Whats a textbook grant?

Why in the world do text books cost so much? I maintain a theory that is the the university's way of keeping us all on our toes as we trundle through the beginning of the semester. I mean, once tuition is taken care of you tend to lull yourself into a false sense of financial security. But then, lo and behold, you still have to find an extra $400 to spend on a couple texts books and some course packs (or as I fondly refer to them, the worst quality yet most expensive photocopies in history).

But there is hope for surviving this seminal pain in the ass. A couple of years ago the government finally began giving out the TTG, the Textbook and Technology Grant, which helps to give students some extra dough for those pesky books and computers.

One of the main problems with the TTG program is that students seem to be wholly unaware of its existence. And of course, the grant is only values at $150 which may not seem like a lot to help you get by your $800+ worth of supporting course material. But, would you rather someone gave you $150 for books or, lets say...nothing? It's not a lot but the text book grant is something to help you get by and for many students $150 is the difference between being able to eat for a month and a half and being able to study for a course for an entire semester.

To be eligible for this grant you must first qualify for an intergrated Canada-Ontario student loan, so OSAP students should have no problem. For anyone reading out there who is unsure of their ability to qualify, I say try anyway. You never know until you apply.

The main reason that books are so expensive is that the rights to academic material is extremely expensive. University presses are also extremely expensive to run. And lets face it, your profs clearly just love watching you squirm and cry a little bit when you realize just how much you have to shell out for their course. (Kidding!...I hope)

So, if you haven't already applied for the TTG this year, I strongly encourage you to visit their site to learn more about what opportunities for course material funding are available to you. Happy hunting!