<p>Which one do you use at your university/college? </p>
<p>I already have a copy of Biology by Campbell and Reece but I was thinking about getting Life: The Science of Biology by Sadava et al as well just because I heard it was better and more in depth? Should I or would it be a waste? (I found a copy for a good price). Do you actually still have time reread your textbooks, etc?</p>
<p>Wait until your course tells you what they want you to read. They assign problems out of that book, which you would not have if you bought the wrong one now. </p>
<p>I have never reread a textbook.</p>
<p>“Life: The Science of Biology” was the General Biology I book that my child used in freshman. But they used a different textbook for General Biology II.</p>
<p>Somehow most students purchased the paperback version of that book (Several paperback books instead of one thick hardback book.) Maybe because they are in paperback, I always thought they are less in depth as compared to Campbell’s. But what would I know?!</p>
<p>I think he did not reread that textbook (or any textbook).</p>
<p>Regarding textbooks, I noticed that students tend to read textbooks more religiously in freshmen and sophomore (e.g., in medical school pre-req classes), but not always so for some upper division biology classes. It is often the case that the professors assign more books, but the students read less fraction of the assigned books. They depend more on class notes than on textbook for their study in these upper-division classes. It is therefore more important to attend the upper division class and take good notes. Although the professors may post their notes on line, sometimes those PowerPoint materials are barely readable (too terse).</p>
<p>Is this “normal” or do the students become “lazy” when they are junior or senior?</p>
<p>My university requires the Biology by Campbell & Reece 8th edition. Seems a little thinner than the crappy 6th edition I used for AP Bio lol.</p>
<p>^Why was the 6th edition crappy? </p>
<p>My school uses Campbell also but I might want to get Life: The science of biology anyway :/</p>
<p>I still have my freshman bio Campbell/Reece Biology. I’ve actually cracked it open once or twice since then, but it was not for something school- or class-related.</p>
<p>
It’s a combination of those things; there’s been a definite trend toward lecture/powerpoint slides as opposed to textbook in most of my upper level bio classes. But it’s also because I really don’t want to spend (read: waste) time reading little details in a textbook that are not relevant or will not be tested. It’s also because I’ve learned to study better and glean more information with a quick read through. As a freshman and even as a sophomore, I pored through assigned readings, taking notes on everything. Now I’ll just skim through assigned readings (or don’t read them at all, depending on circumstances) and quickly jot down anything that looks important, or write down page numbers I may need to refer to in the future if confusion arises. It saves hours of time and hasn’t hurt my grades.</p>