Talking to second years is the best way to determine which texts to buy. Gray's College Bookstore (1915 South 4th Street) and U of L Health Sciences Bookstore (555 South Floyd Street) usually have a list of books critiqued by second year medical students. This is a great source of information and will be available during orientation. The class ahead of you will make "Gross Notes" available to you during orientation. More information will be provided on this during orientation. Old exams for Gross Anatomy, Microstructure & Development, and Neuroscience will also be included in the "Gross Notes." These are VERY GOOD for practice before taking the real exams.

It is important to realize that everybody studies differently and requires different study materials. This may seem like common sense, but evaluating your style of study relative to those second year students providing recommendations is crucial. Don't run out and buy every text the teacher recommends. If they say you must buy it, please ask a student before you go out and waste $100 on a book that will collect dust on your shelf. Money is tight and more often than not, time is even tighter!

Another great resource to use in planning which books to buy can be found at the U of L School of Medicine Book Review Website. U of L students ahead of you have commented and graded the books that they used to study for courses and for the USMLE during their medical school years. Check out the textbooks listed and feel free to add your own to the list. As the number of reviews increase, the better the book review website will serve its purpose.