Professors Talking Smack!?

[bambam92]

So I walk into organic chem final yesterday, professor is about to have Ta's hand out 3 hour final exam, but just before doing so leaves us with the following sentiment. She literally gets on the mic and to all 200 of us in the lecture says this just before giving out the exam, "Don't put too much stock into post feelings, no one leave this one feeling good about themselves." Lmao at this point I feel like taking a swan dive off the nearest bridge, I am like ****tt. Haha anyone else feel like professors try to psyche students out on purpose?

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[deleted407021]

My ochem II professor is the same way. They are just being facetious. They know everyone is probably unnecessarily nervous.

EDIT: Typo

 

[medic86]

Was this a regular exam, or was it the ACS?

Side note: **** the ACS exams. Always feel like crap after those.

 

[MedMinded]

More than likely just trying to ease tensions so people aren't freaking out if they leave the test feeling like they didn't do well. However, it does seem like there are some profs out there who love making difficult tests which I've never understand. In this case (and most cases for that matter), I'd say just easing post-exam worries.

 

[Ismet]

Meh. Prof's just being honest. Better to leave thinking that everyone thought it was hard than leave thinking that only you thought it was hard.

Same applies to the MCAT and Step 1 and any big test really. You leave feeling like crap and only focus on the things you got wrong, but in reality you did fine.

 

[moisne]

Was this a regular exam, or was it the ACS?

Side note: **** the ACS exams. Always feel like crap after those.

The worst I feel, the better I do

 

[LaceyMD]

Was this a regular exam, or was it the ACS?

Side note: **** the ACS exams. Always feel like crap after those.

Ugh, couldn't agree more! I actually wish someone had told me before the ACS o-chem exam that everyone was going to feel like crap afterwards. For about half a day, I thought it was just me having bombed it...until I ran into two or three of my smartest classmates, and the first thing they talked about was how horrible they felt about the exam.

OP, your professor may have just been trying to reassure you all and/or fend off a potential deluge of freaked-out emails that she's traditionally received after final exams - especially if you were taking the ACS exam.

 

[moop]

How many people's schools here actually use the ACS exam? Isn't it all multiple choice? Seems unfit for an orgo exam..

 

[medic86]

How many people's schools here actually use the ACS exam? Isn't it all multiple choice? Seems unfit for an orgo exam..

Have you taken an ACS exam? For a multiple-choice test, it is an asskicker.

 

[frosted_flake]

Was this a regular exam, or was it the ACS?

Side note: **** the ACS exams. Always feel like crap after those.

Oh god... apparently the final exam in my organic chemistry courses (I &II) are the ACS exams.
Good to know it is unnecessarily difficult.

 

[medic86]

Oh god... apparently the final exam in my organic chemistry courses (I &II) are the ACS exams.
Good to know it is unnecessarily difficult.

The ACS exam in organic 2 is cumulative, too.

I'd highly suggest going through the ACS study guide. Even then, you still feel like **** coming out of the exam, lol.

 

[moop]

Have you taken an ACS exam? For a multiple-choice test, it is an asskicker.

Me and ACS go way back to high school. Took all the standard set of college exams as part of 2 consecutive USNCO boot camps. They were manageable then, and looking back I don't think they should be used to test orgo at a college level.

 

[medic86]

Me and ACS go way back to high school. Took all the standard set of college exams as part of 2 consecutive USNCO boot camps. They were manageable then, and looking back I don't think they should be used to test orgo at a college level.

You're not the average chemistry student (obviously).

The 2008 exam is normed at 54/70 correct being 90th percentile (and 52/70 for the 2012 exam).

 

[moop]

You're not the average chemistry student (obviously).

The 2008 exam is normed at 54/70 correct being 90th percentile (and 52/70 for the 2012 exam).

Ah, okay that's a pretty low bar. I realize that the material is challenging, but the beauty about orgo for me is all in drawing structures on paper and doing free response things; that's why I don't think any multiple choice is fit for college, regardless of how difficult it is.

 

[frosted_flake]

The ACS exam in organic 2 is cumulative, too.

I'd highly suggest going through the ACS study guide. Even then, you still feel like **** coming out of the exam, lol.

Thanks a ton for the tip! I will be sure to do that.
Is amazon a good place to get it?

 

[moop]

Thanks a ton for the tip! I will be sure to do that.
Is amazon a good place to get it?

They may have it, but ACS website sells it directly, and it'll be the most updated.

 

[frosted_flake]

They may have it, but ACS website sells it directly, and it'll be the most updated.

Thanks everyone

 

[mehc012]

Meh. Prof's just being honest. Better to leave thinking that everyone thought it was hard than leave thinking that only you thought it was hard.

Same applies to the MCAT and Step 1 and any big test really. You leave feeling like crap and only focus on the things you got wrong, but in reality you did fine.

Nope. I love testing...it relaxes me and clears my brain. I always walk out of a test feeling like a million bucks, even if I did poorly, just because I'm done!
I hate doing papers/projects because there is always 1 more tweak, and this could go on for ages. But tests? You focus your entire brain on one event, shoving everything else out, and then when it's over, you can't change anything, so you just erase that from your brain too (why worry over what you can't change?), and then your mind is completely empty and relaxed for a short while!

 

[frosted_flake]

Nope. I love testing...it relaxes me and clears my brain. I always walk out of a test feeling like a million bucks, even if I did poorly, just because I'm done!
I hate doing papers/projects because there is always 1 more tweak, and this could go on for ages. But tests? You focus your entire brain on one event, shoving everything else out, and then when it's over, you can't change anything, so you just erase that from your brain too (why worry over what you can't change?), and then your mind is completely empty and relaxed for a short while!

EXACTLY how I felt after my physics final. SUCH a good feeling.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

I once had a professor tell us once that 90% of the class will drop out. Ugh! In a way though, it was very motivating because it meant that the rest of us suckers were 1) in it for the long haul 2) ready to get tortured 3) had to prove they'd do okay. I got an A. The first time I really felt I had to work for it.

 

[Dayaa]

You're not the average chemistry student (obviously).

The 2008 exam is normed at 54/70 correct being 90th percentile (and 52/70 for the 2012 exam).

54/70 is not bad. And considering the test is given at a wide range of schools, it seems great. Also, even if you don't know half the answers, you could still do well. That's how I did average in Gen Chem. No multiple choice kicked my ass this year in Orgo.

 

[medic86]

54/70 is not bad. And considering the test is given at a wide range of schools, it seems great. Also, even if you don't know half the answers, you could still do well. That's how I did average in Gen Chem. No multiple choice kicked my ass this year in Orgo.

No, it's not bad for that test. That's the point. You can miss 16 questions out of 70 and still score higher than 90% of the test taking population.

 

[deleted407021]

The ACS curves so hard, though. I think the highest grade in my Ochem II class was a 71 and that become the 100, so almost everyone ended up doing "well".

 

[NervousNerd]

How many people's schools here actually use the ACS exam? Isn't it all multiple choice? Seems unfit for an orgo exam..

I've had ACS for gen chem, organic, and biochem. The first two were much more difficult than the latter one.

Take ACS with a grain of salt. No teacher teaches exactly following ACS guidelines therefore the scores are low compared to class molded tests. Just beat your classmates and enjoy the curve!

 

[circulus vitios]

My general chemistry professor once played Queen - Another One Bites the Dust over the sound system right before an exam...I think it was a midterm or a final.

 

[ElusiveVet]

If you're taking the ACS, dont stress. I got a full score, and I got to a lower tier CA school. Just study the manual and get a generous amount of sleep

 

[Pholaffle]

My Ochem professor offered the ACS as an optional substitute for the final exam because he knew that no one was gonna really do well, having not even covered the breadth of material in organic. Ended up giving his own curve anyways because the highest grade on it was one of the undergrad TA's who only scored an 87.