To Current Loma Linda Dental Students...

[whodat4life]

Hi, I just have a few questions...and I'm so excited about joining you all in the fall.

1.) Where is the best housing around LLU? I know it's different for everyone, but I have my wife who will most likely be working in the Riverside area with me and we have a puppy as well.

2.) What Anatomy classes will I take my first year? What does Human Anatomy for Dentists I, II, and III mean? I know we do Neuro and Histo, but what other anatomy class and which one will I take first (fall)? Do we work with cadavers?

3.) What is the best advice you can give (from experience) that may help me a little before I start? I know it will be really difficult, but do you really have to stay up studying 24/7 or will I have a little time to spend with my wife?

4.) What is the hardest class I will take during my first year (what class is notoriously known for being the toughest)?

5.) For you, what has (or was) been the hardest adaptation to make to ensure your success in the LLUSD program?

6.) What is a typical day like for a D1 student?

7.) When is our whitecoat ceremony? I know schools do it differently...some do it before school, some do it after the D2 year, and some do it at the end. It seems like it would seem more rewarding at the end (D4) because you've worked longer for it.

I sure appreciate any advice, and if you have any other advice I would appreciate it as well. Anything you have to say would be helpful to me!

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[Gentledental1]

1.) Where is the best housing around LLU? I know it's different for everyone, but I have my wife who will most likely be working in the Riverside area with me and we have a puppy as well.

best houses will be in redlands, heading up towards sunset drive. if you're committed to living close to school, which is unnecessary (although I did for my first two years), the houses on the southwest side of Barton rd are going to be nicer than anything on the north east side of it. NE direction takes you into san bernardino, which is ghetttttto.

2.) What Anatomy classes will I take my first year? What does Human Anatomy for Dentists I, II, and III mean? I know we do Neuro and Histo, but what other anatomy class and which one will I take first (fall)? Do we work with cadavers?

you start working with cadavers day one. if you took an advanced anatomy class in college, its pretty similar. you pretty much cover everything. They do it sort of in systems, so you'll be learning histo, neuro and anatomy of some body part on a given week.

3.) What is the best advice you can give (from experience) that may help me a little before I start? I know it will be really difficult, but do you really have to stay up studying 24/7 or will I have a little time to spend with my wife?

Best advice, enjoy the time you have now to just kick it. you'll never have this much time off of school again. enjoy your summer break, take a trip, spend time with your wife. and ya, after the first quarter of dent school you and you've settled into everything you'll have more time than you ever thought you'd have for your wife. your perspective changes and you get alot better at studying. first year is the worst, its all easier after that, at least from the time perspective.

4.) What is the hardest class I will take during my first year (what class is notoriously known for being the toughest)?

Anatomy and physio will be the big ones you take all year. i think they changed their curriculum so now first years take microbiology at the end of the year, don't know, it used to be in the second year summer.

5.) For you, what has (or was) been the hardest adaptation to make to ensure your success in the LLUSD program?

honestly, its not that hard. I remember tripping out before I got into dental school, then you get shotgunned to the face with information, you get used to it, and life returns to normal. it ends up being pretty fun actually, and you make the best friends of your life in d-school.

6.) What is a typical day like for a D1 student?

I don't remember. maybe 3-4 hours of studying each night on average, don't do anything from friday at noon until sunday morning.

7.) When is our whitecoat ceremony? I know schools do it differently...some do it before school, some do it after the D2 year, and some do it at the end. It seems like it would seem more rewarding at the end (D4) because you've worked longer for it.

its at the beginning of your 4th year. this is a religious affiliated school, so your first year you get a bible with your name on it (or whatever book your particular religion subscribes to) at the same ceremony that the d4s get their white coats.

I sure appreciate any advice, and if you have any other advice I would appreciate it as well. Anything you have to say would be helpful to me!

 

[whodat4life]

1.) Where is the best housing around LLU? I know it's different for everyone, but I have my wife who will most likely be working in the Riverside area with me and we have a puppy as well.

best houses will be in redlands, heading up towards sunset drive. if you're committed to living close to school, which is unnecessary (although I did for my first two years), the houses on the southwest side of Barton rd are going to be nicer than anything on the north east side of it. NE direction takes you into san bernardino, which is ghetttttto.

2.) What Anatomy classes will I take my first year? What does Human Anatomy for Dentists I, II, and III mean? I know we do Neuro and Histo, but what other anatomy class and which one will I take first (fall)? Do we work with cadavers?

you start working with cadavers day one. if you took an advanced anatomy class in college, its pretty similar. you pretty much cover everything. They do it sort of in systems, so you'll be learning histo, neuro and anatomy of some body part on a given week.

3.) What is the best advice you can give (from experience) that may help me a little before I start? I know it will be really difficult, but do you really have to stay up studying 24/7 or will I have a little time to spend with my wife?

Best advice, enjoy the time you have now to just kick it. you'll never have this much time off of school again. enjoy your summer break, take a trip, spend time with your wife. and ya, after the first quarter of dent school you and you've settled into everything you'll have more time than you ever thought you'd have for your wife. your perspective changes and you get alot better at studying. first year is the worst, its all easier after that, at least from the time perspective.

4.) What is the hardest class I will take during my first year (what class is notoriously known for being the toughest)?

Anatomy and physio will be the big ones you take all year. i think they changed their curriculum so now first years take microbiology at the end of the year, don't know, it used to be in the second year summer.

5.) For you, what has (or was) been the hardest adaptation to make to ensure your success in the LLUSD program?

honestly, its not that hard. I remember tripping out before I got into dental school, then you get shotgunned to the face with information, you get used to it, and life returns to normal. it ends up being pretty fun actually, and you make the best friends of your life in d-school.

6.) What is a typical day like for a D1 student?

I don't remember. maybe 3-4 hours of studying each night on average, don't do anything from friday at noon until sunday morning.

7.) When is our whitecoat ceremony? I know schools do it differently...some do it before school, some do it after the D2 year, and some do it at the end. It seems like it would seem more rewarding at the end (D4) because you've worked longer for it.

its at the beginning of your 4th year. this is a religious affiliated school, so your first year you get a bible with your name on it (or whatever book your particular religion subscribes to) at the same ceremony that the d4s get their white coats.

I sure appreciate any advice, and if you have any other advice I would appreciate it as well. Anything you have to say would be helpful to me!

WOW, thanks so much for taking so much time to answer my questions!!!

 

[trust068]

1.) Where is the best housing around LLU? I know it's different for everyone, but I have my wife who will most likely be working in the Riverside area with me and we have a puppy as well.
-I live next to downtown Riverside because house here is way cheaper than loma linda or redlands. It takes me about 30 minutes to drive down, park, and walk to classroom. I also had classmates commute from corona and chino daily and didn't have problem. However, i would rather live closer to school so I can spend more time in the lab or use the free gym membership in campus


2.) What Anatomy classes will I take my first year? What does Human Anatomy for Dentists I, II, and III mean? I know we do Neuro and Histo, but what other anatomy class and which one will I take first (fall)? Do we work with cadavers?
-4 students shares a cadavor( at least it was so when I started in 07), they will be fresh and unaltered. Before it was separated category like neuro and histo. but now they just mix together because neuro and histo does not have that much weight in the board exam anymore, so they dont want to waste your time

3.) What is the best advice you can give (from experience) that may help me a little before I start? I know it will be really difficult, but do you really have to stay up studying 24/7 or will I have a little time to spend with my wife?
-It is really depends on how focus you are in class and how fast you learn. many of my classmates have 3+ kids and family, and one of my friend even has to work part time at their own family own supermarket in the weekend. Bottom line is yes! you will have life! it is all depends on your time management

4.) What is the hardest class I will take during my first year (what class is notoriously known for being the toughest)?
-biochemistry usually have highest failure rate. but anatomy would be the class make you feel you don't have enough time.

5.) For you, what has (or was) been the hardest adaptation to make to ensure your success in the LLUSD program?
-pay attention to instruction, stay focus, stay awake, time management (this is the most important factor for success and failure), stress management.

6.) What is a typical day like for a D1 student?
- i think you will a lot of study time although i cannot remember clearly right now. D1 and D2 has a lot to study, D3 has very few to study and D4 is almost none. school require you take to take NBDE1 D3 June (right after you finish D2), and NBDE2 at D4 December. you will have to take the national board at the specified time frame (1 month) or they will block your registration.

7.) When is our whitecoat ceremony? I know schools do it differently...some do it before school, some do it after the D2 year, and some do it at the end. It seems like it would seem more rewarding at the end (D4) because you've worked longer for it.
-you get it at your D4 year February.

I sure appreciate any advice, and if you have any other advice I would appreciate it as well. Anything you have to say would be helpful to me!

-if you need caffeine, there is a hidden vending machine in the dental school near implant departments sells caffeinated drink. I personally always carry a bottle of 5 hour energy in my backpack just in case.

 

[whodat4life]

trust068 - thanks so much for your help! Everyone says that Biochem class is ridiculously hard. I took Biochem in undergrad from a very hard professor, but I'm sure it will be a lot harder. I will be glad to get that class behind me for sure! I'm so excited about being there, we're actually about to move to the Van Leuven area, so I will be about 5 minutes away from the school.

 

[lemoncurry]

1.) Where is the best housing around LLU? I know it's different for everyone, but I have my wife who will most likely be working in the Riverside area with me and we have a puppy as well.

-there are TONS of housing options around campus. My family (wife and 4 kids) live in a nice house south of Barton which is about a 5 minute drive to campus. If it is just you and your wife and a dog, and you don't mind a smaller or older place, there are myriads of places ranging from single rooms, to studios, to apts, duplexes, houses, etc. I personally don't like driving to Riverside because traffic on the 215 is just so unpredictable, but some of my classmates live near UCR or in Moreno Valley, so it all depends on you. One of my classmates commutes from Rancho Cucamonga. It all depends on what you're willing to live in and who is willing to make the commuting sacrifice.

2.) What Anatomy classes will I take my first year? What does Human Anatomy for Dentists I, II, and III mean? I know we do Neuro and Histo, but what other anatomy class and which one will I take first (fall)? Do we work with cadavers?

-They used to have it divided up into separate classes, but now all the anatomy stuff (neuro, histo, embryology, etc) are all mixed together under the umbrella of Human Anatomy. You take it your entire D1 year and it is very tough, but doable. You do work with cadavers. I don't know what the system is now that they have the new building and new anatomy lab, but it used to be that we shared a single cadaver with ~6 students. I was a total slacker in lab, though.

3.) What is the best advice you can give (from experience) that may help me a little before I start? I know it will be really difficult, but do you really have to stay up studying 24/7 or will I have a little time to spend with my wife?

- You will not get any summers off in dental school, so enjoy while you can. You will not be studying 24/7 unless you are that kind of student. Even the most studious of the class seemed to have plenty of free time. Unless you really aren't grasping the material at all, or like to spend hours memorizing things, you should have plenty of time to have fun.

4.) What is the hardest class I will take during my first year (what class is notoriously known for being the toughest)?

Anatomy and/or physio. Biochem has been moved to a summer pre-session (3 weeks before fall quarter starts) and now you will be taking microbio in the spring of D1 year.

5.) For you, what has (or was) been the hardest adaptation to make to ensure your success in the LLUSD program?

- Time management. D1 year, the biggest adjustments are dealing with the fire hydrant spray of material that comes at you and the idea that your dental lab work is going to be scrutinized in terms of fractions of millimeters. D2 year, you have roughly the same flow of material (which you are adjusted to) but you have a boatload of lab work. D3 year, you have less class, less lab, but you have a boatload of clinic. D4 is all about clinic and boards, pretty much, but I haven't gotten there yet.

6.) What is a typical day like for a D1 student?

-8 AM classes all week. Anatomy, physiology, lab, lunch, tooth morph, waxing lab, go home. Tues and thurs have afternoons off and all fridays afternoons are off.

7.) When is our whitecoat ceremony? I know schools do it differently...some do it before school, some do it after the D2 year, and some do it at the end. It seems like it would seem more rewarding at the end (D4) because you've worked longer for it.

-White coat D4 year. D1s get their Bibles at the same ceremony.

I sure appreciate any advice, and if you have any other advice I would appreciate it as well. Anything you have to say would be helpful to me!

-Utilize your "big brother/sister" in the D2 class for as much as you can. Ask them anything, ask them for books, etc. Start making friends with D3s, because you may be able to assist them, as a D2, when they are taking boards their senior year. It's a good experience and they will love you for it.

See you in the fall!

 

[whodat4life]

1.) Where is the best housing around LLU? I know it's different for everyone, but I have my wife who will most likely be working in the Riverside area with me and we have a puppy as well.

-there are TONS of housing options around campus. My family (wife and 4 kids) live in a nice house south of Barton which is about a 5 minute drive to campus. If it is just you and your wife and a dog, and you don't mind a smaller or older place, there are myriads of places ranging from single rooms, to studios, to apts, duplexes, houses, etc. I personally don't like driving to Riverside because traffic on the 215 is just so unpredictable, but some of my classmates live near UCR or in Moreno Valley, so it all depends on you. One of my classmates commutes from Rancho Cucamonga. It all depends on what you're willing to live in and who is willing to make the commuting sacrifice.

2.) What Anatomy classes will I take my first year? What does Human Anatomy for Dentists I, II, and III mean? I know we do Neuro and Histo, but what other anatomy class and which one will I take first (fall)? Do we work with cadavers?

-They used to have it divided up into separate classes, but now all the anatomy stuff (neuro, histo, embryology, etc) are all mixed together under the umbrella of Human Anatomy. You take it your entire D1 year and it is very tough, but doable. You do work with cadavers. I don't know what the system is now that they have the new building and new anatomy lab, but it used to be that we shared a single cadaver with ~6 students. I was a total slacker in lab, though.

3.) What is the best advice you can give (from experience) that may help me a little before I start? I know it will be really difficult, but do you really have to stay up studying 24/7 or will I have a little time to spend with my wife?

- You will not get any summers off in dental school, so enjoy while you can. You will not be studying 24/7 unless you are that kind of student. Even the most studious of the class seemed to have plenty of free time. Unless you really aren't grasping the material at all, or like to spend hours memorizing things, you should have plenty of time to have fun.

4.) What is the hardest class I will take during my first year (what class is notoriously known for being the toughest)?

Anatomy and/or physio. Biochem has been moved to a summer pre-session (3 weeks before fall quarter starts) and now you will be taking microbio in the spring of D1 year.

5.) For you, what has (or was) been the hardest adaptation to make to ensure your success in the LLUSD program?

- Time management. D1 year, the biggest adjustments are dealing with the fire hydrant spray of material that comes at you and the idea that your dental lab work is going to be scrutinized in terms of fractions of millimeters. D2 year, you have roughly the same flow of material (which you are adjusted to) but you have a boatload of lab work. D3 year, you have less class, less lab, but you have a boatload of clinic. D4 is all about clinic and boards, pretty much, but I haven't gotten there yet.

6.) What is a typical day like for a D1 student?

-8 AM classes all week. Anatomy, physiology, lab, lunch, tooth morph, waxing lab, go home. Tues and thurs have afternoons off and all fridays afternoons are off.

7.) When is our whitecoat ceremony? I know schools do it differently...some do it before school, some do it after the D2 year, and some do it at the end. It seems like it would seem more rewarding at the end (D4) because you've worked longer for it.

-White coat D4 year. D1s get their Bibles at the same ceremony.

I sure appreciate any advice, and if you have any other advice I would appreciate it as well. Anything you have to say would be helpful to me!

-Utilize your "big brother/sister" in the D2 class for as much as you can. Ask them anything, ask them for books, etc. Start making friends with D3s, because you may be able to assist them, as a D2, when they are taking boards their senior year. It's a good experience and they will love you for it.

See you in the fall!

Hey lemoncurry thanks so much for the help and advice. I'm really looking forward to it. I hear everyone say that, referring to the amount of info they throw at you. I'm a perfectionist and that has been my problem in the past because I want to make sure I study EVERYTHING. I've heard many people in grad schools say that you simply do not have time to do that. That's about the only thing that worries me I guess. I need to break my habits of taking too long on one specific thing. Do they actually assign "big brother/big sister" or should I start looking for one? My wife and I are planning to move there on the 15th of May so I may come up to the school and try to get a feel of everything before school starts. It will be fun getting to meet everyone and I may go to the clinic and see if I can observe some students or assist (not sure if I can do that yet since I haven't started).

We're going to be living in the Van Leuven area which is very close to the school. We found a very nice place and my wife found a job in Redlands. Both trips are a max of like three minutes drive!

 

[drdicty]

I'm a current D1. Your questions have been adequately answered by the wise people before me so if you have any other specific questions, you're welcome to PM me. You will be assigned a big brother/big sister-- they give us a roster of your class I think over summer quarter and we sign up for a D1 before you get here.

Hey lemoncurry thanks so much for the help and advice. I'm really looking forward to it. I hear everyone say that, referring to the amount of info they throw at you. I'm a perfectionist and that has been my problem in the past because I want to make sure I study EVERYTHING. I've heard many people in grad schools say that you simply do not have time to do that. That's about the only thing that worries me I guess. I need to break my habits of taking too long on one specific thing. Do they actually assign "big brother/big sister" or should I start looking for one? My wife and I are planning to move there on the 15th of May so I may come up to the school and try to get a feel of everything before school starts. It will be fun getting to meet everyone and I may go to the clinic and see if I can observe some students or assist (not sure if I can do that yet since I haven't started).

We're going to be living in the Van Leuven area which is very close to the school. We found a very nice place and my wife found a job in Redlands. Both trips are a max of like three minutes drive!

 

[whodat4life]

I'm a current D1. Your questions have been adequately answered by the wise people before me so if you have any other specific questions, you're welcome to PM me. You will be assigned a big brother/big sister-- they give us a roster of your class I think over summer quarter and we sign up for a D1 before you get here.

Awesome! How has D1 been? I'm so excited about finally starting...

 

[drdicty]

It's mostly been busy, and stressful at times... but definitely enjoyable. I'd choose this a million times over undergrad, even though undergrad was great in its own ways. I'm looking forward to the year being over, though!

Awesome! How has D1 been? I'm so excited about finally starting...

 

[whodat4life]

It's mostly been busy, and stressful at times... but definitely enjoyable. I'd choose this a million times over undergrad, even though undergrad was great in its own ways. I'm looking forward to the year being over, though!

That's great to hear! I bet you are excited about it being over. From what I hear, D2 is the toughest year, so I'm sure you'll be glad to get that one over too..ha!! I have a question about two things. A) When do we get a computer? Will we be able to use financial aid before school starts so that we have it the first day of classes? -and- B) Should I buy all of the textbooks before school starts??? Or do most of the D1 classes go off powerpoints? Thanks so much for all of your helpful advice!!!

 

[drdicty]

A) You should probably purchase your laptop before school starts, as you will have lecture beginning the first day. There is an option to increase your financial aid if you cannot cover purchasing the laptop with the financial aid you've been given, but you have to buy the laptop before you request it (as they require a receipt for the increase to process). With the biochemistry pre-session, you could probably get away with not having one (i.e. if you're waiting for a promo or some laptop that comes out after school begins), but for the most part, a laptop is pretty much your lifeline. You will also be required to get clearance from Dental Computer Services (you drop it off for a day or two while they do checks on it to make sure you're eligible to be on the school network), so the sooner the better, since the traffic for that builds up as the time goes on.

B) Do NOT buy all of the textbooks, no, no! You will hardly have enough time to go through the seas of PowerPoints as it is. I haven't had one class without PowerPoint, and unlike the medical school, they do not print them off for you and supply you with organized binders for each class (where does our tuition go... you'll be asking yourself this again when you are sitting on the rock hard wooden chairs of Mortensen Hall for endless hours of anatomy/physio, unless they decide your tuition dollars are worth putting you in the brand-new Centennial Complex with swiveling chairs and personal ethernet ports/power outlets where the first-year medical students are... no, I'm not bitter ) so if you want them in paper form, you will be responsible for printing them out yourself. I bought a few textbooks (some professors require you to buy it and show proof of purchase, or it negatively impacts your grade), but for the most part, I've found board review books to be the most helpful if I need supplements outside of the PowerPoints.

Physio - BRS Physiology (by Costanzo) is good (it's not magical though... everyone said it was magical, but it's not really). She also has a textbook that I got from a friend in med school, which is basically a glorified version of the BRS. Also good, but no time to read.

Biochem - Lippincott's Biochemistry is a pretty good supplement to the High Yield Biochemistry review book (the guy who wrote High Yield Biochem is at LLU, but doesn't teach our biochem... I think you'll have a few lectures from him in physio), which was what they required us to buy for our pre-session... because High Yield is kind of a bare minimum. I'm not sure how similar your pre-session will be since ours was the guinea pig trial run, so I've heard they've already made changes (i.e. yours is 4 weeks when ours was only 3, etc). Biochem in general is just awful (in my experience), though, so I was happier for the shorter since my retention for boards would probably not change regardless. That and knowing that the relevance of this class to my day-to-day career experience will be nonexistent... so, whatever gets me through the torture faster is (unfortunately) what I'm interested in for biochem...

Anatomy - As for anatomy... BRS Anatomy is pretty subpar, lots of mistakes... Road Map USMLE Anatomy is probably better, but I didn't use it a whole lot-- a friend in med school lent it to me. For the most part, PowerPoint will be enough. A lot of my classmates and I liked Netter's, but some people like Thieme... I ended up getting Netter's on my computer, which was infinitely more helpful because I didn't have to lug the big atlas around. The vice chair of anatomy at Loma Linda co-authoured a photographic atlas that I bought in undergrad when I took gross from one of the other co-authours, and it is helpful to see the dissections in "real life" rather than in watercolour, but not essential in my opinion... nothing will replace actually going into lab and putting in the time there. Netter's should be enough to guide you. Do NOT buy the Netter's flashcards. They will seem very tempting, especially when you see the other students who have been duped by this lure, because "I can use them wherever I go!" Yeah, that lasted about two weeks for me before the PowerPoint whirlpool swallowed me whole. You simply will not have time.

As for neuro (which is part of anatomy, you'll take it spring quarter), the notes are not that great... but I also don't have enough time to read the review books I've gotten from friends. I have "Neuroanatomy Made Easy and Understandable" and High Yield Neuro, which have been ok but again, probably haven't read enough of them to give it a legitimate review.

Micro - Now that micro is part of D1, I'll let you know that Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple is helpful (also one that people deem magical), but I find that it's not quite enough, so I supplement it with High Yield Micro (which is not as bare bones as the High Yield Biochem). People like the Ridiculously Simple book because it has a lot of helpful mnemonics and easy-to-read language. The textbook that they currently require for this course is horrible, but everyone was required to get it. Just make sure you supplement it with stuff you can understand.

Dental classes - Some of my classmates have bought the textbooks that are associated with our dental classes (operative dentistry, periodontics, etc), claiming that they will put them in their "future libraries"... but that to me translates to a waste of space and money. These textbooks are not cheap. The only textbook that I think is worth buying is the one for operative (Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry), but definitely not the perio textbook. I guess I haven't taken enough dental classes to know what else is worthless/worthwhile, but I will definitely be doing my research before putting down the Benjamins just to beautify my library.

Hope that helps. I know that looks like a lot, but it's just a lot of words. Don't stress-- enjoy your time before it starts. Feel free to ask more questions if you need.

That's great to hear! I bet you are excited about it being over. From what I hear, D2 is the toughest year, so I'm sure you'll be glad to get that one over too..ha!! I have a question about two things. A) When do we get a computer? Will we be able to use financial aid before school starts so that we have it the first day of classes? -and- B) Should I buy all of the textbooks before school starts??? Or do most of the D1 classes go off powerpoints? Thanks so much for all of your helpful advice!!!

 

[whodat4life]

A) You should probably purchase your laptop before school starts, as you will have lecture beginning the first day. There is an option to increase your financial aid if you cannot cover purchasing the laptop with the financial aid you've been given, but you have to buy the laptop before you request it (as they require a receipt for the increase to process). With the biochemistry pre-session, you could probably get away with not having one (i.e. if you're waiting for a promo or some laptop that comes out after school begins), but for the most part, a laptop is pretty much your lifeline. You will also be required to get clearance from Dental Computer Services (you drop it off for a day or two while they do checks on it to make sure you're eligible to be on the school network), so the sooner the better, since the traffic for that builds up as the time goes on.

B) Do NOT buy all of the textbooks, no, no! You will hardly have enough time to go through the seas of PowerPoints as it is. I haven't had one class without PowerPoint, and unlike the medical school, they do not print them off for you and supply you with organized binders for each class (where does our tuition go... you'll be asking yourself this again when you are sitting on the rock hard wooden chairs of Mortensen Hall for endless hours of anatomy/physio, unless they decide your tuition dollars are worth putting you in the brand-new Centennial Complex with swiveling chairs and personal ethernet ports/power outlets where the first-year medical students are... no, I'm not bitter ) so if you want them in paper form, you will be responsible for printing them out yourself. I bought a few textbooks (some professors require you to buy it and show proof of purchase, or it negatively impacts your grade), but for the most part, I've found board review books to be the most helpful if I need supplements outside of the PowerPoints.

Physio - BRS Physiology (by Costanzo) is good (it's not magical though... everyone said it was magical, but it's not really). She also has a textbook that I got from a friend in med school, which is basically a glorified version of the BRS. Also good, but no time to read.

Biochem - Lippincott's Biochemistry is a pretty good supplement to the High Yield Biochemistry review book (the guy who wrote High Yield Biochem is at LLU, but doesn't teach our biochem... I think you'll have a few lectures from him in physio), which was what they required us to buy for our pre-session... because High Yield is kind of a bare minimum. I'm not sure how similar your pre-session will be since ours was the guinea pig trial run, so I've heard they've already made changes (i.e. yours is 4 weeks when ours was only 3, etc). Biochem in general is just awful (in my experience), though, so I was happier for the shorter since my retention for boards would probably not change regardless. That and knowing that the relevance of this class to my day-to-day career experience will be nonexistent... so, whatever gets me through the torture faster is (unfortunately) what I'm interested in for biochem...

Anatomy - As for anatomy... BRS Anatomy is pretty subpar, lots of mistakes... Road Map USMLE Anatomy is probably better, but I didn't use it a whole lot-- a friend in med school lent it to me. For the most part, PowerPoint will be enough. A lot of my classmates and I liked Netter's, but some people like Thieme... I ended up getting Netter's on my computer, which was infinitely more helpful because I didn't have to lug the big atlas around. The vice chair of anatomy at Loma Linda co-authoured a photographic atlas that I bought in undergrad when I took gross from one of the other co-authours, and it is helpful to see the dissections in "real life" rather than in watercolour, but not essential in my opinion... nothing will replace actually going into lab and putting in the time there. Netter's should be enough to guide you. Do NOT buy the Netter's flashcards. They will seem very tempting, especially when you see the other students who have been duped by this lure, because "I can use them wherever I go!" Yeah, that lasted about two weeks for me before the PowerPoint whirlpool swallowed me whole. You simply will not have time.

As for neuro (which is part of anatomy, you'll take it spring quarter), the notes are not that great... but I also don't have enough time to read the review books I've gotten from friends. I have "Neuroanatomy Made Easy and Understandable" and High Yield Neuro, which have been ok but again, probably haven't read enough of them to give it a legitimate review.

Micro - Now that micro is part of D1, I'll let you know that Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple is helpful (also one that people deem magical), but I find that it's not quite enough, so I supplement it with High Yield Micro (which is not as bare bones as the High Yield Biochem). People like the Ridiculously Simple book because it has a lot of helpful mnemonics and easy-to-read language. The textbook that they currently require for this course is horrible, but everyone was required to get it. Just make sure you supplement it with stuff you can understand.

Dental classes - Some of my classmates have bought the textbooks that are associated with our dental classes (operative dentistry, periodontics, etc), claiming that they will put them in their "future libraries"... but that to me translates to a waste of space and money. These textbooks are not cheap. The only textbook that I think is worth buying is the one for operative (Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry), but definitely not the perio textbook. I guess I haven't taken enough dental classes to know what else is worthless/worthwhile, but I will definitely be doing my research before putting down the Benjamins just to beautify my library.

Hope that helps. I know that looks like a lot, but it's just a lot of words. Don't stress-- enjoy your time before it starts. Feel free to ask more questions if you need.

HAHA, no problem. Thanks so much for all of the info! So, tell me if I gather what you're saying about the computer. Basically, if the cost of the computer is more than what's alloted to you on the expense sheet for the year, you have to cover it out of pocket. Surely they have it set up to where the students can advance their aid that will come in to purchase the school before school starts. There's no way I can come up with that much money to buy the laptop...all these fees have drained our bank account.

 

[drdicty]

They do have an option, but at least for our class, we had to purchase the laptop up front and have a receipt/proof of purchase in order to get the increase granted. People who were not able to cover the laptop purchase on their own found other ways (i.e. put it on two credit cards, borrowed a credit card from a family member and paid them back after the increase was applied). That's how it was for our class, anyway--

HAHA, no problem. Thanks so much for all of the info! So, tell me if I gather what you're saying about the computer. Basically, if the cost of the computer is more than what's alloted to you on the expense sheet for the year, you have to cover it out of pocket. Surely they have it set up to where the students can advance their aid that will come in to purchase the school before school starts. There's no way I can come up with that much money to buy the laptop...all these fees have drained our bank account.

 

[whodat4life]

They do have an option, but at least for our class, we had to purchase the laptop up front and have a receipt/proof of purchase in order to get the increase granted. People who were not able to cover the laptop purchase on their own found other ways (i.e. put it on two credit cards, borrowed a credit card from a family member and paid them back after the increase was applied). That's how it was for our class, anyway--

Sorry it took so long. I emailed the guy (Mr. Kenneth Larsen) in financial aid and asked him if it were possible to get our computer before class starts. He said our accounts will be credited 6 days before school starts and that we have to bring the receipt to him so he can adjust our budgets. So, I assume I will be alright. It seems like they make this way too difficult, this should be taken care of before we ever get to school, and they should take our orders like a month before and hand them out to us the first day of classes (after computer services does their inspections or whatever they need to do). Oh well, it is what it is I guess. We'll make it through it one way or another. Thanks again for all of your help here. We've been moving this past week, so that's why some of my responses have been delayed. I LOVE this area and can't wait to start!

 

[lemoncurry]

re: the perio textbook-- I'm fairly biased because I happen to like perio, but this is also from the head honchos in the perio dept-- it is used in ALL of the perio classes you will be taking in your time at LLU and it is required. Basically, they start at chapter 1 in your D1 year and go through the chapters sequencially. It is a good textbook (although it is not my favorite) and the faculty here like it a lot and will reference it quite a bit.

hope the move is going well.

 

[whodat4life]

re: the perio textbook-- I'm fairly biased because I happen to like perio, but this is also from the head honchos in the perio dept-- it is used in ALL of the perio classes you will be taking in your time at LLU and it is required. Basically, they start at chapter 1 in your D1 year and go through the chapters sequencially. It is a good textbook (although it is not my favorite) and the faculty here like it a lot and will reference it quite a bit.

hope the move is going well.

Hi lemoncurry, yes I would just rather go ahead and purchase the book. You never know when you may need it in practice later on. The last thing I want to do is get professors mad at me because I didn't obey their policies.

The move is going wonderful, I love the area. My wife and I got out yesterday and were trying to learn our way around. We went down to try to look at Mortensen Hall yesterday, but the road was blocked off for construction (I guess). I was really happy with our choice on housing, the only thing that's hard for me is getting used to being without lights in the bedrooms...haha! My mother-in-law (from here) said it's because CA wants to cut down on excessive energy waste, so I guess I understand.

 

[bdarvish33]

this is some amazing advice. thanks everybody

 

[whodat4life]

this is some amazing advice. Thanks everybody

+1

 

[lemoncurry]

the only thing that's hard for me is getting used to being without lights in the bedrooms...haha! My mother-in-law (from here) said it's because CA wants to cut down on excessive energy waste, so I guess I understand.

come to think of it, you're right! none of the bedrooms in my house have overhead lighting. I don't know if it is an energy saving thing per se. I'm more inclined to think it is lazy/cheap construction. Usually there is an outlet connected to the light switch, though.

 

[whodat4life]

come to think of it, you're right! none of the bedrooms in my house have overhead lighting. I don't know if it is an energy saving thing per se. I'm more inclined to think it is lazy/cheap construction. Usually there is an outlet connected to the light switch, though.

How funny, we have an outlet here too...it's where we have the router/modem plugged in. It's so hard getting used to not having lights...I'm surely going to need something once school starts. I can see myself now trying to wax in the dark lol!

 

[lemoncurry]

just get some cheap floor lamps from target and plug them into the outlet connected to the switch.

 

[whodat4life]

just get some cheap floor lamps from target and plug them into the outlet connected to the switch.

Great idea...I'll do that this weekend! Good luck with graduation this weekend...I think I remember you saying you were D4! Congrats!

 

[whodat4life]

Can anyone tell me what the numbers after the course mean? For example, Human Anatomy I, II, and II...I know what classes we take (Neuro, Gross, Histo, Embryo, etc...) but I was wondering what each of the number means. Like..does Human Anatomy I mean Embryo? Does II mean Histo? Thanks in advance.

 

[SupahShyGuy]

Can anyone tell me what the numbers after the course mean? For example, Human Anatomy I, II, and II...I know what classes we take (Neuro, Gross, Histo, Embryo, etc...) but I was wondering what each of the number means. Like..does Human Anatomy I mean Embryo? Does II mean Histo? Thanks in advance.

Just finishing up my D1 year and currently studying for the neuro final.

Here's what I recall what was covered this year in Anatomy. Neuro, gross, histo, embryology were all wrapped up into the Anatomy course, just over the three quarters.

Human Anatomy I
Midterm - Pure / generalized histology of the body
Final - Histology and some embryology scattered in there... w/ I think Arms & Leg Gross (brachial plexus, thoracic / abdominal organ systems, etc etc)

Human Anatomy II
Head and Neck Histo/Anatomy, some embryology as well

Human Anatomy III
Neuroscience

 

[lemoncurry]

Great idea...I'll do that this weekend! Good luck with graduation this weekend...I think I remember you saying you were D4! Congrats!

Thanks, but I have 1 more year

The numbers after the course name just means that it is another course in the series. You will get a grade after each quarter, but the material continues along the same vein (pun intended). You have similar situations with Restorative I, II, etc, Endo, Oral surgery, Oral medicine, etc etc etc. If they didn't use the numbering system, you wouldn't get a grade until the end of the year.

 

[whodat4life]

Just finishing up my D1 year and currently studying for the neuro final.

Here's what I recall what was covered this year in Anatomy. Neuro, gross, histo, embryology were all wrapped up into the Anatomy course, just over the three quarters.

Human Anatomy I
Midterm - Pure / generalized histology of the body
Final - Histology and some embryology scattered in there... w/ I think Arms & Leg Gross (brachial plexus, thoracic / abdominal organ systems, etc etc)

Human Anatomy II
Head and Neck Histo/Anatomy, some embryology as well

Human Anatomy III
Neuroscience

Thanks for the very informative answer. Your neuro teacher was who I interviewed with...Dr. Hooker. I guess he teaches the only class, I think I remember me telling he was teaching it this quarter! Best of luck to you with the final, I bet that class is challenging to say the least.

 

[whodat4life]

Thanks, but I have 1 more year

The numbers after the course name just means that it is another course in the series. You will get a grade after each quarter, but the material continues along the same vein (pun intended). You have similar situations with Restorative I, II, etc, Endo, Oral surgery, Oral medicine, etc etc etc. If they didn't use the numbering system, you wouldn't get a grade until the end of the year.

LOL, nice one. Well, I've heard D4 is a lot more laid back, so I think you're pretty much set from here on out. When you're working in the clinic, do you schedule your own patients...or do they have someone who schedules them for you? I've heard so many people saying how hard it is to juggle classes and fulfill all of the clinical reqs to get done on time. Thanks so much for all of your help here.

 

[whodat4life]

Also, does the city of Loma Linda have any sort of public transportation? My wife works in Ontario and will have our only car. We live a little more than walking distance from the school (down Van Leuven), so I was wondering if they had a bus or anything that runs back and forth to the schools. Thanks again guys for all the help.

 

[hoylematt]

I am loving this thread, as I will be starting in the fall as well at LLU!

So i guess the resounding response to "should i be studying something now in the summer?" Is, "NO!" I feel better, seeing some of these responses for sure. I have been trying to spend as much time with my wife as possible, as I know that she will not have a husband for the next few years.

Honestly the class I am most worried about is Biochem. I had a horrible teacher in Undergrad and I feel like I didn't gain as much as I should have from the class. I even kept my text book (leninger) in case I would need to brush up before class starts. Is there anything I can do to prepare? Should I just relax and wait for school to start?

Once again thanks for the thread, its awesome!

 

[lemoncurry]

Also, does the city of Loma Linda have any sort of public transportation? My wife works in Ontario and will have our only car. We live a little more than walking distance from the school (down Van Leuven), so I was wondering if they had a bus or anything that runs back and forth to the schools. Thanks again guys for all the help.

D4 year should be more laid back, but we will have the non-stop scramble of competencies, mock boards, boards, blocks, etc. Next quarter I only have one class on one day a week, and the rest is clinic or block rotations. Looking very much forward to it.

When it comes to new patients, we don't control much of the scheduling, but we do have control over when we schedule patients we already have. PLUS, there is a new system starting this summer that gives us even more flexibility in our schedule. Basically, we get to use clinic during break times and can take time off during the quarter more easily.

Loma Linda does have buses that come to campus. I don't know exactly what the bus line route is from van leuven to campus, but I am 99% sure that you can take the bus fairly easily from there.

 

[whodat4life]

D4 year should be more laid back, but we will have the non-stop scramble of competencies, mock boards, boards, blocks, etc. Next quarter I only have one class on one day a week, and the rest is clinic or block rotations. Looking very much forward to it.

When it comes to new patients, we don't control much of the scheduling, but we do have control over when we schedule patients we already have. PLUS, there is a new system starting this summer that gives us even more flexibility in our schedule. Basically, we get to use clinic during break times and can take time off during the quarter more easily.

Loma Linda does have buses that come to campus. I don't know exactly what the bus line route is from van leuven to campus, but I am 99% sure that you can take the bus fairly easily from there.

Awesome news! I'm very nervous about D1..but I'm just going to give it my all. I guess all years of DS are pains in different ways. D1 is a crazy amount of info, D2 (worst from what I hear) is tons of info whilst getting oriented into the clinic/dental classes as well (+NBDE I), etc...

That's great news about being able to schedule patients over the breaks. I've always thought that would be easier because you wouldn't have to juggle treatments with classes.

I don't know what the bus line is either...I guess I'll find out once we start. Getting to school is no problem, I can just ride in with my wife. But she doesn't get off until like 5 or so, and if we have an early day...it would be nice to be able to get back home to study.