As finals week rolls around and most students scramble to make the grades they promised their parents, many will find themselves staring at one thing: a textbook.

Are textbooks astronomically priced? Yes, they are. Do students usually get back less than half of what they originally paid when selling books? Yes, this is often the case.

Some students have begun to question if textbooks are completely unnecessary.

The answer to this question is “no.”

I am not implying that all textbooks at NIU are full of great information everyone should know.

Regardless of how outlandish the information is in a textbook, chances are that this outlandish information is also going to be on the test.

The fact is, most people come to college to keep up with the constantly changing job market.

I have yet to talk to a student who, when asked why they are attending NIU, tells me that they just want to expand their knowledge base.

Everyone is concentrated on getting their diploma as fast and efficiently as they can, and this means getting the required letter grades.

A huge factor that has been helping students achieve this goal for decades is, you guessed it, textbooks.

While there are a select few students who can get away with not buying the majority of their textbooks, most of us are not that academically inclined. With only two-and-a-half hours of class a week, it seems logical that a professor cannot cover all the material that will be on the tests or quizzes.

Also, textbooks can be a major help if you miss class, which is an entirely plausible scenario for most students. Most of the time teachers will post what material is going to be covered in a given period online.

It is easy then to go and look for the corresponding chapter in the textbook and make sure you do not lag too far behind.

Whether we like it or not, textbooks have been and will continue to be a necessary tool for college. If you are finding yourself unable to afford the increasing cost of these books, don’t give up. Some students opt to do a little online shopping to find that special textbook for less.

I’m not trying to impose my beliefs on other students. After all, the decision is up to you. But let’s just say I wouldn’t recommend using Wikipedia to pass your upcoming history final.