MJB said:
Ok, so I got my A in Chem. II last semester to "cover up" that ugly scene on my transcript from college days gone by, and have moved on to taking Organic this semester...
Let's just say that between the lecture, 2 three hour labs/week, and about 50-60 hours of work per week, I'm a little intimidated...
Any tips on the best way to learn this stuff? I'm not real great at reading a textbook and picking things up...
Any help appreciated...I was starting to miss this place!
Hi there,
First of all, stop the self-sabotaging behavior such as " I am not real great at reading a textbook and picking things up..." In medical school and later in residency, you had better learn to pick up knowledge by any route or you will not be practicing medicine.
Second, approach organic chemistry to master the material. Organic has very little to do with anything other than organic and it must be mastered for application. You need to be familiar enough with the concepts to apply them to synthetic schemes. Organic is not so much memorization as know and be able to apply.
For my synthetic schemes, I started with the end material and worked backwards. I also knew oxidation/reduction schemes very well and could apply them to organic reactions. I worked all of the problems and rechecked my solutions by working backwards and forwards.
In the beginning, I spent some time with the TA and professor during office hours but once I got the "hang" of working organic chemistry problems, I found that I spent less time in the office but came in for a "knowledge check" before every exam. I also did not cram.
The labs were golden for me and greatly helped with the chapter and exam material. Organic labs reinforced the classroom material for me. I also resisted the temptation to go to tons of outside books and generally stayed with my text. If you must use an outside source, get a recommendation from your professor and use only one. Organic Chemistry is fairly time-consuming and you do not have time to look at twenty books and get your problems done too.
Finally, LEARN this material! You have to have a solid working knowlege of organic chemistry for the MCAT. I don't care if you have an A average in Organic, you have to be able to apply this knowledge to problems presented on the MCAT and on exams.
One of the ways that I got through Organic (with a 98% average) was that I practically wanted to make the best gin in Washington, DC. I learned to synthesize anything with an OH group attached in anyway. Turns out that this was a very good strategy for someone like me (not carbon-friendly). I made each test a competition between me and the professor. There was nothing that he could put on that exam that I could not figure out. I might not have been "carbon-friendly" but I was at home with any kind of OH group.
Put any of your past performances in any other chemistry courses behind you and tackle Organic for what it is. It is nothing more than another level of chemistry that needs to be mastered. Stop labeling yourself as "not good" at anything that has to do with academics. You have to be a good student to get into medical school. Academics can be mastered by anyone with practice. Also, do not rely on or attempt to analyze what you perceive is the teaching ability of the professor (waste of time). The material is there for you to learn and this can be done in spite of the professor. I never cared if the devil himself was lecturing, I focused on the material presented and how that could be integrated into and expanded upon in my knowledge base.
Finally, put all of your energy into your coursework and nothing else because there is nothing else. You are there to learn so take advantage of this opportunity. You get one shot so make the most of it.
njbmd
