Why Textbooks Are Critical
August 4th, 2012 | 
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Textbooks are an integral part of almost any type of class, whether grade school, high school or college. A textbook can be the main source of information for a class or it can be used as a supplemental to what the teacher or professor is lecturing about.
Once students get to college they sometimes think that there will be no more textbooks, just lectures and notes. This is not true, as college textbooks are often the main source of information for a class. Good college textbooks can be the difference in a good grade and an okay grade. If a lecture is going so fast that there is not enough time to take complete notes or some critical information is missing, chances are that the professor is lecturing based on what is in the text, which means that the information can be accessed after the class in order to complete notes and help cement the information. An example where this is especially true is technical or science class. A class such as chemistry is heavy on math problems and formulas. These are things that are easily missed in class and sometimes the examples used in class do not make the concepts clear. The book will have further examples that can help to clarify concepts and some of those examples could better illustrate the concepts.
Regardless of the subject there will often be study questions related to concepts covered in class. These problems give the student a chance to think more in depth about what is going on in class and to practice what they have learned before it is time for a test. Many college classes only have tests as a way to measure grades, so if the test grades are not good there is no way to improve. By utilizing the end of chapter questions and problems, this lets the student know if there are any particular areas they need to work on before being tested.
Sometimes students balk at having to buy class materials, but this should not have to be a problem. Used textbooks are widely available and many bookstores buy books back at the end of the semester. There are also financial aid programs that help offset costs so that no student has to go without.
These are compelling reasons why texts are critical to academic success and they are by no means the only reasons. Students should be sure to make the investment as this will further academic progress.
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