The Colonel Book Bundle is nothing incredibly new to the students and faculty of Nicholls State University. Before the first day of classes, students are given a list of their materials. Then, if they decide to use the bundle, they pay $24 per credit hour and have their rented materials available for pick-up or delivery. 

Though the process may seem convenient, people have struggled with deciding if the bundle is truly the better deal. According to the Nicholls website, “The average student is estimated to save $150-200 on textbooks for a semester.” 

Still, who is the “average” student, and what should students do if the bundle is not for them?

Isabella Lasseigne, a sophomore history major, does not find the book bundle effective in helping save money. Lasseigne says that some of her teachers provide free links to materials on the first day of class. She goes on to say, “If I would do the book bundle, then I would be paying for classes that I don’t need to pay for.” 

Lasseigne notes that, once students receive an email about their course materials, they can take each textbook’s ISBN and compare the books’ prices on different sites. That way, they can find the deal that is right for them. 

On the other hand, Allied Health major Laken Audiffred is grateful for the book bundle. She comments on her freshman year: “I had twelve different course materials, some of them being online programs that were very expensive on their own, and even though I had so many materials, my total hours for the semester were pretty low. So it was actually cheaper for me to get the book bundle.”

Considering this information, students should use their discretion before accepting or opting out of the book bundle and to consider the following:

• Do you have a lot of course materials that, when combined, will cost more than the bundle itself? 

• Are a lot of these materials hard to access without the bundle? 

• Would you get better use out of these books if you bought them instead of renting them?

Students also ought to check the Colonel Book Bundle section of the Nicholls website for more information or contact the Nicholls Bookstore located within the Bollinger Student Union.