Any advice for Orgo

[omgitsbre]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi, I just had a rough freshman year and I ended up with 2.6 gpa. I'm aiming to do well this semester to help boost that gpa. I'm registered for Orgo in the fall. Is there any advice you guys have for the course?

 

[theseeker4]

Hi, I just had a rough freshman year and I ended up with 2.6 gpa. I'm aiming to do well this semester to help boost that gpa. I'm registered for Orgo in the fall. Is there any advice you guys have for the course?

Just put in more time studying than you think you need to. And if you haven't figured out why you did poorly Freshman year AND know how to fix it, drop the classes now and figure it out before you do any more damage to your GPA.

 

[elbow123]

Try not to focus on the textbook and do problems instead. Remember your questions and go ask in office hours! Also, it's a mentality... just don't think about the hype. There's a steep learning curve but once you put in a certain amount of time, it becomes much easier. good luck.

 

[nysw]

For Orgo, do as many practice problems as you can get your hands on. Check your answers and see why you got stuff wrong, what this or that reaction really is, etc. Organic is about taking a few really common reactions and seeing if you can logic your way through them. Once you start seeing a pattern, you're golden.
Good luck!

 

[young2sj]

I too will be taking organic in the fall.
I think the most useful advice I have gotten is to study smart. Flashcards and loads of practice problems will be our best bet. and at all costs, avoid procrastination (obviously).

Best of luck, see you on the other side!

 

[RavishingB]

Hi, I just had a rough freshman year and I ended up with 2.6 gpa. I'm aiming to do well this semester to help boost that gpa. I'm registered for Orgo in the fall. Is there any advice you guys have for the course?

What did you get in each course?Just wondering

 

[omgitsbre]

Thanks for the responses! I will try that...are there any review books that you guys used along with textbooks that helped?

RavishingB, I got B's in Bio I & II and Chem I. C's in Calc I and II but couldn't take them over again. B's in writing/institution courses.

 

[theseeker4]

Thanks for the responses! I will try that...are there any review books that you guys used along with textbooks that helped?

RavishingB, I got B's in Bio I & II and Chem I. C's in Calc I and II but couldn't take them over again. B's in writing/institution courses.

Do you know WHY you did so poorly, especially in the writing/institution courses (usually gimmee classes i.e. easy A's)?

 

[omgitsbre]

Well I had bad study habits from high school. I carried those over...the first exams I studied hard for, but later on I started slacking off instead of studying for the stuff that really mattered. The writing course I got my act together and got an A in spring semester, but the institution courses were just put in place when I came to college. The class had no point to me, and instead of asking the prof for help, I just did the bare minimum.

I'm planning to lose all the distraction next semester and just focus on academics because this caused so much stress for the past summer and I realized it's no one's fault but mine.

 

[theseeker4]

Well I had bad study habits from high school. I carried those over...the first exams I studied hard for, but later on I started slacking off instead of studying for the stuff that really mattered. The writing course I got my act together and got an A in spring semester, but the institution courses were just put in place when I came to college. The class had no point to me, and instead of asking the prof for help, I just did the bare minimum.

I'm planning to lose all the distraction next semester and just focus on academics because this caused so much stress for the past summer and I realized it's no one's fault but mine.

Well, since you identified what you were doing wrong, if you keep your act together all semester, you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[kpcrew]

don't just learn how to draw chairs and arrows, strive to understand why reactions work and how they affect the molecular structures

 

[Scherbatsky]

Hi, I just had a rough freshman year and I ended up with 2.6 gpa. I'm aiming to do well this semester to help boost that gpa. I'm registered for Orgo in the fall. Is there any advice you guys have for the course?

Orgo was my lowest mark in undergrad and I regret not getting a tutor. My advice: Don't be afraid to ask for help.

 

[Eric01]

For first semester organic chemistry

Go over resonance structures in your book. See the priority rules assigned to resonance structure i.e. full octet is more important than position of formal charge on correct atom. Then do problems comparing and drawing resonance structures and see if your logic and ability to solve problems is consistent and correct.

next go over hybridization states. There should be a practice problem or so in your textbook with arrows pointing to atoms asking what its hybridization state is. Make sure you know and can do these problems easily (also incorporate resonance structures into your assignments)

I don't really know how your professor stresses IUPAC names, my professor really didn't care at all about our ability to do IUPAC names. I guess do problems on that though.

The number of reactions you have you generally start in mid semester, the synthesis problems you do in orgo I shouldn't be too difficult, just be sure you have an intuitive knowledge of what things are getting added and where given alkenes, alkynes reactants.

Also note that problems needing you to think in 3-dimensions almost always have a logical system you can follow so you don't actually need to think in 3-dimensions. Haha I know this sound kind of ambigious and I forgot what type of problems I used it for, but I do remember I absolutely sucked at thinking at things in 3-D so I just developed patterns to solve those problems requiring it.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I went to every single lecture for Orgo I and took detailed notes in class. Then, immediately after class, I would rewrite and condense my notes, taking care to write each new reaction and mechanism on a separate page sorted by functional group (e.g. alcohol, ketone, etc.) I did a lot of practice problems, but not an overwhelming amount. I also spent a lot of time trying to understand resonance and energy stability--reaction mechanisms are MUCH easier when you understand why each electron goes where it does. Plus, if you understand the fundamentals of energy, you won't be screwed when you come across an unfamiliar mechanism on an exam. It's also very important to understand acid/base chemistry, particularly Lewis acids and basis.

I found that for remembering reactions, flashcards weren't particularly helpful. I just wrote each mechanism over and over again until I had it down pat. Towards the end of the semester, doing a lot of synthesis problems will help you remember the most important reactions easily.

I took a very different approach in Orgo II--I wasn't a huge fan of my professor, so to be honest I didn't go to class once after the first week. I taught myself the material from the book. I would read every single chapter we were assigned and take notes, doing ALL of the practice problems in the explanation section and all of the assigned practice problems at the end of the section. I also made a sheet with every reaction we needed to know, sorted by functional group. If you understand the basics of Orgo I very well, Orgo II is just a bunch more reactions to remember.

FWIW, I got an A both semesters.

 

[Morsetlis]

Draw it out.

 

[rxlea]

Never, ever fall behind; especially in orgo II!

 

[Lil Mick]

Concentrate on the electrons of the interacting structures. If you understand electronegativity... and use it on the exams, you'll do well in orgo with minimal memorization 🙂

 

[docB]

Sorry wrong forum.

Agreed. So moved to PreAllo.

I suggest doing a search on this as there have been other orgo threads in the past. I also suggest trying to narrow your request. "Orgo" is an expansive subject. You'll get better responses if you ask about a specific area.

 

[vin5cent0]

If you avoid cramming, which is what I did and totally regret, ochem is very manageable. If you make notecards on reactions and study often, but not for too long each time, managing an A or B in that class isn't too difficult.

Now, when you do what I did and cram 1-2 days before every test, then yes, that class becomes a nightmare. DON'T DO IT!!!

 

[FrkyBgStok]

The best advice you can get for orgo is don't let it punk you before you start. Everyone has good advice but if you go into afraid thinking you aren't going to get it, it is going to burn you. All the other advice stems off of this principle. Like I tell my daughter trying to learn to ride her bike, "if you are afraid, you will fall."

 

[ppfizenm]

read the book, took notes on every chapter, read my notes, used class to review what I had gone over, got an A

 

[Reaction]

The key to Orgo is just like it is to any other class: Stay on top of the material you are covering. Do not fall behind.. Other than that like others said do plenty of practice questions

 

[Morsetlis]

read the book, took notes on every chapter, read my notes, used class to review what I had gone over, got an A

Read the books???

This is orgo, the notes are more than enough.

Watching YouTube videos would be preferable to reading those books.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Read the books???

This is orgo, the notes are more than enough.

Watching YouTube videos would be preferable to reading those books.

I learned Orgo II entirely from the textbook and got an A.

 

[Morsetlis]

I learned Orgo II entirely from the textbook and got an A.

I learned it without a book and got an A.

 

[circulus vitios]

Don't listen to anyone who says "don't memorize, understand the concepts." You can understand the concepts but that means nothing when you have to draw the curved arrow mechanism for a reaction the professor expects you to know inside and out and all you can draw is a blank.

 

[kpcrew]

Don't listen to anyone who says "don't memorize, understand the concepts." You can understand the concepts but that means nothing when you have to draw the curved arrow mechanism for a reaction the professor expects you to know inside and out and all you can draw is a blank.

that's not what i said, i was just emphasizing that knowing the concepts helps greatly.

 

[circulus vitios]

that's not what i said, i was just emphasizing that knowing the concepts helps greatly.

It wasn't aimed at you in particular 😳 and I agree.

Understanding why something happens is great. Just don't expect to get through on concepts alone.

 

[Lubeckd]

I learned Orgo II entirely from the textbook and got an A.

This. My prof didnt teach well, you had to learn from the textbook. I got top 10% of my class, and a letter of recommendation from him.

 

[KaplanKrackers]

Practice problems are the key.

1) Try a problem, fail miserably.
2) Go read the corresponding portion of your textbook.
3) Try the problem again. Fail, but less miserably.
4) Look at the answer. Understand.
5) Try a similar problem. Get it wrong.
6) Re-read the corresponding portion of your textbook.
7) Try the problem again. SUCCESS!!!!
8) Take the 8/12 MCAT and get every single Ochem question wrong because they are all hard and even though you got A's on every single Ochem test they have nothing to do with anything you learned and there's a strict time limit and the AAMC sucks.

 

[Eric01]

Oh ya by the way, if you have a solution manual to your textbook, don't just do a problem, get stumped, look at the solution and say "oh that makes sense" and move on. Of course it makes sense after the fact. This applies more to orgo II synthesis problems than orgo I problems, but seriously, don't go into an exam before you've been able to take a new problem and solve it 100% correctly on your own.

Unfortunately for complex synthesis problems there's more than one correct answer, if your answer differs from your solution manual, but you think you did the chemistry correctly, go to your prof's office hours or TA sessions and work through the logic.

I did most of my learning through textbook + office hours/TA office hours. For me 1 on 1 instruction is a lot better than classroom setting. To each their own.

 

[Nontrad85]

I would recommend buying Organic Chemistry as a Second Language by David Klein. It definitely provided a foundation for doing well in all of the series in OChem. Also, I taught/TA'ed Organic Chemistry I, II, and III and recommended this book to students and I got positive feedbacks from them.

Just general advice:
Like others have already mentioned... practice, practice, practice. And when you get comfortable, do more practice problems until it becomes annoyingly easy. OChem is like learning a second language where you first have to learn the words...then learn how to combine words before you can form sentences (Klein).

 

[orthomyxo]

Hi, I just had a rough freshman year and I ended up with 2.6 gpa. I'm aiming to do well this semester to help boost that gpa. I'm registered for Orgo in the fall. Is there any advice you guys have for the course?

Lubrication. Lots of it.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I learned it without a book and got an A.

If you have a good professor, you can do this (this is what I did in Orgo I). Orgo II my professor was pretty crappy, so I had to learn it myself. Either way works if you are dedicated.

Don't listen to anyone who says "don't memorize, understand the concepts." You can understand the concepts but that means nothing when you have to draw the curved arrow mechanism for a reaction the professor expects you to know inside and out and all you can draw is a blank.

This is crap, if you understand the concepts it is NOT difficult to figure out the mechanism for a reaction based on functional groups and free electrons even if you don't have it memorized. Half of them are just acid-base chemistry anyway.

 

[Eric01]

If you have a good professor, you can do this (this is what I did in Orgo I). Orgo II my professor was pretty crappy, so I had to learn it myself. Either way works if you are dedicated.



This is crap, if you understand the concepts it is NOT difficult to figure out the mechanism for a reaction based on functional groups and free electrons even if you don't have it memorized. Half of them are just acid-base chemistry anyway.

It depends on the mechanism. You're probably not going to derive hydroboration on your own (or maybe you can, I haven't looked at it in a while), but things like carbonyl chemistry you just have to know you can't create positive charged intermediates in basic solution and you don't create negative charged intermediates in acidic conditions and then just do acid/base chemistry from there.

 

[merde]

The best thing about orgo is that you do not have to be a gen chem beast to do well but you do need to have excellent study habits. In my experience both taking orgo and tutoring orgo II for two years, the students that seem to have the easiest time with the class tend to be those from a more artistic background. Of course this isn't everyone but I did notice kids that had a knack for learning languages or that studied music and visual arts tended to pick up concepts a little bit quicker than your typical math/science machine.

No matter what, you need to stay on top of everything and get help right away if you fall behind. The most frustrating thing for a tutor is getting all those emails during the middle of the semester from students who have been behind since the second week of classes. There is no way I could catch them up by their midterm. Good luck! Orgo can really be a lot of fun!

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I've successfully covered ch 1 and 2 and I'm still behind. Our class met only twice last week for the first time, I have a short lab report due next thursday, and I have to read ch 3 to be prepared for lecture on tuesday. This class moves FAST! Bearable as of right now since it's concepts from Gen Chem but I feel in the later weeks, it's gonna be hell!

 

[Abi123]

I am among the people here who advocate reading the textbook. I read, annotated, and worked through the problems in the text. Going to class was pointless and my friends told me any exam hints that the professor mentioned. Before the tests, I would re-read the annotations in the text that I had made and re-worked through some of the problems.

Personally, I felt this whole hype over orgo being very hard is just over inflated. It was just like any other normal class for me. You have made it this far so you should have some idea on the way you learn best, use that as a starting point on what you should be doing.

Understanding concepts and being able to apply them is key (do those practice problems!). Most people I see who have trouble with orgo are fixated on memorizing, don't let this be you.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

^^ It's a lot of reading though and they fly by the ch's (which are like 70 pages) in a class day. I'm thinking whether to just skip class and spend 3 hours in the library reading the ch's. The only good thing is that he makes his own pp slides which are very clear. Plus, my professor is really hand-on and tries to get the whole class involved. (and that was just the first week)

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Btw, how are everyones tests' structured as? My prof told me it's 80% M.C. 10% fill in, and 10% draw, name, react. + I think he offers 10% of E.C. on top of that.

 

[deleted357625]

^^^my orgo class the quizzes and tests are all hand written with no partial credit.. no idea what ima gonna do

 

[Eric01]

Btw, how are everyones tests' structured as? My prof told me it's 80% M.C. 10% fill in, and 10% draw, name, react. + I think he offers 10% of E.C. on top of that.

M.C. questions on Ochem wtf? 95% of my enjoyment of that class was being able to draw really crappy structures all over the page knowing I was being a pain in the *** to the grader.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I'm not a fan of M.C. though because you get no partial credit.

 

[deleted357625]

I'm not a fan of M.C. though because you get no partial credit.

i get no partial credit and mines all hand written

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

^ man, that just plain sucks.

 

[Temperature101]

Hi, I just had a rough freshman year and I ended up with 2.6 gpa. I'm aiming to do well this semester to help boost that gpa. I'm registered for Orgo in the fall. Is there any advice you guys have for the course?

You are in for a rough time...Most freshman classes are a lot easier than Orgo. As many previous posters said, stay on top of the material and you will be ok.

 

[orthomyxo]

M.C. questions on Ochem wtf?

This.

What are you taking, babby's first organic course? Half the fun of organic is feeling like a mad scientist while you scramble to draw out overly elaborate syntheses. It makes you feel like you know what you're doing and everything.

 

[circulus vitios]

This.

What are you taking, babby's first organic course? Half the fun of organic is feeling like a mad scientist while you scramble to draw out overly elaborate syntheses. It makes you feel like you know what you're doing and everything.

I've never correctly answered a synthesis question.

 

[orthomyxo]

I've never correctly answered a synthesis question.

I literally got one synthesis problem correct through all of orgo II. It led to the correct product, but it was so roundabout and awkward that my prof wrote "interesting" on the page. I'm pretty sure that was a polite way of calling me ******ed.

 

[circulus vitios]

I literally got one synthesis problem correct through all of orgo II. It led to the correct product, but it was so roundabout and awkward that my prof wrote "interesting" on the page. I'm pretty sure that was a polite way of calling me ******ed.