rely on fast shipping as occasionally the professor will throw you a curve-ball and start referencing a book half-way through a semester.