Best way to prepare for summer Orgo I & II??

[CareerNumTwo]

Due to life interfering with my school schedule (just had a baby), I have to take both Orgo I & II this summer - 5 weeks each. I won't be taking any other classes and I'm saving the labs for the fall (my plan is to study for the DAT in the fall and only take those two labs). The classes are M-Th 930-1145 and my studying will be mostly limited to the time my son is in daycare (approx 9-5 so I can study 5 hours on M-Th, about 7 hours on Friday, and a little here and there on the weekends when my husband can step in).

I'm really worried that my study time is limited, so I'm trying to do as much as I can this Spring to get ready (I'm not enrolled is any classes this semester).

I have the books "Pushing Electrons" and "Orgo as a 2nd language - 1st semester" which I'll be going through first. After that my plan was to read the assigned text and do all of the problems getting as far into it as possible. However, after watching one of the free Chad's videos, I'm not sure if that's the best plan.

Should I:

- stick to the text & problems?
- sign up for and watch all of chad's organic chemistry review (the course not the DAT review) using the outlines and doing all of the quizzes?
- combine both somehow?
- is there a better option? Ex: I found a different professor (Mike Christiansen) who posted all of his organic lectures on YouTube, is he better?

Lastly, should I just focus on Orgo I material this spring or should I also attempt to familiarize myself with Orgo II material? My concern here is that I won't know if I've properly mastered the first semester stuff enough to dive into the second semester stuff...

Thanks in advance.


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[Faux]

Given that you just had a baby and the difficult nature of the class, I would hold off. Both are 4 credit classes, with some time consuming labs. You would be doing at least a chapter a day after your 5-6 hour day long class sessions. And if you do end up doing bad, was it worth rushing? Because thats what you're doing, rushing.


If you're dead set on doing it in the summer, grab a syllabus of the class you're taking and work from there with the class book while sprinkling in some chads/2nd language. The author of 2nd language even has his own text book, so look into that too


If you already took orgo 1 and did well, I'd highly suggest orgo 2, since its mostly the same material but just expanded on. But taking Orgo1 for the first time, in a summer course? Its a difficult course for a lot of people and for good reason. Its not your typical memorization course. I personally got an A in the course and found GC a lot harder, but its just a different way of thinking and takes some time to get adjusted to.

 

[OrphanageCaretaker]

Honestly, if I could re-do it all over, I would do Ochem 1 and 2 during the summer. There are pro's and con's to summer courses, Ochem being the one of the hardest courses you can take during summer, only raises the stakes. The pro of Ochem 1/2 in the summer is that all the information will be extremely fresh in your mind, your final will be in several weeks rather than several months so topics such as electron pushing or enantiomers will still be easily remembered whenever you get into the alcohols chapter of the book. The con of Ochem 1/2 in summer is the sheer amount of work it takes to understand the concept and then relay it into practice problems that can be seen on the exam. Continuation of Ochem2 the summer seminar right after will yet again be a continuation of the material from Ochem1 so you will have a solid foundation already. I watched FreeLanceTeach on YouTube and he was pretty good at explaining concepts and he had some great study guides (free) on his website for E1/E2/SN1/SN2 etc. Ochem labs were kind of tedious to me but the labs went by quickly, big hint, lab reports for the most part take into account the amount of product you received after an experiment, for my class, yields of a product above 50% would receive the most amount of points. A simple technique I would use is add excess limiting reagent (the reagent that limits the total reaction speed) to get a better yield and thus higher grams of product which results in higher points for each lab report. Bottom line, if you're willing sacrifice your entire summer to study and do well in the courses, I don't see why you shouldn't ace both of them. Oh, and please, the most underutilized resource is your instructor, most people neglect office hours, but it is your professor who is writing the exams, so go to office hours and ask as many questions until you understand the topic. Going to office hours everyday will also show the professor you are very passionate about Ochem which can result in them bumping up your grade 1/2% towards the end of the semester and/or even getting a great LOR from them when the time comes.

 

[averageasian]

chemistryprep.com ( the new chadsvideos.com for everything chemrelated)

 

[WheatLom]

-Learn periodic trends.
-understand equilibrium
-oxidation (like actually know what oxidation will lead too)
-reduction (what reduction will lead to)
-acid/base chemistry

If you can understand those concepts very well, you'll ace orgo.

Don't let the name of the class freak you out. It really isn't hard and it's pretty simple if you truly understand the 5 topics above. Remember gen chem principles are 100% applicable Ochem. Chemistry will always be chemistry.

 

[mp5491]

I passed OChem 1 & 2 with As, and I owe it all to Free-Lance Teach. This man is amazing and really drills the important concepts into your head, and his videos are free. They are a little on the long side but totally worth it at the end.
Website.
http://www.freelance-teacher.com/videos.htm

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[drcrentistdds]

The YouTube channel Leah4sci was very helpful to me in orgo 1. Every professor will do things differently so it's hard to say what you should read/do before the class even starts. Orgo as a second language for example was really helpful for me in reviewing for the DAT but it was in a completely different order than how my class was taught so it wasn't that helpful while taking the class. Chads videos are also very limited to what's tested on the DAT while your class might require knowing mechanisms in more depth for example. Just practice a lot once the class starts and you'll do great!!

 

[WheatLom]

You'll have to decide for yourself whether or not Chad's vs something on youtube works better for you, but I definitely think that video resources outside the textbook are the most time efficient ways to learn Orgo. If I could do it again it's exactly what I do. However your textbook practice problems will be invaluable chances to practice applying what you learned from those videos. Best of luck!

Like what @WheatLom said, don't let the name of the course pysch you out. Don't fall behind and you'll be just fine. People (can testify myself) fall behind because they don't practice enough and don't learn a little everyday, rather than the material being too difficult to understand.

Yep! Remember Ochem is like 80 science, 15 percent art and the rest a little luck lol.

 

[rolltide15]

I took O chem in the summer and it is definitely hard but you can do it. I re-wrote my notes, made a TON of flashcards, did every practice problem, took notes on homework problems, went to tutoring anything I could do. I would just dedicate every moment you can to studying and practicing mechanism and synthesis problems (once you get to them).

 

[Polkadotfan]

I was in class as a TA for ochem in the summer. It's rough on them - even I couldn't believe how fast it went!
Kline. I can't stress enough for first semester how amazing Ochem as a 2nd language is! Everything that should be in first semester is in Kline and it will help you get the basics down for structure, acid -base, and reactions.
Also, if you don't understand something get tutoring or help ASAP. Summer is no joke and you need to be on top of it.
It is doable though!

 

[maverick313]

A friend of mine took them in the summer, had a job, and has 2 kids. He used OChem as a second language I and II apart from flashcards, notes, etc. He got A's in both classes.

BUT, it is important to start reading OChem as a second language BEFORE the actual class starts! Being acquainted with the terminology, concepts, etc. prior to starting the class gives you a real leg up

 

[chives_irvine]

I took Orgo I in the summer and it may have been one of my biggest academic mistakes

 

[CareerNumTwo]

I took Orgo I in the summer and it may have been one of my biggest academic mistakes

Why is that?


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[chives_irvine]

Why is that?


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I figured that since it was the only class I was taking and could focus all my time on it, that it would be fine. What I didn't take into account were the weekends. The weekends add up and are really important for Ochem. Also, you can only do so much Ochem every day without wanting to drop your book and never look at it again. Basically, I just ran out of time for studying and didn't get the grade I wanted when I probably could have gotten a significantly better score. When I took Ochem II, I did it during a normal semester and I studied every weekend (and week day) and got the grade I wanted.
Also something to consider, where I attend, most of the summer term people taking ochem are retaking it and the class is based on a curve. This does put the first time takers at something of a disadvantage.