a little orgo situation

[12345a]

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So I'm taking first semester orgo at (any ppl here?) and the professor is teaching us a way of doing organic chem.

Will this method of orgo hurt me on the DAT and beyond?

 

[Kneecoal]

ummm.... i'm going to go with a big fat "yes" on that one. sorry dude.

 

[americanpierg]

So I'm taking first semester orgo at UC Berkeley with a professor called Petersen (any Cal ppl here?) and he is teaching us a more "casual" way of doing organic chem. For example: naming substituents on a straight chain alkane doesn't matter how you number it or if they are in alphabetical order.

Will this casual method of orgo hurt me on the DAT and beyond?

but it balances out becuae you will have a higher Orgo GPA, and relearning orgo for the DAT isnt that hard anyways since orgo is the easiest section on the DAT.

 

[solstice]

Since this is your 1st semester Orgo, I would say pay attention to make sure there is nothing tricky about the numenclature or whatever else he is teaching. I strongly doubt any teacher would make such a mistake. Why don't you ask him his reasoning.

 

[peerless218]

but it balances out becuae you will have a higher Orgo GPA, and relearning orgo for the DAT isnt that hard anyways since orgo is the easiest section on the DAT.

I thought gen chem was the easiest section on the DAT

 

[cooki3monster]

You can PM me and I can tell you all about how wonderful your professor is. Don't worry. You'll learn so much from him. I'll be happy to answer your questions and I know all about UC berkeley chem 3a.

 

[cooki3monster]

Do not be misinformed and think "casual" nomenclature means it will be a easy class. Nomenclature is just an arbitrary set of rules set up by IUPAC to give an identity to a molecule. The real orgo is what you learn later.

 

[whatzuppal]

My suggestion to you is read the textbook. I didn't learn much from lecture in Cal, but always self learning.

 

[12345a]

thanks guys

cookiemonster: I don't think im underestimating the class, it's just in my genchem class we started on organic nomenclature and the professor was very strict about numbering, alphabetizing, ect. I guess I'm just a little off put because my orgo prof isn't too concerned with it...you're probably right that this is just the beginning but I'm a little scared that when the time comes to take the DAT, I'll have to change habits formed at the get go of ochem.....

 

[12345a]

My suggestion to you is read the textbook. I didn't learn much from lecture in Cal, but always self learning.

I've tried this but the prof does his own thing and lets the book "shade in the colors of his lecture"

 

[whatzuppal]

I've tried this but the prof does his own thing and lets the book "shade in the colors of his lecture"

I hope he is just joking around at his very first lecture. When you go deeper in o-chem, numbering carbon gets really important in sugar or even more complex molecule.
Practice it according to your textbook. I don't think he would be mad at you just because you follow the rule from the book.

 

[Ryltar]

My professor didn't go too in depth into nomenclature; rather he drilled reaction mechanisms and concepts into our brains mostly, and I ended up with a 24 on the DAT O Chem section. As long as you're learning a good portion of O chem I think your set. I ended up going back over the nomenclature while studying, but I didn't have to study reactions at all.

 

[cooki3monster]

He's just not being strict with the numbering and alphabetizing because you can still correctly identify a compound even if you start numbering from different ends. You can still do it the conventional way to get yourself used to it. It's just that when you name your compounds on your test, there is more than one correct answer he'll accept. Also, nomenclature is maybe 3-4 questions max on the test. Everything else he'll teach you is more than what you need to know for the test, and keeping the set of his published test is useful in refreshing your memory when it comes to studying for the DAT.

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

No. It will not hurt your DAT, unless you rely solely on your class to study for it. I know people who scored 22+ on the DAT before even having taken the subject.

This means that they adequately prepared by other means.

Go borrow a text from the library and study it on your own time, or supplement it with your lectures. It is possible to learn enough orgo to do very well on the DAT all by yourself.

In life we aren't always drawn a fair hand, but don't let that affect you. To be successful at anything, you have to learn how to be resourceful and drive towards your goal, where others may fail.

 

[acs]

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