well, the personal learning edition is free and as a student you already get an educational price on both versions of maya. In all honesty, I have not stumbled across a bad book or dvd. Really, they are all pretty good. Digital Tutors, Autodesk Learning Tools, Gnomon, but you can learn just by doing small little experiments, concentrating on one aspect or another. Just have fun, cause college will throw enough hoops for you to jump thru.