25/365: Psych!

Yesterday I was complaining via my facebook status that I absolutely loathed a certain professor for requiring us to bring the DSM-IV-TR to each and every class. Anyone who has ever taken a psych class will know what I am talking about. It is a large book that is difficult to navigate, even when you are halfway through grad school.

I did not want to buy this book, let alone bring it to class. The DSM can be found in almost every library, however it cannot be checked out because it almost always resides in the reference section. Problem: if I am going to bring this book to class I need to be able to check it out. I don't want to buy a book simply because the library won't let me check it out. Additionally, there is going to be a new edition published sometime next year and why shell out my hard-earned money when they are just going to change everything in a year. One more thing-I am quite sure that every social service agency owns at least one copy of the DSM, thus decreasing the chance I would want to own one for the sake of using it later in my profession.

Thankfully, a friend from college saw my whiny status and graciously offered to let me borrow hers for the semester. For the record, I still dislike that I have to tote this very large book to campus once a week, but at least I don't have to buy it.