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The Battalion
Computers at your service
Kyle Bumett/THE Battauon
Barry Gill, a senior accounting major from Garland, works on a the fall semester. The TCC is open 24 hours a day except on Saturday
personal project in the Teague Computing Center prior to the start of when they close at midnight .
rvations,
i advance,
845-0737,
be rented
asters, and
/staff and
ip in order
By Margaret Claughton
The Battauon
W ow more than ever, it seems college
students must have a computer or have
access to one in order to remain com
petitive. However, the typical student's bud-
jet is too tight to splurge on top of the line ma
chinery.
The Microcomputer Center on the A&M
campus offers lower prices for A&M students.
The center is located in 026 MSC directly be
low the main check cashing counter.
Brands such as Apple, Macintosh, Dell and
Zenith are carried at much lower prices than
regular Bryan-College Station area retailers.
The retail price of a Macintosh Classic II runs
anywhere from $999 to $1,079. The Micro-
Computer Center charges $870.
The Center is a non-profit organization
started by Texas A&M in 1985.
"We concentrate on getting the best prices
for the students," said Romona Drew, sales
manager at the Microcomputer Center.
The Microcomputer Center also carries a
variety of software and is open 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday through Friday.
Although the Microcomputer Center offers
great discounts, some students still may not
have the money to buy a computer.
The Learning Resources Department
(LRD) located on the sixth floor of Sterling
Evans Library has a variety of computers
available to Texas A&M students. Brands
available include Macintosh and IBM com
patibles. The LRD offers 24 different appli
cations for its computer systems including:
word processing, spreadsheets, picture edit
ing, Harvard Graphics, and other advanced
programs too expensive for the average stu
dent.
"We have special software graphics and
things that cost too much for students to buy,"
said Aaron Brender,student worker in the
Learning Resources Department. "You defi
nitely get your money's worth."
The LRD is open Monday through Thurs
day from 8 a.m. to 10-.45 p.m. and on Friday 8
a.m. to 8:45 p.m.. Weekend hours are Satur
day 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to
10:45 p.m.
Monday, August 30,1993
Books, Books
Helpful hints for students
braving the textbook market
By Margaret Claughton
The Battalion
Texas A&M students from
graduates to freshmen have yet
to solve one key mystery in the
life of every Aggie. Where is
the cheapest most efficient
place to buy books in Bryan-
College Station?
Purchasing the required
books for the average 14 hour
class load generally requires a
huge amount of cash and can be
a stressful, time-consuming
process. However, here is some
information that might ease the
strain on a few students' minds
and possibly their budgets —
the first thing students should
remember when buying books is
always ask for used copies.
Used books can cost up to 50
percent less than new books.
Many retailers will not voluntar
ily offer used copies so it is up to
the student to ask if there are
any available.
The second thing to remem
ber is the telephone. Many stu
dents forget that they have one
and waste hours running from
bookstore to bookstore trying
to track down a specific book.
If a book is difficult to find, stu
dents should call the stores and
ask about it. Most bookstore
employees know a lot about the
books for each class. They may
know if the book is still in pro
duction or if anyone in town
has it.
The third and final factor in
buying books is the location at
which the buyer chooses to pur
chase them. 1 The odds are that
the typical student will have to
go more than one place to buy
all of his or her required books.
After contacting local bookstores .
and comparing the prices of the
new required books for Biology
101, Chemistry 101, and Spanish
101, the price differences were
found to be minimal. The
amounts differed a maximum of
$10 from store to store.
Regrettably, there is no one
bookstore that is guaranteed to
have every student's needs at
rock bottom prices. But by fol
lowing these simple steps, stu
dents can make one of the neces
sary evils of college life as pain
less as possible.
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