Things to think about as a Medical Student

Medical textbooks 

Medical textbooks are normally expensive but how can you avoid shelling out a hefty chunk of your first loan instalment on books without falling behind with your studies? Here are some tips from current medical students:

• Remember you’re not expected to read every book on the reading list – use it as a starting point to find the best books and choose the one(s) you prefer

• Don’t buy any books before starting the course or during the first couple of weeks. Before deciding to buy a textbook, borrow if from the library first if possible and see how useful it is to you 

• It is most cost-effective to buy a few key texts that will see you through most of the course and then supplement these with library books on more specific areas of learning. Ask students in other years for recommended texts

• See if your university runs a 2nd hand bookshop or stall. Look out for notices and emails from students in other years selling books. Amazon offer discounts on used books and ebay has a medical textbooks section (but do check the issue number / date of publication as medical textbooks age fast). It’s worth checking to see if your local branch of Waterstones or Blackwells has a 2nd hand textbook section

• If you live with other medical students make an arrangement to share textbooks – buy one key text each and keep the collection in a communal area

• Revision style textbooks (eg the ‘Crash course in …’ or ‘…at a Glance’ series) often give useful overviews of a subjects but can be lacking in detailed explanation. Borrow first rather than buy and use for revision rather than primary learning

• Apply for a part-time job in the local or university branch of Waterstones or Blackwells to benefit from their staff discount scheme. You will be at an advantage if you’ve worked in book retail before and may even be able to arrange a transfer if you’ve worked for the same company in your home town so plan ahead and arrange a vacation job