I don't really have much new to add to what my colleagues said, I'm in complete agreement with them all. As far as the only texts and things I liked are, Netter's atlas, Lehninger's Principles of Biochem (its the required text, but my gf and I SWORE by this in college, some people dont like it but I find it almost as good and clutch as McMurry's Organic Chem), Cellular Physiology, BRS Phisiology (only after you've taken each physio course though, Haines Neuroanatomy (HUGE for our dry practicals), and Netter's Anatomy and Neuroanatomy flashcards (they are the wikipedia that is not online!) We had many exams this year where the profs would put the study questions from the textbooks on the exams. It may not be many, but sometimes if you have a 40 question exam and 5 of them are from the textbook (like renal physiology--that admitteldy was the best case tho) you can tell thats a giant chunk of the grade. So all the rest of the texts just for the questions, get them from us soon-to-be second years. I have all the physio and anatomy texts, the two classes they are famous for doing that. If you study dilligently, youll have time to go through these questions, my lab group always did and even if the questions werent repeated, they were great study tools. So dont buy them, ask the classes above you (3rd and 4th years are ALWAYS willing to sell/lend you texts too).
Dancer, as you probably got the sense from everyone else, after going through a year of this, studying over the summer isn't something we readily suggest. LW's suggestion of taking PSP is the best thing I can think of, its taught by 2nd and 4th years I believe (3rd years dont have the time i think) and is a really good preview of our first two courses. If you were to do it on your own, you would probably learn a lot of things you dont need to know, because the lecture material weeds out a lot of the crap you dont need to know for clinic. For example, there are 17 branches of the Maxillary artery, we maybe had to know 8-10 for class. Unless youre an ENT or a maxillofacial surgeon, its pretty unimportant other than that, so they dont have us to know the whole thing. We just dont want any of you to worry about working so much...please enjoy the summer! You'll work hard enough when you get here and will quickly wish the summer was back by the anatomy final lol.
One thing I do think you can review, which is actually even more important than rote memorization at your stage, is being familiar with the terms. If you do that, youll be way more set than you think. We had a lecture on the mediastinum (thorax/chest basically) and can I tell you they used the word costal and I had NO idea what that meant for a week? Its just a damn synonym for ribs!!!!!
So I would be able to familiarize yourself with saying this is superiolateral to that (instead of above and to the side) or intervertebral foramen (a hole inbetween each vertebrae). You may have known all this already, I'm not trying to teach or anything, but the point is to simplify, because physicians and surgeons want to feel special and have their own language. You'll suck at speaking at first, but once you learn it, you'll sound so smart!
If you guys really wanna try to pre-study some things, PM me and I can also send you some of the notes that we studied from that the faculty provide. Please do enjoy this summer though, you only get one left after this!
PS LW's suggestion of using Wikipedia is one that I like a lot. As she said, I'm sure many would disapprove, and maybe I wouldnt cite it in a paper or anything for that reason, but I think it is great. I've havent come across any errors (in anything that is important for us, at least) and besides, if you look something up, whether from Wikipedia or NEJM, it shouldnt be your ONLY source. You'll have all the course material so if Wiki happens to be wrong, youll know there's a discrepancy. I find it a great source to help clarify certain topics, and an awesome way to gain random knowledge from things you hear in the news everyday
