chemistry

[matt46]

I'm currently taking general chemistry and have a good professor who doesn't give especially tricky tests.So I am doing very welll. However, when I take organic chemistry, there's only one professor who teaches all the courses for organic in my college and with about 100 students, the average is consistent each term to be 30-40 and he only gives out about 2 As a term. He's known to be a real genius and can make his test solely made out of unseen and unused before, tricky problems. They say though if you do well in his class, it's a great help for the MCat.
I am doing very well now, but expect a real problem next year.
How do you get a past a class like this?
Do you know of any books that would have the hardest, tricky questions with answers?

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[cbrons]

what a jerkoff

 

[ChubbyChaser]

How do you get past a class like this?? study your butt off, and go tohis office hours for help. Also you should probably be happy with a B, if he really is as tough as you say.

 

[SoyMilk]

I'm currently taking general chemistry and have a good professor who doesn't give especially tricky tests.So I am doing very welll. However, when I take organic chemistry, there's only one professor who teaches all the courses for organic in my college and with about 100 students, the average is consistent each term to be 30-40 and he only gives out about 2 As a term. He's known to be a real genius and can make his test solely made out of unseen and unused before, tricky problems. They say though if you do well in his class, it's a great help for the MCat.
I am doing very well now, but expect a real problem next year.
How do you get a past a class like this?
Do you know of any books that would have the hardest, tricky questions with answers?

How big is the class. If theres only 1 organic chem teacher in your college, i'm assuming you attend a small school. If this is the case then 2 A's out of a class of say 30 seems reasonable.

 

[matt46]

He teaches 12 organic chemistry lab classes combined into 1 big lecture hall.
Lecture and lab are combined at my college. So that's about 125 people.
Can I overcome tricky question just with practice?

 

[sully677]

Study like the rest of us. Our Ochem teacher usually only has 1 person make a legitimate A in his class. He has to curve a few points because he is so difficult. Study, go see the teacher, and take good notes.

 

[SoyMilk]

Are you sure only 2 people get A's?

 

[matt46]

2-3As according to 70 different ratings from ratemyprofessors.com. I can't verify it much further.
Did you find organic chemistry more tricky and aggravating than general chemistry?
(My general chemistry professor gives nearly 30-40 people As and I personally find that if I study and know the material well, I do well on the tests)

 

[TexasTriathlete]

My o-chem professor (o-chem I) had something like a 75% drop rate. He was very hard.

But here's the deal: o-chem is a seriously easy subject. It is just the first class in the pre-med/science major sequence where you really have to study. It's just a different way of thinking about things than you're used to, but once you get it down, it is a breeze.


My prof taught two sections of the same class. One was at 8am, the other was at 9am. I went to both. The first time through, I'd just copy down everything he said, and everything on his slides. The second time through, I'd actually pay attention, and I'd annotate my notes. I would also re-copy my notes ASAP into a sketch book, because I was writing so fast that it was pretty messy, and considering that o-chem is all drawing, it was important to be able to understand what I had written.

I ended up with the highest grade in the class, and o-chem II was freaking easy. I was close to the top of that class too. If you work hard in o-chem I, the second semester will be trivial.

Once you get to classes like biochem (if you take the hard one, and not the "survey" course), you will be longing for the days of easy classes like o-chem.

 

[Nasem]

organic chemistry is not hard (I am taking orgo I right now)

when I took Gen chem 1, I hated it, the class had over 350+ students and the teacher was "so-so".... the exams were all multiple choice with like, only 20 problems, you mis 1 little piece of calculation and the whole problem is gone, miss 2 problems in the exam and your down to 90%, so it was REALLY hard to get even 80%....

My organic class, is different, the teacher is freaking great, and the exams are written (meaning you DO get partial credit if your "so-so" on the right path)... for FOR ME, I think Organic chemistry 1 is easier than my Gen Chem 1

There is something I learned about those chemistry classes, they are MOSTLY judged by the professors (not by the content of the material)... sure Organic chemistry is a different animal (when u compare it to any other science class), but its not hard stuff, its actually very intriguing....HOWEVER, if you have an anal professor, he can make the class a nightmate. Like for example, if he gives you a SUPER hard synthesis problem, that would take an average student probebly 15 to 20 minutes to figure out alone, or if he gives you some nasty compounds HNMR / IR readings and asks you to figure out what the exact compound is with all different functional groups, you'll forsure end up with a class where more than 50% drop rate after the first 2 months.

My advice to you is, if he is the ONLY professor teaching Orgo in your school, you have no choice but to take him..... else, pick up a different professor, someone a little easier..... don't worry about your MCATs right now, worry about your grades and GPA, those (as you know) are VERY important

 

[cheezer]

if you're worried about getting an A, take it at another university and study hard

if you're okay with a B, take it with the professor and study hard

 

[Rotinaj]

If he gives 2 A's for 125 people, he's a horrible teacher. Anyone with stats that low on average needs to be fired.

 

[Twiigg]

Boy am I glad we have such a great science department!

 

[Nasem]

If he gives 2 A's for 125 people, he's a horrible teacher. Anyone with stats that low on average needs to be fired.

I highly doubt a professor would give "only 2 A's" for the whole semester... I mean, EVEN if that is true, how would anyone know this? its not like you threw a survey to 125 students and asked "so what was ur grade?" lol

I think the 2-A's is just a rumor, but, I don't doubt that the professor is hard, there are ALOT of anal professors out there, esspecially those super smart once, they like to show off thier knowledge.

 

[EdCLS]

I've managed get A's several difficult courses with some of those professors who "never give A's." Take the advice everyone else here is giving: take it and study hard. Go to the professor's office hours, work A LOT of problems, and know the material. You'll thank yourself for it later, and excelling in a class with a difficult prof is a great self-esteem booster. This has been my approach and it's always worked.

Good luck!

 

[Dendrite]

I highly doubt a professor would give "only 2 A's" for the whole semester... I mean, EVEN if that is true, how would anyone know this? its not like you threw a survey to 125 students and asked "so what was ur grade?" lol

I think the 2-A's is just a rumor, but, I don't doubt that the professor is hard, there are ALOT of anal professors out there, esspecially those super smart once, they like to show off thier knowledge.

There is this one biochemistry course at our school, and out of about 250 students that began during the semester, there were only 3 A's. Students knew about this because the professor would openly state it, telling students of what they are in for (those that will take it later, as a warning). Most students, however, did receive C's.

Professors can get away with giving out only a few A's in a large class if they particularly are tenured (only one explanation); it does happen, but it is rare.

In other classes, students know of the grade distribution because professors would post the students in his class and their grades (identified by their University ID Numbers) outside their offices at the end of the semester.

 

[Nasem]

There is this one biochemistry course at our school, and out of about 250 students that began during the semester, there were only 3 A's. Students knew about this because the professor would openly state it, telling students of what they are in for (those that will take it later, as a warning). Most students, however, did receive C's.

Professors can get away with giving out only a few A's in a large class if they particularly are tenured (only one explanation); it does happen, but it is rare.

In other classes, students know of the grade distribution because professors would post the students in his class and their grades (identified by their University ID Numbers) outside their offices at the end of the semester.

that is crazy !
how does this professor keep teaching the same course? I mean majority of the class is getting grades in the 70s, doesn't the biochem department get mad about this?

 

[MrDocNYU]

my 2 cents are
1. it is important to get A's in your sciences

2. if you are worried about not learning as much from your gen chem teacher, you should make it a task to learn additional things on your own

3. o-chem is not all that related to gen chem. it is completely possible to score an A in o-chem with a bare C in gen chem. the concepts and the thinking processes are slightly different.

4. o-chem and gen chem on the mcat are really basic (mostly), so you should be able to do well even if your teacher taught you only the minimum chem that he could teach you to keep it college level.

5. if your teacher gives 2/125 A's, you're pretty much screwed. plan an uprising against him, petition for his retirement, shoot him in the leg or right wrist (assuming he's right handed), do any thing so that he does not teach next year.

good luck. let me know if you need help.