There is rarely one university book per student available, it is always first come first served, you have to be quick off the mark if you want to get ahead for a first class degree!
As soon as you enroll, try and get hold of your module guides via a university lecturer or the university Intranet and:
1.Find the reading lists for your degree modules
2.Get key texts for your degree from the library
University libraries do not normally allow you to reserve books that are on the shelf, so you have to go and collect them immediately.
Getting hold of documentation before the start of a degree module was a problem at my University. Lecturers did not like people jumping ahead so released presentations and information in line with the teaching schedule.
To get around this I downloaded all course materials for the following year (as lecturers released the material).
This enabled me to do some prep over the summer, as well as get in first at the library with the reading list.
If you would like your own copy of a key text, try looking for a second hand copy on Amazon.
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