Loma Linda University School of Medicine Class of 2011

[Dr.Who?]

Hey, I was just looking to see if anyone would be willing to share their undergrad stats with me. I'm a junior year undergrad and getting ready to start applying. I have an extremely low GPA so most likely will go abroad for MD, but I'm gonna apply for 1 or 2 schools in the US. I really like the look of Linda Loma. Any help on what they like in extracirricular activities would be great too. Thanks!

check this website
http://mdapplicants.com/

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[Dr.Who?]

What are the block exams like at LLU? Are they all Multiple chioce, or is it a combo of MC and essay? Are there exams every month or so in all the classes at the same time? - I assume exam week means 4 or 5 tests in a week. Are all of the tests shelf exams or is that only in MS2?

There are exams every 4-5 weeks of lecture. All tests are multiple choice and you'll get your test results via email w/in a few days of the actual exam. A typical exam week is scheduled so each day has about the same number of lectures tested (3-5 questions per lecture) so some days there will be two short exams (we've had exams with 15 questions) and some will have one long exam (60-80 questions?)

At the end of our first year, we had about 12 exams spread out over 2 and a half weeks. This included both in-house and shelf exams. At the end of first year, you'll take the Gross Anatomy, Histology, Phyisiology, and Biochemistry shelf exams. Histo you'll just need to pass, but Gross/Physio/Biochem all count toward your final grade. Oh yea, and you'll also have a clinical skills exam during the last 4 weeks of wards.

what exactly is this ward experience thing we're doing the first two weeks after orientation? is it like shadowing other students/residents/docs? or is it more of a simulation, like with fake patients and stuff?

jdh71 gave a good general overview. however what your role is will depend on which department you'll be shadowing in. I definitely agree you'll get what you put into it.

1 - The SOM budget calls for about 3,000 bucks for books and supplies, not including a computer. From what I can tell (from reading other threads) is that there are MANY books that are really unnecessary. Is this 3 grand just overkill? Will we even spend CLOSE to that amount on books and maybe an otoscope (I already have a BP cuff and Steth)?

You don't NEED to buy all the books, but there are some essential ones like Lippincot for biochem, the ross for histology, and I would recommend Costanza for physiology. There are also some other books my classmates purchased that they thought were helpful, such as the immunology book, embryology, and neuroscience atlas. Definitely ask some second years what books they used and make your own decision from the input you get.

2 - I'm just wondering if LLU offers this same service of online recorded lectures. I was also told by a buddy who graduated another SOM that some classes - esp. anatomy - are taught essentially from the class syllabus, which made textbooks quite superfluous. What has been your experience?

There are no recorded lectures first year. Our classmates were talking about recording lectures and posting them on the web, but it was never carried through. Based on the syllabus you'll receive at the beginning of each block, you should be able to determine (by the 2nd or 3rd block) which classes are worth going to and which ones you might want to use to just study on your own. It's a toss up. Personally I went to lecture (mainly to preview the material), but looking back I probably could have skipped a lot.

3 - Having asked question #2, I'll ask what the required text is for biochem. I was fortunate to inherit the latest edition of lippencott's. Together with the course syllabus, do you think another text (required or recommended) is even worth the money?

Lippencott was perfect for biochem. There are some review books out there (BRS, DeJa Review, HighYield, First Aid) that some of us used for the shelf exam, but for the most part, lippencott is all you really need

 

[spartanwarrior]

Hey Guys,

Just was called yesterday by Dr. Hadley that I was accepted for August 07 class!!! See you guys out there. God is good!!!!

 

[carina nebula]

i also got my acceptance on friday!

see you guys all out there soon...i'm excited/terrified/sort of want to puke!

 

[alfonzarel]

congrats to all acceptancees... is that a word? you know what i mean - looking forward to meeting y'all!

 

[alfonzarel]

Hey all. About the meet and greet on July 30th - I guess it's at Newport beach. If anybody is interested in surfing that day, let me know. I plan on taking my surfboard since I dont get to the beach as much since moving to redlands.

sounds like fun! (more information on the facebook group page)

 

[spartanwarrior]

Hey all. About the meet and greet on July 30th - I guess it's at Newport beach. If anybody is interested in surfing that day, let me know. I plan on taking my surfboard since I dont get to the beach as much since moving to redlands.

sounds like fun! (more information on the facebook group page)

Hey, I don't surf, but is a big group of LLUSOM Class of 2011 meeting on July 30th at Newport beach?? give me more info. Im leaving from the east coast around the 24th so I hope to be settled out there by the 30th. keep me posted on this guys!!

 

[Rookierook]

The meet and greet sounds like it'll be a good time..hope i can make it out

on another note, on the ssweb registration portal, do you guys still have registration holds due to the immunization requirements? i sent the immunization form couple months back and they're still not verified and leads to the hold..anyone else in this situation?

 

[CaliforniaBound]

Hey Guys,

Congrats to everyone who got accepted! I'm a third year at LLU, as of Wenesday that is! I took STEP 1 then. Anyhoo, just wanted to offer myself up for any questions you might have. I know you guys will have a great time here, once you adjust to the shock of medical school, lol! At least they ease you in by giving you two weeks up in the wards! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you all congrats and to enjoy your summer! You won't get another nice one in quite a while! Oh, and don't buy all the books they tell you to at the store! Wait a few weeks and see what's really helpful. I have books from first year that I still have never used...big waste of hundreds of dollars. Plus you can buy them all online and save a ton. The bookstore has some nice people in it....nice people who are highway robbers! Also, get to know some people in the class ahead of you. They can be a valuabe asset. I am not that familiar with the second years, but I know my class (the juniors) are super cool and are more than willing to answer any questions. Make friends with them when you are up during your two week ward experience. They can give you advice that no website or "school packet" can. Well, that's all for now. Congrats again, enjoy your summer...mua ha ha! j/k!

 

[drzuggie]

Hey! I am still an undergrad, but I am really interested Loma Linda. Just wondering if any of you had any thoughts on bringing pets (especially a dog) with you to Loma Linda?

 

[spartanwarrior]

Hey! I am still an undergrad, but I am really interested Loma Linda. Just wondering if any of you had any thoughts on bringing pets (especially a dog) with you to Loma Linda?

Im bringing my dog with me. I'm from the DC area.

 

[spartanwarrior]

Hey Guys,

Congrats to everyone who got accepted! I'm a third year at LLU, as of Wenesday that is! I took STEP 1 then. Anyhoo, just wanted to offer myself up for any questions you might have. I know you guys will have a great time here, once you adjust to the shock of medical school, lol! At least they ease you in by giving you two weeks up in the wards! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you all congrats and to enjoy your summer! You won't get another nice one in quite a while! Oh, and don't buy all the books they tell you to at the store! Wait a few weeks and see what's really helpful. I have books from first year that I still have never used...big waste of hundreds of dollars. Plus you can buy them all online and save a ton. The bookstore has some nice people in it....nice people who are highway robbers! Also, get to know some people in the class ahead of you. They can be a valuabe asset. I am not that familiar with the second years, but I know my class (the juniors) are super cool and are more than willing to answer any questions. Make friends with them when you are up during your two week ward experience. They can give you advice that no website or "school packet" can. Well, that's all for now. Congrats again, enjoy your summer...mua ha ha! j/k!

Hey..do you know if they are still using some of the same textbooks for MS1 as you did two years ago?? If so, I"m up for buying them used from someone. Any information on where to buy textbooks used or cheaper would be helpful. I read on here some guy only spent like $300 the first year on books. Could you give me a list of books from MS1 that you used or don't recommend getting? thanks.

 

[CaliforniaBound]

Hmm...let's see. I can't remember every book they asked us to buy, but I know it ended up being like 1500 ish dollars at the bookstore. My "must buy" list would be:

Lippincott Biochemistry (It's a good read for the mock boards. Unfortunatly Biochem is one of the most poorly taught classes at LLU so you are on your own for learning the material that is pertinant for boards)

Digging up the Bones Biochem (this is not on the required list but is kick ass for boards, including USMLE 1)

Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy (It's a life saver for studying for the anatomy practicals)

Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy Flashcards (for all those oh so free moments in the car..lol)

Physiology by Costanza (Again, not on the list, but WAAAY better than the phys book they say to buy...I mean, don't buy anything but this and the BRS Physiology review book by the same author and you will be more than fine!)

For Histology, I would buy the textbook they recommend. They change it around every year, but the teacher Dr. Chase tends to ask some of her questions out of the book, so you need to buy it. Also buy a histology atlas...it will save you for practicals...they suck....

For Anatomy, they change the textbook around too. I bought Gray's Anatomy textbook, but I rarely used it. If you are a person that learns by reading, by all means buy one. I need to learn hands on, and so it wasn't much benifit to me. I would honestly recommend BRS Anatomy. It's an amazing review book, and the clinical correlates are HIGH YIELD! I would also recommend going to the U of M website and do all there practice Anatomy questions. One of the anatomy teachers gets ALL her questions from that website...it will save your grade!!!

Don't buy the book for EBM (Evidence based medicine). Just show up to class, smile, and learn your equations and you will be more than fine!

Don't buy the book for Understanding your patient. Dr. Cristensen is a great teacher and all you need is his notes

Neurology has a recommended text, but I never used it. I would buy the brain atlas and learn the images, but with that and Dr. Cole's notes, you will be set. Dr. Cole has won the teacher of the year award more than once, and it's no suprise why...he's awesome!

I would buy the following review books and start using them faithfully:

BRS PHYSIOLOGY
BRS ANATOMY
HIGH YIELD HISTOLOGY
DIGGING UP THE BONES BIOCHEMISTRY
FIRST AID FOR USMLE 1 (I would know that book forward and backward...it's not all you need to know for boards..but a darn good start!)



Wait a couple of weeks after classes start to make a final decision about other books to buy. You need to get a feel for how you study. Some of my classmates needed to read the textbooks to understand what was going on, other's read only the notes and never came to class. Just find out what works for you. I would check out Amazon.com, Half.com, or ecampus.com. Also, check your school email quite frequently...third and fourth years are shedding their books all the time. You can get the same books for half or a third the price. I might be selling a lot of mine soon too, contingent on me passing step 1...lol...nervous laugh! Anyhoo, hope all this info helps...keep asking away. I'm a vault of useful or useless knowledge..depending on how you look at it!

 

[Dr.Who?]

Hey..do you know if they are still using some of the same textbooks for MS1 as you did two years ago?? If so, I"m up for buying them used from someone. Any information on where to buy textbooks used or cheaper would be helpful. I read on here some guy only spent like $300 the first year on books. Could you give me a list of books from MS1 that you used or don't recommend getting? thanks.

Try the c/o 2010's thread, a now 3rd year gave us a rundown of the booklist.

As for used books, the LLU AMA will be selling used books at orientation, and you don't need to bring money, they will have you sign a sheet and will charge your student account directly.

I think I answered some textbook questions earlier in this thread too...

 

[Prissi]

Hi everyone~ Just wanted to introduce myself and say "Hi!"

 

[DoctaJay]

HEy everyone. Glad to see that the this thread is still going strong. My fiancee and I were blessed with an apartment close by the school (Good Manor Apts), so we should be moving out there around July 23rd. For everyone (especially those like me that are coming from the East Coast) that is looking to ship your car over to LLU, check out http://www.transportreviews.com/. It will certainly help you make a great decision. Expect to pay around $1,000 or more to get your car over there.

 

[twolfbear]

Man, I just found this page today....anyway joining the ranks as of 6/15. Congrats to everyone!

 

[np2md]

I actually found a company to ship my car for 700+. It would have been 678 but I was kinda scared that I would be picking up just the steering wheel or a cup holder...so I opted for the insurance. Hopefully it will all work out.

HEy everyone. Glad to see that the this thread is still going strong. My fiancee and I were blessed with an apartment close by the school (Good Manor Apts), so we should be moving out there around July 23rd. For everyone (especially those like me that are coming from the East Coast) that is looking to ship your car over to LLU, check out http://www.transportreviews.com/. It will certainly help you make a great decision. Expect to pay around $1,000 or more to get your car over there.

 

[spartanwarrior]

hey guys,

For those of you having a car out there, what is insurance cost? I'm from the East Coast so I'm trying to gauge what my damage will be for money on that issue. Thanks

 

[lilnoelle]

I have an odd request, but here goes. I'm in charge of getting people to respond to the 31 question's thread in the mentor forum and am looking for current students at all of the med schools of the US. So, I realize this is the class thread for the incoming class, but perhaps someone from previous classes has been helpful in answering your questions and giving you advice in this thread. I have no time to read through every single class thread to get this info, but if you could post some user names of some such people (or pm them to me, including what school you are from), I can pm them with my request. Thanks!

 

[alfonzarel]

Hard to say...

I pay 300 for full coverage for 6 months. But I've been with geico for many years, am 29 yrs old, drive a 93 toyota truck, have no accidents/tickets on my record now, have a california good driver discount...

If you're 21, drive a brand new sports car or suv, new to california, have tickets/accidents...dang, sucks to be you.

but seriously, I know people that fit the above profile that pay close to 200 a MONTH for insurance.

So you see it really depends. I guess that this doesn't help much, does it? Well here's some good news:
I moved from the Central Coast of CA to (the place of infernal heat) Redlands, which is technically Southern CA. My Insurance went up 30 bucks, but I told them that I was enrolling in Med School and I got a professional student discout of 35 bucks. So if I were you I'd make sure to mention that.

Not a bad discount...

 

[DoctaJay]

Ok, so I know we've talked about books before, but below is the complete list of books they want us to buy. Could current students comment on the books they found most useful. Especially on physiology cause everyone is suggesting Physiology by Costanza, but they want us to buy 6 different phyiology books:


Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 23rd Ed.
Henry's Clinical Diagnosis & Management by Laboratory Methods, 21st Ed.
Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 31st Ed.
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, 1st Ed.
The Lost Art of Healing
Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 5th Ed.
Langman's Medical Embryology, 10th Ed.
Atlas of Clinical Gross Anatomy, 1st. Ed.
Biochemistry, 3rd. Ed.
Thompson & Thompson Genetics in Medicine, 6th Ed.
Histology: A Text and Atlas, 5th Ed.
Immunology: A Short Course, 5th Ed.
User's Guide to the Medical Literature: A Manual for Evidence Based Clinical Practice
Cellular Physiology, 1st Ed.
Cardiovascular Physiology, 6th Ed.
Respiratory Physiology, 7th Ed.
Gastrointestinal Physiology, 1st. Ed.
Vander's Renal Physiology, 6th Ed.
Endocrine Physiology, 2nd Ed.
Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases, 1st Ed.
The Brain Atlas: A Visual Guide to the Human Central Nervous System, 3rd Ed.
Mosby's Guide to Physical Examination, 6th Ed.
Chest X-Ray Made Easy, 2nd Ed.
Abdominal X-Rays Made Easy, 2nd Ed.
Behavioral Medicine in Primary Care, 2nd Ed.

 

[alfonzarel]

Where did you get that list?

 

[DoctaJay]

The list was in the orientation packet they mailed to us.

 

[Prissi]

... I just typed out that list today, too. Oops. XD

I'm going to guess that the spirit blahblah and the art of healing one are going to be ones we need for religion or religion-related classes. And does anyone have any idea *which* Biochemistry book it is? There are probably 5000 books named "Biochemistry" -- I have one, in my closet, but it's not the right one, since it's the 5th edition...

 

[jdh71]

... I just typed out that list today, too. Oops. XD

I'm going to guess that the spirit blahblah and the art of healing one are going to be ones we need for religion or religion-related classes. And does anyone have any idea *which* Biochemistry book it is? There are probably 5000 books named "Biochemistry" -- I have one, in my closet, but it's not the right one, since it's the 5th edition...

PLEASE do NOT buy a biochem text . . . class notes and review books will be all you'll need. I actually got most of my textbook reading on biochem from the molecular/cell book.

 

[twolfbear]

Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 23rd Ed. doesn't come out til August 28. At least that is what showed up on a search. Classes start in the beginning of the month, do you think they will make us get the 22nd edition instead?

 

[DoctaJay]

I can't imagine why they would want us to get that back so early because its a reference book. We wouldn't have really have learned anything by that time to reference anything. I don't know though, everyone is giving me different advice.

For all new comers, please join our Facebook group: http://llu.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2323262671

 

[jdh71]

Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 23rd Ed. doesn't come out til August 28. At least that is what showed up on a search. Classes start in the beginning of the month, do you think they will make us get the 22nd edition instead?

IF you buy a Cecil's I would not do that until third year. I bought mine during internal med and honestly . . . I didn't need it. Use the library for this type of reference your first two years. You will barely open those books, if at all. I did like Harrison's during pathophys and used it regularly.

 

[DoctaJay]

An LLU student that just finished his first year gave me the books he thought were useful. They are below:

Mosby's Guide to Physical Examination, 6th Ed.
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, 1st Ed.
The Lost Art of Healing
Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 5th Ed.
Langman's Medical Embryology, 10th Ed.
Atlas of Clinical Gross Anatomy, 1st. Ed.
Biochemistry, 3rd. Ed.
Histology: A Text and Atlas, 5th Ed.
Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases, 1st Ed.
The Brain Atlas: A Visual Guide to the Human Central Nervous System, 3rd Ed.
User's Guide to the Medical Literature: A Manual for Evidence Based Clinical Practice
Boron & Boulpaep Medical Physiology updated edition
High-Yield everything especially Biochemistry
BRS Everyhing
DeArmond, Fusco, Dewey Structure of the Human Brain a photographic atlas 3rd edition.

 

[sarsboy]

Hey Y'all,

i'm a 3rd year at LLU. The book list that you get in your orientation package is filled with books that you probably won't read. Most of the books you won't even use until your clinical years. You basically just study the notes that the lecturers prepare and correlate the notes with books. So, here's what I have to say regarding the books on your list.


Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 23rd Ed.
Henry's Clinical Diagnosis & Management by Laboratory Methods, 21st Ed.
- Cecil's and Henry's are only good for reference. Don't buy them. They're too heavy.

Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 31st Ed. - Worthless

Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, 1st Ed. - you need this for paper late in the year. Split it with a few friends.

The Lost Art of Healing - Same as above. except i think it's toward the beginning of the year.

Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 5th Ed. - (written by Moore and Dalley) I highly recommend this book. When you study for your anatomy mock board and for Step 1 just go through the clinical vignettes (green boxes).

Langman's Medical Embryology, 10th Ed. - This book is too detailed. Most of the information you don't need to know. Buy "High Yield Embryology" instead. Or just look at the Embryology section(s) in "First Aid for USMLE Step 1."

Atlas of Clinical Gross Anatomy, 1st. Ed. - I hate atlases.

Biochemistry, 3rd. Ed. - (authors are harvey and Champe) Good book. read it through once before the mock board pay special attention to the metabolic pathways and disease processes.

Thompson & Thompson Genetics in Medicine, 6th Ed. - I haven't yet opened mine.

Histology: A Text and Atlas, 5th Ed. - If it's by Ross, it's a good book. But too detailed. don't buy it if you don't like to read. It does, however, have good pictures.

Immunology: A Short Course, 5th Ed. - Excellent book. The lecturer, Dr. Lewis, is an awesome African American.

User's Guide to the Medical Literature: A Manual for Evidence Based Clinical Practice - don't buy it. i don't think i opened mine once.

Cellular Physiology, 1st Ed.
Cardiovascular Physiology, 6th Ed.
Respiratory Physiology, 7th Ed.
Gastrointestinal Physiology, 1st. Ed.
Vander's Renal Physiology, 6th Ed.
Endocrine Physiology, 2nd Ed.
- All i can say about these physio books is that the the author of Respiratory physiology (John B. West) practically invented respiratory physiology. Thus, highly highly recommended. he also has a respiratory pathophysiology book that you should get for your sophomore year. Vander's, I hear, is also pretty good. For the mock board, memorize BRS Physiology by Linda Costanzo (99th percentile guaranteed).

Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases, 1st Ed. - Great book, but very long. I loved it, but i'm a nerd who likes to read textbooks. Also, the professor's notes are awesome. he really prepares you well for his exams and for the mock board (which you take in your second year).

The Brain Atlas: A Visual Guide to the Human Central Nervous System, 3rd Ed. - Again, i hate atlases.


Mosby's Guide to Physical Examination, 6th Ed. - i opened mine once in the middle of second year. don't buy it.

Chest X-Ray Made Easy, 2nd Ed. - probably a good book, although i personally have never read it.

Abdominal X-Rays Made Easy, 2nd Ed. - also probaby a good book.

Behavioral Medicine in Primary Care, 2nd Ed. - Good book. good clinical cases. the professor likes to incorporate those cases into test questions. Lecture notes are very basic, so i kind of enjoyed reading this book.


I hope this helps. and feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

[Prissi]

PLEASE do NOT buy a biochem text . . . class notes and review books will be all you'll need. I actually got most of my textbook reading on biochem from the molecular/cell book.

Thank you so much for the advice!

sarsboy: thank you for your advice as well -- is that USMLE book you mentioned a review book you'd recommend for first years?

 

[sarsboy]

sarsboy: thank you for your advice as well -- is that USMLE book you mentioned a review book you'd recommend for first years?

nah, i'd wait until 2nd year to buy First Aid. wait for the current edition to come out, and then add your own notes to it throughout the year.

 

[twolfbear]

nah, i'd wait until 2nd year to buy First Aid. wait for the current edition to come out, and then add your own notes to it throughout the year.

So you say to get the biochem book and read it, but jdh says not to. Are the class notes good enough, with addition of another reference book?

 

[Ivorytink]

Hey all,
Just wanted to say hi. Is anyone else having issues finding housing? The off-campus secretary told me there's a waitlist for LLU owned off-campus housing through October and the on-campus people said they wouldn't know if there are openings till nearer the end of a quarter. With us coming in for the second summer session, I wonder how this is going to work. Anybody have ideas? I've got the Trading Post with its ads and such, but their prices don't even compare to living on-campus, which for a single female such as myself doesn't seem so bad. Oh and what's this about a meet and greet in Newport?
Looking forward to meeting everyone,
Lauren

 

[np2md]

Hey all,
Just wanted to say hi. Is anyone else having issues finding housing? The off-campus secretary told me there's a waitlist for LLU owned off-campus housing through October and the on-campus people said they wouldn't know if there are openings till nearer the end of a quarter. With us coming in for the second summer session, I wonder how this is going to work. Anybody have ideas? I've got the Trading Post with its ads and such, but their prices don't even compare to living on-campus, which for a single female such as myself doesn't seem so bad. Oh and what's this about a meet and greet in Newport?
Looking forward to meeting everyone,
Lauren

Hey Lauren,
I'm in the same boat. I just resigned myself to living in the dorm for at least a couple months until I get my bearings since I am coming from the east coast. Plus the dorm is cheap...something to consider at least for the short term.

 

[alfonzarel]

Lauren,

if you go to the loma linda class of 2011 page on facebook, and check the events in the top left corner, you'll see the details for the meet and greet at newport beach. bring your surfboard... monday july 30.

 

[sarsboy]

So you say to get the biochem book and read it, but jdh says not to. Are the class notes good enough, with addition of another reference book?

There's always more than one way to learn something, but in my opinion, the class notes are horrible. There are two main lecturers for the course. Dr. Bruce Wilcox and Dr. Lawrence Sowers. Dr. Wilcox is the author of the High Yield Biochemistry review book which, I think, has a lot of high yield facts that are very important to know (it is rather condensed, however). His class notes, however, are utterly useless. That and he uses 80% of his lecture time telling, i think, very interesting stories. However, his powerpoint presentations, which are usually posted online, aren't too bad. Those presentations reference the biochem text (Harvey and Champe).

Dr. Sowers, however, will give you somewhere between 5-7 lecture hours on purine and pyrimidine synthesis and 3-4 lecture hours on epigenetic modification by way of cytosine methylation. From the amount of lecture time you get, you might think these to be very detailed topics. No. He just gives the same lecture over and over again. And he doesn't prepare lecture notes. He just prints out his powerpoint, which isn't very good, and hands them out before class. ( If you can't tell, i think this man is a horrible teacher and/or human being and, being a PhD, consequently, cares nothing about med students ).

I will also add that the text by Harvey and Champe is a review text, albeit not as brief as a text from the BRS or High Yield series. It does, however, give a sufficiently detailed explanation of metabolic diseases, which I found indispensable when I was studying for the biochemistry subject exam. But, since I had already purchased the text, I was too cheap to buy another review book, so I cannot comment on how good the Digging up the Bones for Biochemistry is, but I will say that I have heard good things about it. Also, the biochemistry section in First Aid is has a pretty good diagram of the metabolic map with key regulatory steps labeled.

Because the 1st year course content doesn't exactly correlate with the NBME subject exam content, I found that I had to study differently for the different exams. For the in-house exams, it is usually sufficient to study notes, powerpoint slides, and, if you don't understand something, learn it from a reference book, which is the text by Harvey and Champe in this case. For the subject exam, I just read a review book straight through and learned what was in the review book that wasn't in the lecture notes. Unfortunately, on the account of me being way cheap, my review book was the textbook.

 

[jdh71]

So you say to get the biochem book and read it, but jdh says not to. Are the class notes good enough, with addition of another reference book?

Well . . . it seems the Biochem text has changed since I came through in 2002 - the textbook then was horrible - another Dr. Sowers debacle (was his first year at LLU). Sowers isn't such a bad guy he's just not great at teaching. Every time we had a chance to critque a lecturer I would say in the comments section, "print-offs of your powerpoint are NOT notes". Doesn't sound like he got the message. Sowers is a genius, so maybe we have to cut him some slack - really, really, really smart people often have trouble "getting it" when us mere mortals don't understanding them.

Ok, so BEFORE you buy the biochem text, look at it. Perhaps even borrow the library copy for your first few study sessions to see if you like it. I personally used BRS exclusively - my "in house" grades were middle of the pack using this method, but I rocked the NMBE subject examination so hard it was rediculous. If you're expecting being super competitive definitely get the text because it will help with the in-house stuff. Otherwise . . . pick whatever review book doesn't make you want to kill yourself and stick with it. Do NOT do what I did and occasionally panic about study material and go an buy way more review books than I'd ever even open.

 

[alfonzarel]

FYI for all of you incoming med-students -

It is blazing hot here! I moved to Redlands a month and a half ago and it keeps getting hotter. I'm definitely not used to this type of weather; it's supposed to be 103 for the next 3 days...

Anyway, just thought I'd give you all a heads-up... bring plenty of shorts.

(Orientation and 2 weeks of wards should be fun, especially for the guys - having to wear a suit in August...)

 

[DoctaJay]

I think its really ridiculous that lectures aren't recorded or video tapped or anything. We need to start this up guys. I have a video camera, a tripod, and a Mac for video editing. All we need is some website space to upload the videos and we could make it work. We could even have a rotation for the people that would man the video camera so one person wouldn't always have to come to lecture.

On the other hand, i wonder if this would put us on the bad side of the teachers?

 

[jdh71]

I think its really ridiculous that lectures aren't recorded or video tapped or anything. We need to start this up guys. I have a video camera, a tripod, and a Mac for video editing. All we need is some website space to upload the videos and we could make it work. We could even have a rotation for the people that would man the video camera so one person wouldn't always have to come to lecture.

On the other hand, i wonder if this would put us on the bad side of the teachers?

They won't care if you're planning on doing all the work . . .

 

[musicalcolor]

Hey Rook,

It's been a while since you posted this so I don't know if you got an answer to your question. I was wondering the same thing so I called the student health office, and they confirmed that they got my information but they just put it on hold until sometime in July.

The meet and greet sounds like it'll be a good time..hope i can make it out

on another note, on the ssweb registration portal, do you guys still have registration holds due to the immunization requirements? i sent the immunization form couple months back and they're still not verified and leads to the hold..anyone else in this situation?

 

[musicalcolor]

Hey Everyone!

I just got back from two weeks in Europe, so I'm catching up on all my email and other important things like...facebook and sdn

Jay that sounds like an EXCELLENT idea, especially from what people have said about the class notes. My computer engineer boyfriend says that if someone knows how they can set up a server from which we can all access and dl the video from. Too bad he's not going to med school with us, I could make him do it =p

My mom has a video camera that I just bought for her so I may be able to borrow it if this idea gets off the ground.

I think its really ridiculous that lectures aren't recorded or video tapped or anything. We need to start this up guys. I have a video camera, a tripod, and a Mac for video editing. All we need is some website space to upload the videos and we could make it work. We could even have a rotation for the people that would man the video camera so one person wouldn't always have to come to lecture.

On the other hand, i wonder if this would put us on the bad side of the teachers?

 

[Rookierook]

Hey Rook,

It's been a while since you posted this so I don't know if you got an answer to your question. I was wondering the same thing so I called the student health office, and they confirmed that they got my information but they just put it on hold until sometime in July.

Hey musical, thanks for the reply...yeah I just ended up calling them a couple days ago and they gave the same answer...I just wanted to make sure the mail didn't lose anything again

 

[alfonzarel]

Oh, and by the way...

If any of you like to skydive, well then good news: Perris Valley drop zone is only 29 miles from where we'll learn medicine.

Trust me jumping out of airplanes is a REALLY good stress reliever. So after a week of hardcore studing for hardcore exams, we can have some hardcore fun...

I just did a fun jump there today, and I must say it's one of the nicest drop zones I've jumped at (except, of course, for the infernal heat).

 

[np2md]

Oh, and by the way...

If any of you like to skydive, well then good news: Perris Valley drop zone is only 29 miles from where we'll learn medicine.

Trust me jumping out of airplanes is a REALLY good stress reliever. So after a week of hardcore studing for hardcore exams, we can have some hardcore fun...

I just did a fun jump there today, and I must say it's one of the nicest drop zones I've jumped at (except, of course, for the infernal heat).

Well good luck with that. I'll be waiting for you daredevil types down on the good ol' terra firma.

 

[Ivorytink]

I'd love to get a spot in the dorms. That's part of the problem. I applied and they responded by saying that they're putting students wanting to get in, in the fall on a waitlist. They clearly didn't recognize that we need to be there from the 2nd summer session on. I think I'm going to try calling them, but it's not looking good. What did they say when you applied? Did you apply a million years ago? Hopefully I find something. It's now only a month out. Yikes. I can't wait till I'm settled and in class.

 

[twolfbear]

Oh, and by the way...

If any of you like to skydive, well then good news: Perris Valley drop zone is only 29 miles from where we'll learn medicine.

Trust me jumping out of airplanes is a REALLY good stress reliever. So after a week of hardcore studing for hardcore exams, we can have some hardcore fun...

I just did a fun jump there today, and I must say it's one of the nicest drop zones I've jumped at (except, of course, for the infernal heat).

There's another drop zone in Lake Elsinore, a little more south west of LLU though.

 

[jdh71]

Oh, and by the way...

If any of you like to skydive, well then good news: Perris Valley drop zone is only 29 miles from where we'll learn medicine.

Trust me jumping out of airplanes is a REALLY good stress reliever. So after a week of hardcore studing for hardcore exams, we can have some hardcore fun...

I just did a fun jump there today, and I must say it's one of the nicest drop zones I've jumped at (except, of course, for the infernal heat).

29 miles? Hope it doesn't take you more than a hour to drive there. The traffic in SoCal kills most of the practicality of doing any activity. Hope you guys have time to jump out of planes. Although, I know a good trauma center in the area if you have an accident . . .