It's Never a Waste

Tonight's blog entry is geared towards the general student population rather than just graduate students. Some of you might even think this is a waste of an entry to plan, type, and read but that's why this is my blog - not yours.

Sometimes in school, you want to get ahead of the game. For social science/humanities grad students, this usually entails getting a jump start on the reading. I was a good girl. I had my Atlantic History syllabus as early as the end of last semester and was emailed my Southern History book list at the beginning of July. Being the good girl (as I just stated) I am, I ordered all my books over a month ago. However, I found out today that my AH syllabus was updated, which meant that I own one book I do not need and have to order a book that I do not have.

I could have been annoyed. I could have felt like I had wasted a bit of money. But I did not. On the contrary, actually. Why???

Student of all levels, take heart! There is no such thing as a waste of money when you buy the wrong book in your subject, for it may prove to help you eventually.* It never hurts to have one extra book lying around. It might even hold the key to your undecided thesis topic.

*This statement is, of course, null and void if you are studying something that requires a massive "for reals" textbook. When you accidentally buy the wrong edition of a book that costs nearly a hundred dollars, that always hurts no matter how hard you try to justify it. As a former biology major, I know this particular brand of pain,