Advice on getting an A in organic chemistry

[Theafoni]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Any advice on getting an A in ochem 1 ?
I noticed "Organic chemistry as a second language" mentioned a lot on other threads, is this book helpful? Should I pre-study using this book?

 

[Boolean]

Study?Not too sure what you're expecting as an answer here. You get an "A" in OChem 1 the same way you would in any other class, by working hard. OChem as a 2nd language is a great resource. It most certainly helps. I recommend using it alongside the book recommended for your course.

 

[IncognitoGuy]

Practice problems.

 

[Aerus]

The book breaks things down into very understandable parts. I didn't use it, but I've heard good things from friends. The key to success in Organic Chemistry (IN MY OPINION) can be summed up in these following points:

1) Understand the movement and behavior of electrons.

2) Organize the gargantuan amounts of information into neat, but not mutually exclusive, categories.

3) Do practice problems to complete your mastery of the material. It is not enough to just tell yourself that you understand the concepts. PRACTICE!

Good luck!

 

[solitarius]

Very conceptual stuff, obviously, which makes memorization the inappropriate mental tool for the reactions part.

- For most reactions, the most nucleophilic portion of a molecule will interact with the most electrophilic part of another molecule.
- Be good at spatial geography, as many of the molecules are just arranged differently and more complex ways on exams.
- Gotta know classes of reactions and the conditions that will favor them in a laboratory.
- Gotta be able to merge multiple reactions together to synthesize a wide variety of potential molecules.

 

[dechristine]

Everyone tells you to understand the concepts instead of memorizing, but really: understand the concepts instead of memorizing. You will learn about several reactions, and it is not enough to memorize the reactants, the reagents, and the products. In your practice problems, draw out the reaction mechanism every single time. That way you will not be intimidated when you encounter a different-looking reactant or blank out on an exam. Check all of your answers and make sure that you got an answer correct for the right reasons. If something is confusing to you, ask your professor about it. Make reaction summary sheets: for every functional group, map out reactions that will synthesize that functional group as well as reactions the functional group can undergo to synthesize another functional group. Read the textbook before you go to class so you have an idea of what is going on.

 

[Tradewinds]

All the advice so far is really solid. I especially agree with the idea of drawing out the whole mechanism almost every time you do a practice problem (and do a lot of these!) it will help you recognize unfamiliar reactions more easily. Understand nucleophiles and electrophiles. If you don't have time to read before each lecture (which I think helps quite a bit) at least look through the chapter review at the end of the chapter, before you go to class; it takes a minimal amount of time but does help.
Most importantly, don't get behind!

Best of luck!

 

[Plue00]

An easy undergrad and everyday practice

 

[bonique Rando]

I recommend using it alongside the book recommended for your course.

 

[justAstudent]

My best advice would be to read the book for understanding first. Once you feel like you have a good grasp on the material, treat it like math and just practice as many problems as you possibly can. When you think you have it all down, find more problems to practice with.

 

[jd989898]

Honestly, the more classes I take in college the more I am coming to believe what I'm about to say. The key to getting top grades in any course is first being naturally smart to some degree, and then figuring out how to implement your effort in that particular class. Every class is different. For some, the prof's note packets are the key to success. For others, the textbook or lectures are the key to success. Some classes are best tackled with online resources(youtube videos/other university's powerpoints) if your prof barely speaks english. Some classes have terrible online resources like theatre history or something and it's impossible to take notes fast enough so you have to record and transcribe the prof's lectures. etc, etc, etc. Figure out what's on the tests and quizzes and how it correlates to the information available to you and make a study plan accordingly. Basically just be decently smart compared to your peers and then figure out how to "game" the class. It's gotten me several 4.0 semesters so far.

 

[JoeKing]

Organic Chemistry as a second language. Also, get stack of printer paper and write out the mechanisms over and over as you learn them. This will make your life a lot easier.

 

[neekzg]

I would suggest doing a forum search on this topic. I've definitely seen this thread every couple of months (if not weeks) and they all contain valuable advice that is most likely just being reiterated here.

Also, I would second jd989898's advice: doing well in a class depends on the specific school, instructor, and the way you adjust to it. I try to figure out as early as possible what the best ways to study for different classes is, and this can vary from class to class pretty drastically. There are some classes where I find that reading the textbook is a waste of time and others where I consider it very important. Although some posts above suggest to read the book to have a strong foundation or whatever, I definitely would've found that to be a waste of time in my specific organic chemistry class since all the important information was found in lecture and by doing the assigned practice problems and old tests.

 

[InfantryToMedicine]

I got an "A" in both I and II by studying the way the instructor would ask questions as much as the material. I also went to class...

 

[Genore]

I got As in both semesters after "bombing" (solid low Bs) first two tests first semester. My advice, don't get cocky and practice, practice, practice. Also, don't get discouraged and don't be afraid to ask for help.

First semester, I walked into the first test after studying 30 minutes (I was overly cocky because I found out the day before that I had placed 3rd in my Advanced Gen Chem class, beating out pretty much all the chem majors. The prof throughout the class had teased/looked down on me for being a bio major. ). For the second test, I prepared by only doing the first two homework problems from each section because I only left 3 hours (granted, I had two upper level bio tests the morning of this test). I literally had to work my ___ off the rest of the semester to have any chance at an A. As a result, I spent my entire fall break learning the concepts from the first two tests and studying for the next.

Lesson learned: Do all homework questions provided. As you do them, think though each step and make up a list of questions to ask yourself while you think about how to approach the problem. If you get it wrong, do not move on. Sit down and reread your notes until you understand where you misunderstood something. Double check with the prof/TA to make sure you did it correctly. Then, think up a couple of problems that combine all of the hardest concepts you learned that section and run through those and double check as hypotheticals with prof.

As the class averages dropped from an 85 the first test to 60s-70s (with many individuals dropping after the 3rd test), I moved up from low 80s to mid 90s range. I got the highest grade in the class by 4 pts on the final, making the 99% I needed to get an A. That was the hardest I've worked in any class ever (after the first 2 tests, of course), and I'll treasure the screenshot of my grades forever. 😉

Second semester seemed easier as a result. It's a lot more memorization, but I thought the concepts were easier than those from first semester.

One thing I saw in many other students was that they weren't committed to success. They had gotten a 90 or so (above average, but B+) on the first test, and were pleasantly surprised so they thought their studying worked. They kept spending the same amount of time as difficulty increased and then got depressed and pretty much stopped studying altogether. My roommate fell into this trap and barely made it out with a C+ first semester and then had to drop second semester. She went to class but tried to cram learning the material into 2-3 days before the test as working in other classes increased and didn't have time to ask for help as a result. By the final, she literally started the homework the night before at 7 pm for an 8 am final. smh. Don't do that. Commit yourself to getting an A and you'll have a chance.

 

[capit]

2) Organize the gargantuan amounts of information into neat, but not mutually exclusive, categories.

This helped me a lot. Aids memorization (and educated guesstimating if it comes down to that).

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

go to class. pay attention. read assigned readings and do their assigned questions.

like any other premed class . . .

 

[Mad Jack]

Carefully select your professor based on student opinions and their profile on sites like ratemyprofessor. Select for ease. Go to every lecture. Draw every mechanism that will be on your next exam 3 or more times a day, every day. Do as mamy practice problems as you can find from whatever source you can. Do each problem set repeatedly in your spare time. Ochem was about repetition more than amything in my opinion. Had two difficult professors, landed an A in both 1 and 2 by just practicing 24/7.

 

[geretts]

1) Understand that all it is is a tug of war match between atoms for electrons
2) Practice problems
3) ?????
4) Profit

 

[LFC85]

Think of organic chemistry like math: the only way to success is practice, practice, practice. You can memorize what happens in the mechanism, you can follow along in the book and have it make perfect sense, but come test time you can get the problem wrong because the professor decided to use an unusual ring instead of a straight-chained carbon molecule that you were used to seeing. In math, you can understand how to find an integral in general, but if don't know how to find one with a natural log, and that's what appears on the test, then you're in trouble. You have to be ready to answer the question with a number of different variables. Therefore, work many problems like you would do for a math course.

In general:
1) Read the book. I found that this helps, and if you use the Wade version, I found his layout helpful in understanding concepts. Not everyone agrees with me on this, but personally it helped. Try it for the first few chapters.
2) Buy the ACS book on day one, and work the problems as you go along. They are usually more difficult than what you can expect on a test, so don't be discouraged if you don't always get them correct.
3) Find your textbooks solution manual, and always work the suggested problems, or if none are given by your instructor, work a random-but-thorough selection.

Again, I can't encourage you enough to do the practice problems. I remember a particular problem on a test in ochem II where the solution was to close the ring, something which made sense when the professor went over it, but that I never even thought of as an answer. Organic is about *understanding* the chemistry that's happening, not about simply memorizing a sheet of reactions. When you come to know that the beta attacks the alpha, you'll be able to solve any problem for that particular mechanism.

Understand the interactions between acids and bases, it will help you immeasurably when you come to reactions.

Look over the material every day, even if you only have 20 minutes to do so. Form a group of students who are as serious as you to study each week. Go to SI if they have one.

And lastly, relax. It's a difficult course, but if you work hard you will be rewarded. As a chem major, I'm told at the beginning of every course that it's hell on earth, and that I'm going to suffer immensely. And often I do, but just like with organic, I always make it through, and my hard work always pays off. The same will be true for you.

Good luck!