how to do well in Orgo II?

[idkwhat]

Just need study advice (the more specific the better). I struggled a lot in Orgo I (got a C+) and I'm taking Orgo II to hopefully show improvement. Currently, I feel like I go super slow when I study and I'm unsure of how to actually remember everything (while I know it's an understanding-based subject, especially this semester, I struggled to even remember reaction products last semester). I tried flashcards and taking notes, but I've heard those are just time-wasters. I'm aiming to do all the questions per chapter at least twice, but I'm unsure if I'll even be able to finish them (I ran into this situation many times last semester. While I think part of the reason was taking too many classes, I realize that I was not studying efficiently/grasping the concepts as quickly as my peers). Any advice on how to develop a study plan would be greatly appreciated.

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[AJS59]

Just need study advice (the more specific the better). I struggled a lot in Orgo I (got a C+) and I'm taking Orgo II to hopefully show improvement. Currently, I feel like I go super slow when I study and I'm unsure of how to actually remember everything (while I know it's an understanding-based subject, especially this semester, I struggled to even remember reaction products last semester). I tried flashcards and taking notes, but I've heard those are just time-wasters. I'm aiming to do all the questions per chapter at least twice, but I'm unsure if I'll even be able to finish them (I ran into this situation many times last semester. While I think part of the reason was taking too many classes, I realize that I was not studying efficiently/grasping the concepts as quickly as my peers). Any advice on how to develop a study plan would be greatly appreciated.

As someone who also once struggled through Orgo II, your best bet is practice, practice, practice. Flash cards are fine for the basics (i.e. remembering which reagents go with which reaction) but on a fundamental level, Orgo is an understanding conceptual based course.

It's probably useful to also add in certain relevant third party material (shoutout to organic chemistry tutor) just so you can get a different perspective. And if your goal is to understand reaction mechanisms, I suggest trying to teach it to someone else - your dog, your wall, your significant other, etc. If you really want to push yourself, try coming up with your own questions

Finally, would recommend putting a lot of effort into it, practicing daily or close to it. Orgo may not directly relate to much of med school in terms of direct concept transfer (we've never discussed an aldol condensation in med school and probably never will) BUT its a good proxy course for testing one's resolve and commitment to studying - something you very much will need.

Tl;Dr - start with the basics of just understanding reactions and reagents. Then build on by trying to explain mechanisms and concepts in reaction selectivity. Finally finish it off through practice problems - especially when involving retrosynthesis, novel mechanisms or reconstructing a molecule from NMR/IR

 

[privatesugar]

Go to tutoring, go to office hours, get help from/study with your classmates who are getting As on the exams. Flashcards are definitely not time wasters. Flashcards are one of the best ways to study.

 

[idkwhat]

As someone who also once struggled through Orgo II, your best bet is practice, practice, practice. Flash cards are fine for the basics (i.e. remembering which reagents go with which reaction) but on a fundamental level, Orgo is an understanding conceptual based course.

It's probably useful to also add in certain relevant third party material (shoutout to organic chemistry tutor) just so you can get a different perspective. And if your goal is to understand reaction mechanisms, I suggest trying to teach it to someone else - your dog, your wall, your significant other, etc. If you really want to push yourself, try coming up with your own questions

Finally, would recommend putting a lot of effort into it, practicing daily or close to it. Orgo may not directly relate to much of med school in terms of direct concept transfer (we've never discussed an aldol condensation in med school and probably never will) BUT its a good proxy course for testing one's resolve and commitment to studying - something you very much will need.

Tl;Dr - start with the basics of just understanding reactions and reagents. Then build on by trying to explain mechanisms and concepts in reaction selectivity. Finally finish it off through practice problems - especially when involving retrosynthesis, novel mechanisms or reconstructing a molecule from NMR/IR

The thing is, my foundation is so weak that I don't know where to start. I've started the practice problems in the textbook (there are probably around 60 per chapter—I'm on #24ish) and I just don't know what to do when I don't get something because I'll just look at the solutions manual, copy down the answer, and just stare at it, trying to get it in my head). I know there's a more efficient way to do this but I don't know where to start in my case, and if that means I should redo old chapters from first semester. Spectroscopy is a whole other thing that I have to learn that I know is super important in Orgo II, but I'm overwhelmed by the amount of information left to cover given how poorly I understand it.

 

[wysdoc]

"I just don't know what to do when I don't get something because I'll just look at the solutions manual, copy down the answer, and just stare at it, trying to get it in my head)."
Instead of this, go to the part of the chapter that explains that concept and read it - looking at the right answer & memorizing it won't help you understand

 

[AJS59]

The thing is, my foundation is so weak that I don't know where to start. I've started the practice problems in the textbook (there are probably around 60 per chapter—I'm on #24ish) and I just don't know what to do when I don't get something because I'll just look at the solutions manual, copy down the answer, and just stare at it, trying to get it in my head). I know there's a more efficient way to do this but I don't know where to start in my case, and if that means I should redo old chapters from first semester. Spectroscopy is a whole other thing that I have to learn that I know is super important in Orgo II, but I'm overwhelmed by the amount of information left to cover given how poorly I understand it.

Believe it or not taking the effort to struggle through the material is good and you need to be willing to let yourself do that for longer. It's certainly not comfortable by any means but it's how you learn.

I agree with what Wysdoc said first though about reading through the concept, and I would add that you need to do more than just read it. Especially for mechanisms, you need to get yourself in front of a whiteboard and try drawing it out, and don't just MEMORIZE the sequence of events, understand WHY they happened.

 

[idkwhat]

Believe it or not taking the effort to struggle through the material is good and you need to be willing to let yourself do that for longer. It's certainly not comfortable by any means but it's how you learn.

I agree with what Wysdoc said first though about reading through the concept, and I would add that you need to do more than just read it. Especially for mechanisms, you need to get yourself in front of a whiteboard and try drawing it out, and don't just MEMORIZE the sequence of events, understand WHY they happened.

Got it, thank you so much. I think I've been taking that discomfort as a sign that I'm not starting from the right place, and then I've just been giving up too early on the concepts I've been revisiting. I'll try implementing the tips you suggested.

Thank you again for the help!

 

[idkwhat]

Go to tutoring, go to office hours, get help from/study with your classmates who are getting As on the exams. Flashcards are definitely not time wasters. Flashcards are one of the best ways to study.

I've tried tutoring and going to office hours. I guess I just need to ask more questions so that I'm less passive while studying. I think I just need to be more consistent with it all

 

[Neuroscifan]

My biggest advice is to spend a lot of time getting the basics of Orgo 1 down. It's expected that you have a solid foundation, because all the content from orgo 2 is added on top of orgo 1. It's not a broadening of knowledge like gen chem 1 to gen chem 2, but it's an additional depth. To do well in 2, I recommend studying and understanding the basics of 1, or you'll be floundering from the beginning and falling behind. What helped me out was sitting down in front of a whiteboard with a friend and taking turns writing out the different mechanisms from memory. If you get totally stuck, have your study partner help, then switch roles for the next reaction mechanism. I spent a lot of time going through Sn1, Sn2, E1, E2 reaction mechanisms and writing them down as well as I could remember, and only then looking at my notes to see what I was missing, then reviewing in the textbook. Really understanding the concepts of the behavior of atoms, their propensity toward electrophilicity and nucleophilicity can help guide you more than rote memorization on tests, because memorization can become an all or nothing, whereas understanding the mechanisms based on the properties and behaviors of the participants will let you discover the mechanisms on your own.

 

[duckgoesquack]

Here's what I did to get As in both Orgo 1 and 2!

- I didn't find lectures super helpful so I mostly studied from the textbook (Wade is a good one) and attended office hours and TA review sessions regularly.
- I also got a book called Organic Chemistry as a Second Language (First Semester and Second Semester Topics), and it was a game changer, since it explains a lot of complex topics and reaction schemes in a simple way and provides a ton of practice problems. I also liked how it emphasized pattern recognition, which is in my opinion, is the most important aspect of organic chemistry. Once you recognize the patterns and understand WHY the reaction happens the way it does, it becomes much easier to remember each reaction.
- For each topic (e.g. SN1 and SN2), I would first read the textbook chapter and Second Language and write notes for each section. So like I would write down the name of the reaction, the reaction conditions, examples, etc. I would then do practice problems from both books. I know it may be tempting to look at the solutions first if you get stuck, but it's far more meaningful to get the question wrong, star it, understand the solution (office hours and youtube videos help a ton for this), and then tackle it again after you get the concept down.
- Then, a few weeks before an exam, I would make a sheet listing all the reactions that would be covered on the exam. I would also do any textbook problems I hadn't touched yet and extra problems I found on the internet. When I start practicing, I usually allow myself to reference the cheat sheet a bit, but over time, after seeing the same reactions over and over again and recognizing patterns, I stop needed the cheat sheet and just have everything memorized.
- I also studied with others occasionally, especially right before exams, and I found it helpful to have someone quiz me on the reactions. Also, a night or two before an exam, I would go through the questions I had starred from my practice or ones that I consistently mess up just to make sure I have them down.
- And another tip: usually at the end of the textbook chapter, there are reaction maps. For example, if you want a map of alkyne reactions, you start with a basic alkyne in the center and then add different reactants to form halides, alcohols, carboxylic acids, etc. I sometimes like to use a blank map to quiz myself on the different reactions.

 

[idkwhat]

Here's what I did to get As in both Orgo 1 and 2!

- I didn't find lectures super helpful so I mostly studied from the textbook (Wade is a good one) and attended office hours and TA review sessions regularly.
- I also got a book called Organic Chemistry as a Second Language (First Semester and Second Semester Topics), and it was a game changer, since it explains a lot of complex topics and reaction schemes in a simple way and provides a ton of practice problems. I also liked how it emphasized pattern recognition, which is in my opinion, is the most important aspect of organic chemistry. Once you recognize the patterns and understand WHY the reaction happens the way it does, it becomes much easier to remember each reaction.
- For each topic (e.g. SN1 and SN2), I would first read the textbook chapter and Second Language and write notes for each section. So like I would write down the name of the reaction, the reaction conditions, examples, etc. I would then do practice problems from both books. I know it may be tempting to look at the solutions first if you get stuck, but it's far more meaningful to get the question wrong, star it, understand the solution (office hours and youtube videos help a ton for this), and then tackle it again after you get the concept down.
- Then, a few weeks before an exam, I would make a sheet listing all the reactions that would be covered on the exam. I would also do any textbook problems I hadn't touched yet and extra problems I found on the internet. When I start practicing, I usually allow myself to reference the cheat sheet a bit, but over time, after seeing the same reactions over and over again and recognizing patterns, I stop needed the cheat sheet and just have everything memorized.
- I also studied with others occasionally, especially right before exams, and I found it helpful to have someone quiz me on the reactions. Also, a night or two before an exam, I would go through the questions I had starred from my practice or ones that I consistently mess up just to make sure I have them down.
- And another tip: usually at the end of the textbook chapter, there are reaction maps. For example, if you want a map of alkyne reactions, you start with a basic alkyne in the center and then add different reactants to form halides, alcohols, carboxylic acids, etc. I sometimes like to use a blank map to quiz myself on the different reactions.

This. Thank you so much!!

 

[idkwhat]

Here's what I did to get As in both Orgo 1 and 2!

- I didn't find lectures super helpful so I mostly studied from the textbook (Wade is a good one) and attended office hours and TA review sessions regularly.
- I also got a book called Organic Chemistry as a Second Language (First Semester and Second Semester Topics), and it was a game changer, since it explains a lot of complex topics and reaction schemes in a simple way and provides a ton of practice problems. I also liked how it emphasized pattern recognition, which is in my opinion, is the most important aspect of organic chemistry. Once you recognize the patterns and understand WHY the reaction happens the way it does, it becomes much easier to remember each reaction.
- For each topic (e.g. SN1 and SN2), I would first read the textbook chapter and Second Language and write notes for each section. So like I would write down the name of the reaction, the reaction conditions, examples, etc. I would then do practice problems from both books. I know it may be tempting to look at the solutions first if you get stuck, but it's far more meaningful to get the question wrong, star it, understand the solution (office hours and youtube videos help a ton for this), and then tackle it again after you get the concept down.
- Then, a few weeks before an exam, I would make a sheet listing all the reactions that would be covered on the exam. I would also do any textbook problems I hadn't touched yet and extra problems I found on the internet. When I start practicing, I usually allow myself to reference the cheat sheet a bit, but over time, after seeing the same reactions over and over again and recognizing patterns, I stop needed the cheat sheet and just have everything memorized.
- I also studied with others occasionally, especially right before exams, and I found it helpful to have someone quiz me on the reactions. Also, a night or two before an exam, I would go through the questions I had starred from my practice or ones that I consistently mess up just to make sure I have them down.
- And another tip: usually at the end of the textbook chapter, there are reaction maps. For example, if you want a map of alkyne reactions, you start with a basic alkyne in the center and then add different reactants to form halides, alcohols, carboxylic acids, etc. I sometimes like to use a blank map to quiz myself on the different reactions.

update: got an A- on my first exam : )) thanks again!