I suspect this is mostly a US problem, courses there seem to be structures differently than how I experienced it in Germany. With one single exception, all the

I suspect this is mostly a US problem, courses there seem to be structures differently than how I experienced it in Germany. With one single exception, all the textbooks I bought were not required, I selected them myself based on recommendations, but I could have chosen to buy different ones or none at all. The textbooks are still expensive, though the non-US editions are around half the price of the US versions. But it's a level of expense that seems justified based on the value I got, at least for the better books.