Hi, wondering if anyone can give me advice about textbooks. My cousin went to Ross (she was there 3 years ago) and she told me that I REALLY didn't need to buy the textbooks, since many professors lecture from handouts and lectures are also online. I wanted to know if this was still true, if professors test from materials they've prepared themselves or if students are tested on a great deal of material foind in textbooks. thanks in advance!

I'll let the students tell you what they have found from other professors but I can tell you that I test on materail that I include in the lecture, which is not in the text book, but I also ask questions on material that is only in the textbook and was not included in the lecture.

Ask yourself a question....
The last time that you went to the doctor with something seriously wrong, did you hope he had studied his/her medicine from a textbook or from notes and review books that are 3/8 inch thick? Personally, I hoped my physician hadn't taken the shortcuts and I think your patients deserve that same quality of care. Thus I test on all the assigned material, lectures and textbook readings.

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Frank E. Wagner
Associate Dean, Student Affairs and Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences
Ross University School of Medicine

You need to try to read as much of the text as you can. If you are a slow reader and reading the texts are not possible, you'd still need them for reference as handouts are sometime not thorough enough. In medical school, you need to know the fine details to do well in the classes and avoid the comprehensive exam. There are exceptions, of course, as Microbiology and Immunology with Dr. Burlingham will show. You can go through his handouts and textbook with a magnifying glass and you will still get a C or worse, F in the class! Doesn't matter if you are a straight A or B students, Dr. B doesn't make any distinction. If you don' t like his class or how he teaches, he will tell you to go to Nursing School since he doesn't think you can handle medical school.