MCW 2011 part 2

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.
just wondering what is the best company in the area to get cable and internet from?
Members don't see this ad.
 
So for internet, there's Time Warner cable internet or DSL. Probably just up to you. One's not really better than the other. Just the usual differences in price and speed.

Cable - it used to be just Time Warner or satellite, but now we have AT&T Uverse in the area, which is cheaper. I'm entertaining getting this when I move to my next apartment in July. Go to www.uverse.att.com for more info. The odd thing that I've got to figure out is that if you search a Tosa location online, it says that it's not available here, but that can't be true because we have locations selling it here, I've been getting ads from them every other day in the mail, and I know one guy in my class that switched to it from Time Warner back in May. So probably just have to call them to sign up. The only thing is that I think they charge an installation fee, while you can usually get around that at Time Warner.
 
WCGee said:
So for those of you who decided to get private health insurance instead of the one the school offers, any suggestions? I'm trying to see if there's anything cheaper out there...
Click to expand...
samenewme is right. I've only got outside insurance because of my wife, and it's not much different than what you're paying - it's $200 a month with a $500 deductible.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I was alittle shocked by the price too. But again, I was working at one of the biggest network of clinics in the Twin Cities so I chose their plan that let you only see their docs and hospital (unless emergency) b/c all my docs were there. It was only $46 with a $250 deductible and $20 copay. I think our PPO which was medica was the most expensive. For an individual it was near $200. I chose the PPO plan because I intend to see some of my doc's back in MN on breaks, otherwise I would have chosen the HMO.

When I was visiting for my interview students talked about volunteering over at the children's hospital during their lunch hour. Do any of you do that? When I was in college I loved volunteering at a small hospital for children with chronic illness in chicago. We just played with the kids and it was great. Who wouldn't want to play video games on their lunch hour? Just kidding...
 
Big question... do they give us a list of recommended texts? Do you have suggestions on what is essential to have? I seem to have heard lippincotts through around for biochem... what else? Is the $850 enough for books? It looks as if other schools allotted $1500 or more for them.
 
Each class has a list of "required" texts. I didn't buy anything for biochem or devo.

I don't think I've spent more than $300 on books/year so far. Your big sib may have books you can borrow and stuff too.

Speaking of that, Don, I can return all those lovely board books to you. Thanks for letting me use them. =)
 
Allerian1004 said:
Big question... do they give us a list of recommended texts? Do you have suggestions on what is essential to have? I seem to have heard lippincotts through around for biochem... what else? Is the $850 enough for books? It looks as if other schools allotted $1500 or more for them.
Click to expand...

first year essentials to own: Netter. I bought lippincotts and NEVER used it. partly because of my severe hatred of biochem. Biochem's notes are probably sufficient to get you through the course unless you need a text-based thing.

Seriously. Netter is the one book I personally think you should OWN. A physiology text for next semester would also be good. But worry about that later. Moore's clinical anatomy is nice for the clinical side of anatomy, but I don't think that's worth a purchase. You can check it out on reserve in the library. When you get here, check out some of the board review books in the bookstore for individual classes as well. You may find some of them to be helpful for the courses.
 
The other M3s here know that I'm a bit of a book freak and I liked buying board review books while I was taking the classes. That being said, here are my suggestions:

Anatomy: Netter, hands down. I think one of the groups (AMSA?) offers a free copy to paying members, but you also have to sign up for their credit card, which is ridiculous. You might also buy Rohen's atlas, which shows real pictures of cadavers. I found Rohen useful for practicals, but you could probably check it out from the library before exams if you wanted to save money. BRS Anatomy is an ok board review book to use with the class, but will be overkill for the actual boards, where High Yield Anatomy is much better.

Biochem: I really liked Lippincotts. Probably not super-useful for the class exams, which are more detailed, but it helps you read up on topics covered in lecture and get the basics down. Anything more extensive than this book is a waste of time as the biochem notes are superb and will have everything you need to know in them.

Devo: Don't bother buying the textbook as notes are pretty good in this class. You might think about buying HY Embryo in prep for boards, but it's probably not going to be all that helpful for the class exams.

M1 Psych/MIM/Anything Clinical Continuum Related: Don't buy anything, no matter what they say. You won't need it.

The only other suggestion I would make is to think about picking up a copy of First Aid for Step 1 in Dec or Jan. when the newest edition comes out. It's useful to read it a little before class exams to get an idea for what the really, really important concepts are and to add clarifying notes where they might be useful. Familiarizing yourself with this book early is a very good idea in my estimation.

So even if you bought all of the books I mentioned (both atlases, Lippincotts, BRS Anatomy, HY Anatomy) you'd probably still come out below $300 for the first semester and the good news is that you'll probably spend even less 2nd semester. So yeah, no worries about the textbook budget, it's plenty. Now board and utilities, that might be another story. ;)
 
You sign up for AMSA's credit card, but you can cancel it immediately, and you get a flash drive if you spend $75 on the credit card in a certain amount of time, which is what I did, then I canceled it.

For anatomy, I used Netter, Grant's, and Color Atlas of Anatomy (photos). I have the text book, but I rarely used it.

Biochem: nothing

Devo: nothing, borrowed a friend's for the one chapter of required reading with no lecture, and read it.

I bought the interviewing book -- I used it more for PBL in order to avoid any sort of psych related case.

Phys: Guyton. I was told, at the end of the semester, to use BRS Phys, probably would've been helpful.
 
Ashers said:
Phys: Guyton. I was told, at the end of the semester, to use BRS Phys, probably would've been helpful.
Click to expand...

I'll give my phys advice too: our school is extremely biased towards Guyton's textbook, probably because some of the more prominent physiologists in our dept. studied under Guyton. That being the case, it is nearly essential to read the chapters on cardiovascular physiology from that book. Now, beyond those chapters, I found the book to be a very large waste of my time overall, as it is very verbose and far too detailed (even for a detail-oriented field like physiology).

I much preferred the combination of BRS Physiology and Costanzo's Physiology (the same author that wrote BRS). These were much quicker reads (on par with Lippincott's Biochem book) and explained the concepts without all of the historical research details that litter Guyton's text. I would honestly hold off on buying Guyton until you've read a few chapters in both books to see which learning style fits you best. You could also ask some of the class of 2010 students who I converted to Costanzo about how they liked it. ;)
 
DoctorFunk said:
I'll give my phys advice too: our school is extremely biased towards Guyton's textbook, probably because some of the more prominent physiologists in our dept. studied under Guyton. That being the case, it is nearly essential to read the chapters on cardiovascular physiology from that book. Now, beyond those chapters, I found the book to be a very large waste of my time overall, as it is very verbose and far too detailed (even for a detail-oriented field like physiology).
Click to expand...

I'm a big textbook reader, and I'd read the Guyton chapters 2-3 times before each exam. So I read Guyton for everything except GI and endocrine.

I also used it for reference (especially renal phys) in studying for boards.

Most people don't listen to me about books, only because I almost completely read Robbins (for path at least 2xs), and I read Goodman and Gilman for pharm, but I know I need to see stuff multiple ways and many times in order to learn it. Which is probably one reason I hate biochem and neuro and psych and can't do well in them.

Psych, by the way is the easiest course for everyone in the school, except me.
 
I have an odd request, but here goes. I'm in charge of getting people to respond to the 31 question's thread in the mentor forum and am looking for current students at all of the med schools of the US. So, I realize this is the class thread for the incoming class, but perhaps someone from previous classes has been helpful in answering your questions and giving you advice in this thread. I have no time to read through every single class thread to get this info, but if you could post some user names of some such people (or pm them to me, including what school you are from), I can pm them with my request. Thanks!
 
lilnoelle said:
I have an odd request, but here goes. I'm in charge of getting people to respond to the 31 question's thread in the mentor forum and am looking for current students at all of the med schools of the US. So, I realize this is the class thread for the incoming class, but perhaps someone from previous classes has been helpful in answering your questions and giving you advice in this thread. I have no time to read through every single class thread to get this info, but if you could post some user names of some such people (or pm them to me, including what school you are from), I can pm them with my request. Thanks!
Click to expand...


don't worry i bet one of the awesome ppl here will help you out!!! they've been really cool about telling us all sorts of stuff. i wish i could help but i don't know anything yet!!!!!:oops:
 
Members don't see this ad :)
just out of curiosity i looked up some of the board review books and there's a million of different brands for each class!!!! which ones are the best? are they really that good for studying for class?
 
BamBoozed said:
just out of curiosity i looked up some of the board review books and there's a million of different brands for each class!!!! which ones are the best? are they really that good for studying for class?
Click to expand...

I think for the most part you can count on using BRS or the High Yield series books for boards studying. Notable exceptions include Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple being the best book on micro and Rapid Review Pathology by Goljan being a strong competitor to BRS Pathology.

I found the books to be really helpful while studying for classes. It helped me hone in on really important concepts while studying for class exams, which can be important because often you are not given guidance while being flooded with detailed information as to what stuff really needs to stick in your poor noodle.
 
And the learners have become the masters.
 
Xandie said:
Don, tell me you were doing the "wax on, wax off" thing when you typed that.
Click to expand...

No, no, no. I was trying to figure out how to build a lightsaber with which to strike down my former jedi master. ;)
 
donnyfire said:
No, no, no. I was trying to figure out how to build a lightsaber with which to strike down my former jedi master. ;)
Click to expand...

I've already learned that trick. I'd stay away from the school for the next couple of days if I were you. ;)

Just kidding, I know food poisoning is the only thing that can dent the armor of the mighty donnyfire.
 
Oooh, ouch.

Hey, I'm not studying. This is a problem.
 
Do most of you buy your books through the bookstore or online such as Amazon or half.com to get them cheaper?
 
Allerian1004 said:
Do most of you buy your books through the bookstore or online such as Amazon or half.com to get them cheaper?
Click to expand...

The bookstore is hopelessly overpriced. My recommendation would be to wait until you talk to your Big Sib (they should be assigned just prior to or during orientation in August) and see if they have any books to give you/lend. There will also be a used booksale put on by one of the student groups early in the semester that is usually a great place to get books if you show up on time. Finally you can check amazon and if they are cheaper than the bookstore, which is usually the case, you can print off the sales page showing that the book is in stock and the amazon price and the bookstore here will match the amazon price. This price match is valid unless amazon is selling the book for less than the bookstore here paid for it, which actually happened to me once.
 
Allerian1004 said:
Do most of you buy your books through the bookstore or online such as Amazon or half.com to get them cheaper?
Click to expand...

Depends on how fast I need/want them. I'm also into instant gratification.

That said, I know plenty of people who do it either way. Best bet is to shop around though. If you don't mind a little highlighting or underlining, used books are a good option too.
 
So is it pretty much a concensus not to buy Berg for Biochem? I think it was in our "study biochem this summer" letter. I have a feeling it's a recommended text. Would I be okay if I got Lippincotts and had a biochem book from college as another reference?
What about dissection books? Do we use those?
 
Allerian1004 said:
So is it pretty much a concensus not to buy Berg for Biochem? I think it was in our "study biochem this summer" letter. I have a feeling it's a recommended text. Would I be okay if I got Lippincotts and had a biochem book from college as another reference?
What about dissection books? Do we use those?
Click to expand...

I had Lippincotts, and that's all I needed. Studying was mostly from the notes.

As for dissection books/kits, wait on those. Your big sib, or someone else's big sib in your anatomy lab group, might have stuff to pass down.
 
Allerian1004 said:
So is it pretty much a concensus not to buy Berg for Biochem? I think it was in our "study biochem this summer" letter. I have a feeling it's a recommended text. Would I be okay if I got Lippincotts and had a biochem book from college as another reference?
What about dissection books? Do we use those?
Click to expand...

Yeah, completely disregard that letter from the biochem dept. That text is far too lengthy and really biochem isn't the kind of subject you will even need a reference textbook to use later in your career. Lippincott's will be plenty.

Also, please don't study biochem this summer. You'll have no idea what kind of topics to focus on for exams without the guidance of your lecturers and old exams (if those are even still allowed in that class) and the memorization necessary for the class will make any time spent "prestudying" a complete waste. You'll have plenty of time to learn the materials presented in lecture and do just fine in the class when the semester starts.

Seriously, I'll be toiling away on the wards this summer with a big ol' smile on my face if I can convince even one incoming M1 to just relax and enjoy one of their last free summers ever.
 
Oh don't worry I will not study biochem. I quit my job for the summer so I could relax. Studying biochem does not qualify as relaxing. I'm sure once I start studying it this fall what I learned in college will come back. Hopefully... I actually enjoyed it alot. We had an awesome prof.
 
Allerian1004 said:
So is it pretty much a concensus not to buy Berg for Biochem? I think it was in our "study biochem this summer" letter. I have a feeling it's a recommended text. Would I be okay if I got Lippincotts and had a biochem book from college as another reference?
What about dissection books? Do we use those?
Click to expand...

You'll be fine, and I say this as the lone sorry loser who actually studied a little biochem the summer before M1 (which I only recommend as an anxiety-reducing device for Type A personalities with too much time on their hands, not to help with your actual performance in biochem). If all you know is the stuff in the printed notes you are given, you can do extremely well in biochem. This is no small task; that sucker's as thick as a phone book. Unless you are a very dedicated textbook reader, you may not crack the textbook AT ALL for biochem.

Wait on the dissection book. It's pretty awful anyway. You can read it on reserve in the library the day before lab and get all you need, especially if even ONE of the five people in your lab group owns one and brings it to lab.
 
samenewme said:
Unless you are a very dedicated textbook reader, you may not crack the textbook AT ALL for biochem.

Wait on the dissection book. It's pretty awful anyway. You can read it on reserve in the library the day before lab and get all you need, especially if even ONE of the five people in your lab group owns one and brings it to lab.
Click to expand...

I usually consider myself a dedicated textbook reader. Not so much for biochem. Hehe. Stupid biochem. Stupid chemiosmotic theory of H+...

A lot of times the M2 in anatomy lab the first few days of lab helping your group has a book to give you. I'm not sure my group actually used a dissection guide. I ended up with 2 at the end of the year, gave both away. We basically relied on our Nasty Netter one of my group members got from his big sib.
 
Is Netters just the atlas and not the clinical anatomy textbook correct? So do we get notes beforehand for all the classes? How does that work?
 
Allerian1004 said:
Is Netters just the atlas and not the clinical anatomy textbook correct? So do we get notes beforehand for all the classes? How does that work?
Click to expand...

You'll write a check and pick up a big pack of notes for first semester during orientation.

Moore's is the clinical anatomy text. I checked out the previous s edition (5th) from the library a month at a time and kept renewing it and that was all I needed. The 6th edition is on reserve and you can't have it for more than a few hours.
 
samenewme said:
Moore's is the clinical anatomy text. I checked out the previous s edition (5th) from the library a month at a time and kept renewing it and that was all I needed. The 6th edition is on reserve and you can't have it for more than a few hours.
Click to expand...

but, there have been tremendous advances in anatomy sciences since the publication of the 5th edition, so definitely do this with caution.
 
Agent Splat said:
but, there have been tremendous advances in anatomy sciences since the publication of the 5th edition, so definitely do this with caution.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that 3rd arm compartment that appeared between the 5th and 6th edition is amazing. I'm gonna have to get a new edition of the ortho netter for my elective.
 
the pancreas was also not yet discovered when the 5th edition came out.
 
Ashers said:
Is that why I had to explain the difference between the pancreas and transverse colon to someone in our class?
Click to expand...

possibly, but they still thought the colon was a part of the respiratory system back then.
 
Agent Splat said:
possibly, but they still thought the colon was a part of the respiratory system back then.
Click to expand...

oh yeah... all about the gases.

Don't forget we'll need to hear stories whenever applicable/possible about said person who's on your track. (same guy who asked about branchial arches on the cadaver, in case you forgot)
 
One of the women in my class asked what the labia minora were during anatomy... I took her aside and explained it. Good Xandie activity, really.
 
Ashers said:
No, not kidding.

In CPR recertification, same guy asked me what "ABC" stood for. He also thought HIPAA and Hippocrates were the same thing (because "they sound the same") -- the list goes on.
Click to expand...

My money says this is the same guy that was lookin for pharyngeal arches in anatomy
 
Ashers said:
oh yeah... all about the gases.

Don't forget we'll need to hear stories whenever applicable/possible about said person who's on your track. (same guy who asked about branchial arches on the cadaver, in case you forgot)
Click to expand...

pratik7 said:
My money says this is the same guy that was lookin for pharyngeal arches in anatomy
Click to expand...

See previous post... you are correct. ;)
 
Xandie said:
One of the women in my class asked what the labia minora were during anatomy... I took her aside and explained it. Good Xandie activity, really.
Click to expand...
Wow, I'm not sure if that's worse than the girl who pointed to the penis on our cadaver and asked what it was. Granted, it had been hacked up a bit at that point, but still.
 
pratik7 said:
My money says this is the same guy that was lookin for pharyngeal arches in anatomy
Click to expand...

Does this person's name start with a J?
 
Before our first anatomy exam, I tried to teach him the motions of the shoulder joint. After an hour and a half, I went home.
 
Since he took his boards right after TTC (had them scheduled earlier, but he just learned that for plastics you need at least a 230, and so he needed to study more), at TTC I said something about having neuro questions, so he was like "What exactly are the questions like. Give me an exact example." I just blew him off and was like, "Ya know, I've tried to forget about that as much as possible. All I remember is I had some neuro, blah blah."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

MD Odyssey
University of Colorado School of Medicine 2011-2012
Replies
2
Views
3K
MD Odyssey
MD Odyssey
P
Rosalind/CMS grad class of 2011?
Replies
0
Views
1K
platinumgarb
P
C
MCW Class of 2014!!!!
3 4 5 6 7
Replies
346
Views
48K
YellowEmu
Y
BamBoozed
Mcw Class Of 2011 Awesome Part 3!!!!!!!!!!
12 13 14 15 16
Replies
790
Views
60K
BamBoozed
BamBoozed
N
  • Poll
Official MCW Class of 2009 Thread (Part III)
Replies
0
Views
17K
MadameLULU
M
Top