Organic Chemistry is over my head

I don't think Organic Chemistry is above you intellectually, it may just be too much for you to handle at the moment. The key element in O chem is time. You have to spend lots and lots of time studying it. Then it will slowly make sense to you. I got A's in Organic Chemistry but I had to drop out of Calculus in the first semester. I felt how you do, but with Calculus, it was way over my head, I was almost having a nervous breakdown everyday because of that class. I took calculus over the summer when I had more time and got a B. You can do it! Ask for help from others you know in the class, read the book, think about it when you're going from class to class. Now that I'm done with O chem I realize how much I like it but while in the class I hated the workload and was too busy trying to get a good grade to know if I even enjoyed the material. I don't think anything is above the average person "intellectually", some people just need more time or prep.

what other courses are you taking this semester and what other science courses have you taken in the past?

Biggest source of help

Khan Academy http://www.khanacademy.org/
they have a section all about ochem and other stuff that I actually used to study for the DAT.

iralex801 said:

I agree with one of the above posters that ochem is all about time. Ochem is the only subject you encounter that you have never had previous exposure too in hs or grade school. Just keep going at it until everything clicks. That's what happened for me. The same for the PAT. It's really hard because you've never seen it. However, once you stare at it long enough, it just comes lol.

That is why some people think ochem2 is easier. It's because you struggled in ochem1 to build the foundation.

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what college did you go to? better yet, what high school did you go to? I had courses in college, other than organic chemistry, that my high school & grade school did not prepare me for...

Wait til calculus my friend. Best of luck.

JessPreDental said:

Hello,

I am an aspiring dentist. Originally I am from Bolivia and I came to the States about ten years ago. My English is perfect but taking all these advanced sciences have proven to be extremely challenging. And now Organic Chemistry is killing me, I have a D in it right now and I feel extremely defeated. I am doubting my scholastic capacity and i am utterly lost.
Now that I've given you a bit of the background, here is my question:
Should I keep the major or am I way out of my league intellectually? I know Organic Chemistry will not be the hardest course along to road for a Pre-Dental Student.
Any advice?

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I'm so sure about that lol. You may want to reassess before self-proclaiming your perfection of the English language.

Bolivians...

LazyMooch said:

Wait til calculus my friend. Best of luck.

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calculus is a cake walk compared to O-chem... at least it was at my school haha

YoHomey said:

I'm so sure about that lol. You may want to reassess before self-proclaiming your perfection of the English language.

Bolivians...

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JessPreDental said:

Hello,

I am an aspiring dentist. Originally I am from Bolivia and I came to the States about ten years ago. My English is perfect but taking all these advanced sciences have proven to be extremely challenging. And now Organic Chemistry is killing me, I have a D in it right now and I feel extremely defeated. I am doubting my scholastic capacity and i am utterly lost.
Now that I've given you a bit of the background, here is my question:
Should I keep the major or am I way out of my league intellectually? I know Organic Chemistry will not be the hardest course along to road for a Pre-Dental Student.
Any advice?

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You don't have to "prove" to us you are smart by telling us irrelevant information, like your English skills. We never doubted your intelligence, many smart people struggle with Organic. Not because they're dumb, but because the material is different and they're unfamiliar with it.

I really liked ochem. I thought it was so much easier than genchem. I hate math, that is probably why. I am very conceptually minded.

CedarZ4 said:

You don't have to "prove" to us you are smart by telling us irrelevant information, like your English skills. We never doubted your intelligence, many smart people struggle with Organic. Not because they're dumb, but because the material is different and they're unfamiliar with it.

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I thought he was just trying to say that language barriers aren't what is keeping him from doing well.

Bereno said:

calculus is a cake walk compared to O-chem... at least it was at my school haha

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are you talking about UW??
calc was so hard... ochem so easy lol.

But to OP, everyone pretty much said it.. time time, practice practice.

I'm struggling with O-Chem too! I'm an older student with all A's in a ton of science credits over the last two years. I'm still aiming for an A (miracles do happen), but will be thankful if I pass. You are not alone. Taking Organic Chemistry is a humbling experience! Good luck.

OCHM is just different. I think even in the brightest students it causes a little hiccup in how you think and problem solve. And it takes time and practice.

Seek help. Try different study methods. When you have a crummy teacher, it's not a good time.

For you or anyone else who is struggling, Khan was mentioned as an aid. Also keep our good friend Chad in mind as well. NOT the test review videos, but the review videos for regular semester courses. Those are free and explain things more and are made for those currently in the courses, not just a review for the DAT. It's worth peeking around.

chadsreview.org

That goes for gchm, ochem, pchm, and physics too.

I think practice is the key with ochem.

I bought the $150 solutions manual for the book and I make sure to do all the practice problems like a week before the test.

I thought I bombed my first ochem test and was questioning whether or not I would be able to make it in dental school..maybe I wasn't cut out for it. I scored a 101. Lol. So don't give up hope!!!!! Keep trying and practicing. Best of luck to you.

jeffity said:

When you have a crummy teacher, it's not a good time.

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I believe this has a lot to do with it. Not to put all the responsibility on my teacher, but in Ochem1 I had an out-of-this-world teacher and got an A. Now, I'm in Ochem2 with a teacher that I feel is pretty scattered and sub-par in teaching methods (although very smart with chemistry I'd say), and I'll be happy if I just get a C. Finding out as much as you can about your future teachers can be a huge help in making your undergraduate career a smoother, less frustrating experience.

ratemyprofessor.com

tayloreve said:

I thought I bombed my first ochem test and was questioning whether or not I would be able to make it in dental school..maybe I wasn't cut out for it. I scored a 101.

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Out of 200? Man, sorry to hear that. j/k

iralex801 said:

I agree with one of the above posters that ochem is all about time. Ochem is the only subject you encounter that you have never had previous exposure too in hs or grade school.

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Orgo was definitely the focal point of high school chem.... atleast in the ontario curriculum

Dusk said:

are you talking about UW??
calc was so hard... ochem so easy lol.

But to OP, everyone pretty much said it.. time time, practice practice.

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haha, yeah I was referring to UW. I easily passed calc, but really struggled through O-chem. I guess it probably helps that I am a math tutor lol. I guess each person has their own unique strengths and weaknesses

Organics were THE toughest classes for me. IDK why but I found them so freakin hard. Even biochem or other advanced science classes I've taken have given me as much of a hard time. Don't give up bro!

iralex801 said:

What courses in college did you feel like you did not have exposure to? I can't think of any course in college where I never encountered the material except Ochem (unless you're including general education requirements).

I took AP Calc, psychology, physics, english, chemistry, economics, statistics, biology, and several others in high school. In grade school, I took like algebra and geometry. These courses are basic, but they provide the foundation for you to build on. In college, I took courses in economics, psychology, biology, math, english, chemistry, and physics. So the only subject I didn't have previous exposure to was ochem.

The courses in high school and grade school don't necessary prepare you the difficulty or depth of the college level courses, but they give you exposure to the type of material. So when you see it, you're not like wtf is this like in ochem or the PAT.

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shut your mouth when you're talking to me

Well everyone better do well enough in ochem. It has kept thousands and thousands of people out of dental, med, vet, optometry, pharmacy schools. Otherwise every joe shmo chump would be a dentist or physician these days. It's also the reason why podiatry and caribbean med schools exist lol.

I've gotten an A in cell bio, micro, a&P, and gen chem. I got a B in animal bio and plant bio. My first exam in ochem this quarter I got a D, which was a real surprise. I got my butt in gear and studied my ass off for the midterm that I had today. I feel like I got 100% on the exam. My point is, if you study enough, ochem will eventually start to make sense. It just takes a lot of practice and patience

I would rather take both o chems again, rather than retake gen chem 2.

Anyway... i would seriously recommend getting chads videos. Very small investment for your grades.... www.course saver.com!!

DentalJedi said:

I thought he was just trying to say that language barriers aren't what is keeping him from doing well.

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Then the fact that he/she is from bolivia mattered not.


In my opinion... Ochem was a foreign alien but after you get a really really good conceptual grasp of CHEM, Ochem seemed to fall in place for me.

UltimateHombre said:

I would rather take both o chems again, rather than retake gen chem 2.

Anyway... i would seriously recommend getting chads videos. Very small investment for your grades.... www.course saver.com!!

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I LOVED gen chem 2. I wanted to teach the class back in undergrad but all that they could offer me was a position as a TA...

JessPreDental said:

Hello,

I am an aspiring dentist. Originally I am from Bolivia and I came to the States about ten years ago. My English is perfect but taking all these advanced sciences have proven to be extremely challenging. And now Organic Chemistry is killing me, I have a D in it right now and I feel extremely defeated. I am doubting my scholastic capacity and i am utterly lost.
Now that I've given you a bit of the background, here is my question:
Should I keep the major or am I way out of my league intellectually? I know Organic Chemistry will not be the hardest course along to road for a Pre-Dental Student.
Any advice?

Click to expand...

NO IT IS NOT WAY OUT OF YOUR INTELLECTUAL LEAGUE!! Does your school have tutoring services? Have you seeked help from the instructors? Do you practice problems until they make sense? Do you buy answer keys for your books so you can figure out why you are getting problems wrong? Do you study with another person in the class who is doing well?

College is not the easiest thing.. you need to seek help when you are struggling– don't just give up! Organic is not that bad once you start to understand the overall big picture.

On another serious note, do you really want to be another one of those pre-health kids who just gives up after the second pre-req because they think they can't do it?

Oh and another thing..

I would suggest buying a dry erase board.

I have one and practice all my ochem problems on it like a lil' nerd.

It helps and it's fun to draw on a dry erase board so I enjoy studying reactions lol

Well it makes it less miserable at least..

Alright dude, I happen to be an OChem/GChem tutor and TA at my school. I'll teach it to you thru Skype and will explain to you better than your geeky professor. I'll also tell you what you need to know for the DAT too. PM me.