Buying books as an MS1

[Caspid]

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I have my list of 26 required textbooks for freshman year. Before I travel cross-country to begin med school, I was at least hoping to buy a few of the necessities used/online, like Netter's Atlas and Lippincott's Biochem.

However, it seems like most people recommend 1) holding off, and 2) not buying all of them.

Can anyone make me feel better about not having the required books when I start med school? The cheapest prices are on Amazon with Prime eligibility, so I suppose if I find I need them later they're only a couple days away. Do lesson plans follow the textbooks? Is there any way to find out which ones I actually need, besides hearsay?

Lastly, should I bring my college textbooks, such as Purves's Neuroscience and Garrett & Grisham's Biochemistry?

Thanks in advance.

 

[cowme]

Don't buy any books other than Netters for first year. Absurd waste of time.

 

[Jack is Back]

I bought some books and wish I hadn't.

You should probably only get Netter's, then IMHO, there are a few good review books out there that could be helpful during class.

Think:
Lippincott Biochem
BRS Physiology

There may be some other good review books too, ask around and read reviews. Good review books are worth it.

 

[projectlogic]

Don't buy any books other than Netters for first year. Absurd waste of time.

Agreed.

 

[DocHawk117]

I am in the same boat. The only books I bought are: Lippincott's Biochem, a medical pocket dictionary (it was a dollar on half.com, I couldn't resist), Mosby's Guide to Physical Examination and the lab manual, Netter's, and my required dissector..... I actually got everything brand new on half.com for a total of $130. Pretty pumped about that. I think this is all I am going to buy, but I will probably go to the library as soon as I move to Iowa and try to check a few out to see if they help. For the most part, we will be using our notes to study from and books solely for clarification (with the exception of anatomy). Hope this helps.

 

[MKA55]

I've been worrying about this too. We got a letter from our school tho telling us to wait until we get our syllabi to purchase our books tho (with the exception of required ones), so that's what I'm gonna do. Like you said, you can order books real fast from Amazon, so I'm not anticipating any real issues. Like the guys above, I already have a Netter's, so I think I'll be alright till I get to school.

 

[Medicine4Bruhs]

Don't buy any books other than Netters for first year. Absurd waste of time.

Why do you say it's an absurd waste of time? Because you don't necessarily need to read the books (just the notes) to be prepared for tests and boards/USMLE?

 

[VisionaryTics]

Don't listen to the people that say not to buy ANY books. Don't listen to the people that say to buy a million books.

Everyone learns differently, and you'll find that some books will benefit you more than others. Use the search function for some recommended resources, or just ask upperclassmen.

However, there's no reason to jump the gun and buy all your books the first week of classes. You've got some time. Get a rhythm for your studying and THEN determine if you want to supplement class notes.

Personally, I got a lot of books. They provided that extra perspective or bit of info that helped me tie a lot of classes together. I also didn't buy EVERY book or buy a book for every class or buy the "required" books.

And for the record: I HATE Netter's. I got nothing out of that book. I still obliterated that course and the NBME, despite the Netter hagiology that goes on in this forum.

Different strokes for different folks. Don't run out and buy every book. But don't be afraid to supplement your class notes with some books.

 

[metallica81788]

-anatomy atlas (make sure you actually like Netter's before buying it, try out Thieme/Gilroy also)
-BRS physiology
-Lippincott's biochem

Anything else I found was just extra and pretty unnecessary. First Aid can help you study for the NBMEs if you take those.

 

[armybound]

I also freaked out when people told me not to buy any books. Turns out they were right.

You'll need something like Netter's. If your school has a buddy system, your upperclassman buddy may give you every other book that you want to own and won't have time to read.

You'll soon learn that the syllabi are sufficient.

 

[Caesar]

Don't buy any books other than Netters for first year. Absurd waste of time.

This is HIGHLY school dependent. Some schools have fantastic syllabi, some don't. Figure out what you might need and kind of go with it. I ended up buying quite a few books after I used them a couple times from the library. I liked them, they were well written, and I learn well reading. Also, I didn't buy Netters.

 

[PrimaryCoeur]

If your school has a buddy system, your upperclassman buddy may give you every other book that you want to own and won't have time to read.

This. Someone in class above can recommend better what your classes will need/not need better than anyone here.

 

[startswithb]

This is HIGHLY school dependent. Some schools have fantastic syllabi, some don't. Figure out what you might need and kind of go with it. I ended up buying quite a few books after I used them a couple times from the library. I liked them, they were well written, and I learn well reading. Also, I didn't buy Netters.

Caesar! I love that when you answer questions...it's like they were written for meeee lol.

 

[just waiting]

Even with terrible faculty notes, most info you can find online for free. For me, the only books necessary were an anatomy atlas, dissector, and most useful in my case, practice questions. As others have said, it depends on your learning style, but after reading through notes 2 times, I don't gain much more from them. So after exhausting the notes, or at the end of a long day, I moved to practice questions. They force you to think and not just look at the page and say "yea, yea, I know that." When you're done with practice questions and review your notes, new things pop out at you. Practice questions make you look back at your notes again while doing them as well. I saw on here someone else quoted "reading a good book 3 times is better than reading 3 good books". Repetition is key in med school, you need to be able to spit out answers without thinking. Wait to buy books. Know your notes first, then move on to books for clarification/practice.

 

[Kalyx]

Even with terrible faculty notes, most info you can find online for free. For me, the only books necessary were an anatomy atlas, dissector, and most useful in my case, practice questions. As others have said, it depends on your learning style, but after reading through notes 2 times, I don't gain much more from them. So after exhausting the notes, or at the end of a long day, I moved to practice questions. They force you to think and not just look at the page and say "yea, yea, I know that." When you're done with practice questions and review your notes, new things pop out at you. Practice questions make you look back at your notes again while doing them as well. I saw on here someone else quoted "reading a good book 3 times is better than reading 3 good books". Repetition is key in med school, you need to be able to spit out answers without thinking. Wait to buy books. Know your notes first, then move on to books for clarification/practice.

What kinds of books for practice questions did you buy?


~Kalyx

 

[armybound]

your upperclassmen will often know of old tests or something to help you practice questions.

don't rush out to buy books because they come recommended from strangers on the internet. wait for someone from your school to give specific recommendations.

you do not need to have your books on day 1 of medical school. relax a little

 

[just waiting]

I agree, don't go out and buy every practice question book written. My schools exams are all secure computer exams so the old tests are from the 90's. I liked BRS for anatomy, u could try that one out (they're like $15 used) and see if u like it. Anatomy hasn't changed much so any version is fine. At worst, you spend $15 and find out you don't want to buy any more practice questions.
Pretest is good but can get a little more detailed than you may need. I didn't actually like BRS physiology, it was way too superficial in my opinion. My school had a bunch of ebooks online for free through the library and I used their end of chapter questions. Respiratory physiology by West and Vander's renal physiology come to mind. I always just pirate the PDF versions of any book I'm thinking of buying, check it out, and if I like it I buy it or just delete the PDF if I don't like it. I consider that legal pirating haha. I haven't done any path stuff yet so I can't offer any recommendations for integrated classes.

 

[isoquin]

Don't listen to the people that say not to buy ANY books. Don't listen to the people that say to buy a million books.

Everyone learns differently, and you'll find that some books will benefit you more than others. Use the search function for some recommended resources, or just ask upperclassmen.

However, there's no reason to jump the gun and buy all your books the first week of classes. You've got some time. Get a rhythm for your studying and THEN determine if you want to supplement class notes.

I agree with the part that I quoted. See the site in my sig, which has helped me differentiate what is actually needed from what happens to be the best "meh" of the field that's just the obligate recommendation. You could use this forum too, but most people don't like commenting on lists of 26 books at a time. 😛