I found Physics to be a miserable class....barely squeaking C's out of the year. Then I decided to pursue civil engr., a field that is highly dependent on physics. I did MUCH better in the later classes for several reasons.
1. the first time around I only memorized equations. In later classes I ignored the equations and tried to understand "why" a concept works. The equations take care of themselves when the concept is understood.
2. In my later classes I chose to read ahead. I can't emphasize that enough, as it gives you a head start in understanding what the prof. is talking about.
3. do problems, problems, problems, especially problems that differ from the ones you have already done. A broad range of problems will also help with the MCAT.
4. Don't let anything escape you...Use the prof. or TA. This is perhaps the biggest problem that students have, they need to utilize the resources availiable. Much of physics is just a repeat of what you learn first term so don't let those first concepts escape you. (Electricity and Mag. are just a new way to apply the same principles you use in statics and dynamics.)
5. find someone to study with. Although this isn't always the best way it does work for some people. Make sure you've done your work already. There is no better way to make sure you understand a concept than to explain it!
I find it hard to beleive that after completing my B.S. I went on to tutor physics!!!
Now ORGANIC? I LOVE organic! (I'm working on a M.S. in organic chemistry) Here's what worked for me (100% tile on ACS national exam)
1. Work ahead. I chose to start the summer before I took the course. By the time I started classes I'd already worked through most of the chapters that were going to be covered first term.
2. If you do a problem differently then the solutions say, ask a prof. or TA if your approach will work. There is usually more than one way to work a problem.
3. Do MANY MANY MANY problems. Organic is really a puzzle class. Learning to work them requires practice at working puzzles! The more you do, the more likely you are to see how to work the next one.
4. MOST IMPORTANT, understand WHY a reaction takes place. Pay particular attention to where electrons move and WHY. Most of the reactions will take care of themselves if you have a solid understanding of partial charges and electron movement. Initally it is tempting to just memorize the reaction, but as more and more reactions are introduced this becomes nearly impossible. If you've only memorize the initial reactions it makes the later ones quite difficult because you don't have the background to work the later ones. This also helps with the stereochemistry problems. If you understand WHY a reaction took place the stereochemistry (and regiochemistry) takes care of itself. I chose NOT to memorize ANY reactions. (However, after working hundreds of problems the reactions became memorized anyway)
5. DON'T FALL BEHIND. Organic much more than other classes, builds on itself. Make sure you stay up on the material as falling behind would put you at a marked disadvantage when approaching new material.
As you might have noticed much of the approach for physics and organic are the same....understand concepts, do many problems, ask for help immediately when stuck.......hope this helps....GOOD LUCK