Tips for Buying Books (studentconsult online access, is it worth it?)

[copacetic]

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im an incoming M1, and im looking to buy most of my books online. besides that, ive noticed that alot of the newer versions of books have studentconsult.com online access. i want to save money (mainly because i dont have any...go figure) and im wondering if it wont just be better to buy the used copies of the latest edition and forego the online studentconsult.com access. in the past in undergrad, ive noticed that the online supplemental stuff was usually useless, is this also the case with first year med school books. in regarsd to the specific books, im talking about Gray's anatomy for students, netter's atlas, and rohen's atlas

 

[phospho]

Also an incoming m1

The impression i got from the med students I've spoken with is that you should always get the cheapest book (usually through amazon or something). It seems that lecture notes/slides and a cheap reference textbook are pretty much all that's needed to do well.

Also, another piece of advice I got is don't go crazy buying books yet (as tempting as it may get). Talk to the upper classmen and see if you actually do need the book(s). They might have better book suggestions for you (or even a used copy they can sell you).

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

More often than not, you will NOT need a text book that is "required" for a class. A lot of teachers recommend textbooks just for the sake of having a text for a class. Don't get suckered into buying anything you don't need.

At my school, they give us coursepacks with all the material they teach and test directly, no extra stuff from books. The text can sometimes clarify a point, but so can wikipedia, and it is free.....

All that being said, the ONLY book I purchased this year was a Netter atlas. You will need an anatomy atlas of some kind, one clean and one dirty. Share the cost of a dirty one with you lab mates, you only need one per group. Also, by signing up for one of the student groups (AMSA I think?) you can get a free Netter, so be sure to check that out before dropping some dough on a netter at the bookstore. I have consistently been near the upper 1/3 of class grades, so this method worked for me. The only other book I can reccomend would be a neuro atlas, I used a 2nd years so I tecnically didnt have to buy it 😛.

I guess the moral of the story is to wait and see how comprehensive your notes are and go from there. I am remarkably cheap, so I took the cheapest option and havnt regretted it yet 👍

 

[copacetic]

thanks for the advice so far, you've been very helpful. i need to be as frugal as possible. 👍 if anyone else has any more comments, please do keep them coming!!

 

[nogolfinsnow]

thanks for the advice so far, you've been very helpful. i need to be as frugal as possible. 👍 if anyone else has any more comments, please do keep them coming!!

If you can talk to some people finishing 1st year, see what books they absolutely had to have. Especially during 1st year the syllabus should give you about everything you need. I would recommend a good anatomy atlas and a good neuro book like Blumenfeld. But the key is the people who've done it; see what they say.

 

[Aesculapius]

Do NOT buy books before arriving, it is a huge waste of money (and space). Use the library until you get a feel for what books you will actually like and want. The one exception is to get a good photographic anatomy atlas- I highly suggest Rohen's Anatomy- http://www.amazon.com/Color-Atlas-A...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240852518&sr=8-1.

 

[copacetic]

Do NOT buy books before arriving, it is a huge waste of money (and space). Use the library until you get a feel for what books you will actually like and want. The one exception is to get a good photographic anatomy atlas- I highly suggest Rohen's Anatomy- http://www.amazon.com/Color-Atlas-A...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240852518&sr=8-1.

its a bit counterintuitive not not buy books before hand isnt it? at the very least it seems wise to buy Gray's anatomy for students, netter's atlas, and rohen's atlas no?😕

 

[Mr hawkings]

its a bit counterintuitive not not buy books before hand isnt it? at the very least it seems wise to buy Gray's anatomy for students, netter's atlas, and rohen's atlas no?😕

gray's? I doubt you'll need that dinosaur
The point of not buying ahead of time is a) you'll get advice from outgoing first years as to which books you absolutley need and which ones you can do without and
b) you may be able to buy books from them for cheap instead of wasting money on books you buy yourself.

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

its a bit counterintuitive not not buy books before hand isnt it? at the very least it seems wise to buy Gray's anatomy for students, netter's atlas, and rohen's atlas no?😕

Having all three would be redundant, and therefore a waste of money. You will only need 1 of the three, and between the group go with either netter or grays, with netter in the #1.

If you like to read and your coursepack is worthless, get greys. If you need multiple angles to see structures, get a netter. Rohen's atlas, while cool gives a completely unrealistic view of what you will see (and more importantly be tested on) in lab.

Either way, better to wait a bit to see what you will really need

 

[medstud2be]

I would second the recommendation to buy Netter's atlas, and don't buy anything until you get to school. Ask students from your school what you need. At my school you really don't need any other books. I bought several books, but I bought them from 2nd-4th years for pennies on the dollar. In fact, I emailed the 2nd-4th years for used boos and some were given to me free. Still, I bought books that I never used. I did find Moore's Anatomy text great/essential for our school's anatomy course (blue boxes).

 

[Preop]

if you can get one of those anatomy atlas books used, that wouldnt be a bad idea. those books can be pretty expensive new, and u can get great value just getting a used one in good condition. none of the material is going to be outdated, you know?

 

[Aesculapius]

Personally, I haven't used my Netter's since I got the Rohen's photographic atlas. People don't look like Netter's drawings, even if they are pretty. The one disadvantage to Rohen's is that the dissections are so much prettier than the ones you do in lab... Note that you want the most recent version of Rohen's, by the way- the older version is much inferior.

If you absolutely have to have Netter's, at least don't buy it- you get a "free" copy for joining AMSA. Also, remember that the school library undoubtedly has plenty of copies of older editions of Netter's, which will have the same drawings as the newest edition.

 

[copacetic]

Personally, I haven't used my Netter's since I got the Rohen's photographic atlas. People don't look like Netter's drawings, even if they are pretty. The one disadvantage to Rohen's is that the dissections are so much prettier than the ones you do in lab... Note that you want the most recent version of Rohen's, by the way- the older version is much inferior.

If you absolutely have to have Netter's, at least don't buy it- you get a "free" copy for joining AMSA. Also, remember that the school library undoubtedly has plenty of copies of older editions of Netter's, which will have the same drawings as the newest edition.

thanks for that little tidbit, ill join the AMSA and get netter's, any other ways to get free books? lol. how about a free stethoscope, lol.

 

[Mr hawkings]

thanks for that little tidbit, ill join the AMSA and get netter's, any other ways to get free books? lol. how about a free stethoscope, lol.

A couple of schools give you a free stethescope as part of the "white coat ceremony"