how do i get cheap used M1 textbooks?

[americanidiot]

I was wondering if anyone had good online experiences with getting cheap used M1 books. i'm sure a lot of us are looking to save money during our 1st year would appreciate any info that can be passed along. thanks.

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[Runtita]

Amazon.com/half.com and ebay, or wait till you get to campus and the second years will be selling theirs.

 

[neuropower]

so far, i'm having a good experience with half.com...my histology text was only 76 cents and its in perfect condition! (older edition though)

 

[MattD]

That was gonna be my question, re: editions.. a lot of the time on half.com, the current edition of say for instance Grant's Dissector will be 70 bucks, but the previous edition bill be 3.75.... seeing as how these subjects probably don't have THAT much advancement between editions, is there any reason to go with the more expensive new editions? Are there any changes that could be relevant to your grade, even if it doesn't really matter for your knowledge??

 

[neuropower]

That was gonna be my question, re: editions.. a lot of the time on half.com, the current edition of say for instance Grant's Dissector will be 70 bucks, but the previous edition bill be 3.75.... seeing as how these subjects probably don't have THAT much advancement between editions, is there any reason to go with the more expensive new editions? Are there any changes that could be relevant to your grade, even if it doesn't really matter for your knowledge??

yeah, i'm highly doubting that an older edition will be a disadvantage, especially for anatomy, histo, embryo, cell bio, and biochem. genetics and neuro may be riskier i guess, but i still think the basics that we learn first year haven't changed much in the last ten years. so i figure the biggest problem will be a difference in page numbers, but anyone with half a brain can use a table of contents or index. other than that, sometimes they put in better graphics which is nice, but not essential. and i've heard again and again that the textbooks are really only used as reference and not primary study material and sometimes just sit on the shelf unused, so i figured i'd start with these...the difference in price is too hard to pass up.

i'm just starting my first year, though, so i'm not speaking from experience.

 

[TheFlash]

ebay is good for cheap finds. also, using an edition of a book that's one or two previous to the current ed. is no problem at all. they usually change insignificantly between eds save for a picture/paragraph here and there.

 

[werd]

at some schools, there is an organized book sale where 2nd years sell their 1st year books cheap to the incoming class, so that might be somethig to look at quick. keep in mind that you won't use most of the recommended or even required texts for each class, so try to talk to MS2+'s to see what you actually should get. i'm sure this varies by school, but i've only utilized 2 texts in my 1st year out of a "required" list of 20 or so.

 

[pillowhead]

That was gonna be my question, re: editions.. a lot of the time on half.com, the current edition of say for instance Grant's Dissector will be 70 bucks, but the previous edition bill be 3.75.... seeing as how these subjects probably don't have THAT much advancement between editions, is there any reason to go with the more expensive new editions? Are there any changes that could be relevant to your grade, even if it doesn't really matter for your knowledge??

The only subjects where edition really seems to matter are microbiology (new bugs and variants are always being discovered or management changes as with TB) and pharmacology (too much new info all the time). Behavioral science could feasibly be added, too, as some of the epidemiology and treatment approaches change. But for all first year classes? Just get cheapest editions.

 

[fielight]

like others have noted, try to buy as few books as you can for 1st year. i bought 2 for my entire first year (Netter for anatomy, and then Haines for neuro). it's usually very apparent that you'll need a book once you start the course, so i would just wait a week into it before buying anything. and don't be suckered into buying the supplemental, workbook type stuff... there are some worthwhile ones, but mostly you won't have time to read them. older editions will be ok, because you're not learning (or at least, the exam isn't based on) the cutting-edge stuff anyway.