how can i pull up my orgo grade?

[Tofurkey]

Hello everyone.

We just got our first orgo test back (orgo I) and I received a 73. I was very disappointed, to say the least. Our instructor keeps saying if you put in 10-12 hours per week you will be guaranteed an A. I put in about 15 hours per week or more, went to every office hour and discussion, sought out extra help when I needed it, and studies my rear off. I put in the most effort I could and I still got just barely above the ave. grade.

I am not sure what to do. I am a good, diligent studier, and I really felt I put in all I could for this test. Any tips? I am a post-bacc taking my pre-meds for the first time so this grade is going to be very important--maybe pivotal--in my getting accepted to med school. I have a 3.4 UGPA and a 3.6 pre-med post-bacc GPA.


Thanks,

Tofurkey

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[Gleevec]

Just keep doing practice problems and look at old tests. Depending on what text you have, there are usually problems in the back of each chapter.

So going to class, keeping up with the reading, and especially working out practice problems should help you a lot.

Its just Test 1, you have a ton of time left to improve. Good luck!

Originally posted by Tofurkey
Hello everyone.

We just got our first orgo test back (orgo I) and I received a 73. I was very disappointed, to say the least. Our instructor keeps saying if you put in 10-12 hours per week you will be guaranteed an A. I put in about 15 hours per week or more, went to every office hour and discussion, sought out extra help when I needed it, and studies my rear off. I put in the most effort I could and I still got just barely above the ave. grade.

I am not sure what to do. I am a good, diligent studier, and I really felt I put in all I could for this test. Any tips? I am a post-bacc taking my pre-meds for the first time so this grade is going to be very important--maybe pivotal--in my getting accepted to med school. I have a 3.4 UGPA and a 3.6 pre-med post-bacc GPA.


Thanks,

Tofurkey

 

[Mr. Obsessive]

Get a hold of another textbook. Orgo was difficult for me as well. However, when I started to study for the MCAT, I used a bunch of review books that presented the material differently and for whatever reason I seemed to do much better with it. Good Luck

 

[Downhill Racer]

Fortunately, your situation is correctable. But one thing you must assess is your study habits-- have you effectively spent 15 hours studying or does that include inefficient daydreaming (like I unfortunately do), etc. Be prepared that the next 2 exams will get more difficult due to the volume of reactions and mechanisms that you'll be required to know, however it is doable. Do a search I think someone posted strategies for orgo... I completed every homework problem multiple times, reviewed previous exams multiple times and spent a lot of time on mechanisms and the chemical nature of the groups (ie acidity/basisity). I used the Wade text and thought it was a very well written book, except the NMR/IR spec could have been better written but we covered that in more depth in our lab course. G'Luck

 

[jlee9531]

all the suggestions above are great!

hmm...do you bog yourself down or stress yourself out with having to memorize details? if you uncessarily do that it can affect the way you approach and think about orgo.

have you tried just sitting back and thinking about how everything works conceptually? i know thats what i did for my three orgo classes i took and it really helped. once i got an understanding of why things did the stuff they did.......ochem became fun to do.

maybe as a part of your studying......you should meet up with some friends in the class and try and teach each other a certain concept. i know that really helped me and it just solidified and even added to my orgo knowledge by saying it outloud trying to teach someone else.......

i dunno........this may all sounds pretty lame but im just saying what worked for me in addition to what everyone else said.

good luck man.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

What textbook are you using for Orgo 1? I HIGHLY recommend purchasing Organic Chemistry by L.G. Wade (either 4th or 5th edition will do nicely). It explains the material MUCH better than the textbook assigned by my professor. I also took the Orgo 1 Midterm #1 last night and I felt pretty confident after I walked out. My strategies included doing all the problem sets assigned by the professor (I did lots of problems twice), working problems out of the Wade textbook, doing practice midterms from previous semesters, and going to study groups which are put on by our Student Learning Center. I'm sure your university has equivalent study groups that you could attend (they're usually taught by senior undergrads who have taken the course and earned an A in it). I definitely understand that you feel that you did all you could in preparation for the exam and I definitely empathize with your situation. Perhaps your nerves might've got the best of you when you sat down for the exam? Of course, I don't know why you got a 73...only you can figure that one out for yourself. But what I do know is that there is still time to improve. If you feel that you are studying inefficiently, change your study habits. You might want to go to your professor's office hours and ask for specific example problems from him that would illustrate the concepts he tests (reaction mechanisms, nomenclature, etc). I'm assuming that your professor writes the exams (it's usually the case...sometimes, the head TA will write the exams), so you'd be getting practice problems straight from the person who writes the exams. Well, good luck! And remember..never give up...under any circumstances.

 

[dhb21]

Hi Tofurkey! I totally agree with jlee's comment. I really tried to
think my way through both organics as well. I never really cared
for group study before O chem, but it helped a lot with this class.
Other people can sometimes present a topic in a way that you may not have ever thought of and vice versa.

The big thing is to keep plugging. O chem is demanding, but
one test is not gonna hurt you. Best of luck

 

[thackl]

Here's another vote for lots of practice problems. I got a 78 on my first org1 test (it was my first test in 5yrs though), then started hitting all the end of the chapter problems. Got an A.

 

[twinklz]

Since I'm a very visual person, I found that the molecular model building sets were very helpful in the begining when all the concepts were so foreign.

The downside is they cost about $50. But you could try to make your own out of toothpicks and play-doh?

 

[LP1CW]

Do you know the mean and what the distribution looked like. When I did orgo a 73 would be the high for the class. Find out what distribution is and you might be surprised that you're doing better than you think. Your class average could be 40's or 50's. In my class we had a range from like an 18 to 70.

My professor was tough. I could have essentially the correct product, but I'd lose many points for not showing something like a hydride shift.

When I had memorize many reagents that are reducing or oxidizing agents. I created charts and memorized them. So, when the exam started, I'd flip it over and take a second to write out my charts. Then during the exam when I got to a question and I was nervous and couldn't remember something like what an alchol would do in the presence of such and such. i'd flip it over and read and find the answer. It was a crutch. But it helped. I did well, maybe because of it. I was terrible at showing the flow of electrons and stuff like that though. However, I usually knew end products.

 

[spumoni620]

imo the best way to improve is to do problems. a lot of times i'd read and think i understood everything, but in doing problems i found my weak spots. then i'd brush up on them, reread the book a number of times, take notes if i felt like it. once i nailed the problems, the tests went well.

 

[Alleria]

.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I completely agree with Alleria. I've noticed that professors usually don't care what type of problems are in the back of the chapters in your textbook. They'll test you on the practice problems they write which may not look ANYTHING like the practice problems you studied off of in your textbook. In this situation, the best thing to do is to look over your exam and see what types of problems you're being tested on and PRACTICE as many of these problems as you possibly can. You can probably ask one of your TAs to make you some practice problems like the ones that you were tested on (if you explain your situation to your TA).

 

[ambulancedriver]

you don't happen to have boyd for orgo do you? what questions did you have trouble with? maybe I can help you on some specifics.

 

[vixenell]

Originally posted by twinklz
Since I'm a very visual person, I found that the molecular model building sets were very helpful in the begining when all the concepts were so foreign.

The downside is they cost about $50. But you could try to make your own out of toothpicks and play-doh?

i got mine for $20 (bookshop price, mind you)... not as pretty as some that I've seen at other schools, but it does the job. Its called Molecular Visions flexible molecule model kit or something like that

 

[Squat n Squeeze]

Don't worry Tofurkey, it's only the first test. Don't give up so fast. Your GPA up until now makes you a competitive applicant, and there is still plenty of time for you to improve in organic chemistry. Just do as many problems as you can, and make sure that you understand the concepts rather than just memorizing them. If necessary, attend your professors' office hours for extra help. Take a good look at your first test and recognize what you were having trouble with. Put extra emphasis on those type of problems, and I bet that you'll improve tons.

Just don't give up so easily. One day you'll make a great doctor and then all of the hard work will be worth it.

 

[thackl]

Originally posted by Squat n Squeeze
Don't worry Tofurkey....... Don't give up so fast. Your .......a competitive applicant..........I bet that you'll improve tons.

Just don't give up so easily. One day you'll make a great doctor and then all of the hard work will be worth it.

WTF Who got ahold of squat's password?

 

[Squat n Squeeze]

Originally posted by thackl
WTF Who got ahold of squat's password?

My best guess is that it's corporate espionage.