Textbooks???

[HelloGoodbye]

Hello everybody...I'm a second semester M1 and was wondering if I could get your opinions on textbooks.

So first semester I was an eager med student and bought all of the required textbooks (~$700). However, I ended up only using my Netter for Anatomy and my Histology textbook. Our school has pretty good coursepacks, with picture for most things, so I feel like I didn't need them that much. I kind of feel like I wasted a lot of money.

This semester I haven't bought many of the books, but am getting "non-buyers" regret...lol

So anyways, do you buy the required textbook for your school? Open for discussion!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Dwindlin]

I bought Netter's, Costanzo Phys, and Robins. Other than that I have used my course packs and review books and this has served me quite well.

 

[ruiner]

I buy everything but I'm getting paid so it don't matter. If I were cost conscious I would not, though I did just read my first text book ever cover to cover this semester. Pretty proud of myself for that. You likely aren't missing much, and I would just buy review books and Robbins the rest of the way through pre-clinicals.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Hello everybody...I'm a second semester M1 and was wondering if I could get your opinions on textbooks.

So first semester I was an eager med student and bought all of the required textbooks (~$700). However, I ended up only using my Netter for Anatomy and my Histology textbook. Our school has pretty good coursepacks, with picture for most things, so I feel like I didn't need them that much. I kind of feel like I wasted a lot of money.

This semester I haven't bought many of the books, but am getting "non-buyers" regret...lol

So anyways, do you buy the required textbook for your school? Open for discussion!

I haven't really bought almost any of the ones my school recommends. Our syllabi are very extensive (sounds like yours are too). So, if you just study the syllabus, you can pass. I'm saving my beans for a few Step I review books and a couple Qbank subscriptions.

 

[gravitywave]

I haven't really bought almost any of the ones my school recommends. Our syllabi are very extensive (sounds like yours are too). So, if you just study the syllabus, you can pass. I'm saving my beans for a few Step I review books and a couple Qbank subscriptions.

this

we can read Robbins and a lot of other books online for free (mdconsult, accessmedicine, etc) if we go through the med library portal. you might want to see if you have the same deal.

 

[islandCrazy]

As an international student the only safety net I have is to read textbooks. (Also considering I hate my profs lectures...HORRIBLE). There have been way to many times that the textbooks and the profs are not on the same level. I also only have one prof who makes note packages.
Buying textbooks on a tight budget has made me shop around alot. I don't always buy the recommended books from the profs instead I search through this forum to get an idea of which books are good. After that I search online for some good second hand deals. I don't mind reading used books it doesn't bother me and I don't always buy the latest edition (but I do check to see the differences between versions). This semester I paid about 30.00$ bucks for 4 books, that's including international shipping.

 

[lstone13]

Hello everybody...I'm a second semester M1 and was wondering if I could get your opinions on textbooks.

So first semester I was an eager med student and bought all of the required textbooks (~$700). However, I ended up only using my Netter for Anatomy and my Histology textbook. Our school has pretty good coursepacks, with picture for most things, so I feel like I didn't need them that much. I kind of feel like I wasted a lot of money.

This semester I haven't bought many of the books, but am getting "non-buyers" regret...lol

So anyways, do you buy the required textbook for your school? Open for discussion!

I usually buy the required textbooks, but I only buy them used (except for my Anatomy books, which were new). Most of our upperclassmen sell their textbooks at super cheap prices (in the $5-30 range), so it ends up being very affordable. If I can't get one from an upperclassman, then I usually just go to half.com to look for cheap used textbooks or even barnesandnoble.com

 

[thedoctor8706]

I only bought the costanzo for physio, lippincott for biochem, a neuroanatomy atlas, then tons of BRS type books. Textbooks are usually overpriced and never used anyways...

 

[DrBowtie]

Go with review books and if you need to reference the textbooks, check them out from the library.

 

[mkietu]

The great thing about buying textbooks is that they are forever yours. You won't remember half of the information you learn in medical school but at least you will have somewhere to look back for it in your "medical library".

 

[DrBowtie]

The great thing about buying textbooks is that they are forever yours. You won't remember half of the information you learn in medical school but at least you will have somewhere to look back for it in your "medical library".

That will have old information. The future is UptoDate and journal articles. Besides, most textbooks that you would reference (Robbins) are online.

 

[Mean Muggin]

hello everybody...i'm a second semester m1 and was wondering if i could get your opinions on textbooks.

So first semester i was an eager med student and bought all of the required textbooks (~$700). However, i ended up only using my netter for anatomy and my histology textbook. Our school has pretty good coursepacks, with picture for most things, so i feel like i didn't need them that much. I kind of feel like i wasted a lot of money.

This semester i haven't bought many of the books, but am getting "non-buyers" regret...lol

so anyways, do you buy the required textbook for your school? Open for discussion!

ok erw.

 

[hrandani]

If I went back in time, not only would I not go to class ever, I would only buy the following:

BRS Anatomy
Thieme Atlas
Junquiera Histo
Guyton Physio
BRS Physio
Micro Ridic Simple
Rapid Review Biochem (but not for full price!)
Rapid Review Path
Big Robbins
Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases
Lange Katzung Basic and Clinical Pharmacology
Wikipedia & Gunner Training to round it out / hammer home the essentials

The only one I feel any trepidation about recommending is Big Robbins. I gave it my best shot but I didn't make it through the whole book, and when I did manage to slog through a whole chapter, it didn't feel like I learned anything. But I still remember the feeling the first day I cracked it open and started reading. I felt like I was really in medical school for the first time.

I second what the other guy said. Buying these books new is a huge mistake. Do not buy books you aren't positive you need. Do not buy clinical equipment until someone has already yelled at you for not having it. Search online, ebay, half price, whatever.

Altogether I doubt I spent more than 400 bucks. Q banks more than doubled that, unfortunately.

 

[bad virus]

With the following list, you shouldn't have to set your foot in the door or even get out of bed to ace medical school in about 9 months.

1. Essential Clinical Anatomy by Moore
2. Any atlas of your choosing
3. Histology an atlas and text (just as a reference)
4. High Yield embryology
5. Costanzo's physiology (the big book)
6. Lippincotts pharmacology
7. Lippincotts Biochemistry (greatest book ever written)
8. Lippincotts Microbiology (this covers all the immunology you need)
9. Young and Young Neuroscience
10. Mamma robbins (I bought the big one but the little one should do)
11. Robbins Review of pathology (must have question book)

Then a bunch of micro and pharm flash cards

Also, if i could go back in time i would have started USMLEworld and Qbank from day one and not ever gone to class.

The only class you need to attend is anatomy lab.

 

[Oryza]

Well, this is the tried and true textbook for the equivalent of the first 2 years in us medical school from my side of the world.

Clinically Oriented Anatomy - Keith L. moore
Clinical Neuroanatomy - Stephen G. Waxman
Basic Histology : Text and Atlas - Junquiera
Langman's Embryology
Textbook of Medical Physiology - Guyton & Hall
Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry
Basic & Clinical Pharmacology - Bertram G. Katzung
Medical Microbiology - Jawetz Melnick Adelberg
Robbin's Pathologic Basis of Diseases

Supplemented with an atlas and weekly reading of journal articles (nejm) I believe these books (below $500) will give anyone a solid foundations for medicine. If i were you though, I won't bother with reading textbook (quadrant 4) instead I will focus on things that matter like test grades, getting aoa, usmle, research publication (quadrant 2).