How are you guys getting 3.7’s?

[Mister Significant]

Hey y’all,

I just wanted to post in search of some ways that you guys are getting those 4.0’s and 3.7’s in your Gen Chem’s and Orgo’s. I feel like anytime I put more focus on those classes then my easier class grades slip.

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[Robin-jay]

Quick Background: I scored the highest in my orgo II class, taught 15+ gen. chem/org. chem. lab courses, and have a masters in chem.

I scored the highest on the orgo II final with roughly a 192/200 or so.

A lot of pre-meds seem to have trouble with this series for some reason.

For general chemistry, just study and understand the concepts. Watch Khan academy videos.

What I would do (for organic):

1.) Take good notes.
2.) Review notes for an hour a day, and do all practice problems given.
3.) Anything you don't understand, see the professor and ask away.
4.) When you go see your professor to ask him questions, get a feel for what he's going to expect on exams.
5.) Don't blow off labs, as there are many bridges between lecture and lab, even though you may not realize it.

Organic chemistry is like a puzzle. It can be difficult but don't overthink it.

I would advise not taking this course during the summer though. There's far too much information than you want to try and learn in such a short time. I'm actually surprised this course is offered during the summers at most universities.

When I taught orgo labs during the summers, I was doing about 5-6 hours of instructing 3-4 days a week.

 

[Mister Significant]

Quick Background: I scored the highest in my orgo II class, taught 15+ gen. chem/org. chem. lab courses, and have a masters in chem.

I scored the highest on the orgo II final with roughly a 192/200 or so.

A lot of pre-meds seem to have trouble with this series for some reason.

For general chemistry, just study and understand the concepts. Watch Khan academy videos.

What I would do (for organic):

1.) Take good notes.
2.) Review notes for an hour a day, and do all practice problems given.
3.) Anything you don't understand, see the professor and ask away.
4.) When you go see your professor to ask him questions, get a feel for what he's going to expect on exams.
5.) Don't blow off labs, as there are many bridges between lecture and lab, even though you may not realize it.

Organic chemistry is like a puzzle. It can be difficult but don't overthink it.

I would advise not taking this course during the summer though. There's far too much information than you want to try and learn in such a short time. I'm actually surprised this course is offered during the summers at most universities.

When I taught orgo labs during the summers, I was doing about 5-6 hours of instructing 3-4 days a week.

Thank you! I’m in Organic 1 right now. I haven’t been the best at attending lecture. My teacher is not fluent and she goes over stuff very fast. We have 4 chapter tests and one is coming up Monday. I have been studying for the past 3 weeks for it but I just don’t feel like I get anywhere.
I’m trying right now to read the chapters then do a bunch of practice problems.
Btw I think people struggle so hard with it because we have the tendency to want to learn something and build upon it. Organic Chemistry is a lot of learning something then ditching it when you learn the next section even thought they may seem similar.

 

[Robin-jay]

Thank you! I’m in Organic 1 right now. I haven’t been the best at attending lecture. My teacher is not fluent and she goes over stuff very fast. We have 4 chapter tests and one is coming up Monday. I have been studying for the past 3 weeks for it but I just don’t feel like I get anywhere.
I’m trying right now to read the chapters then do a bunch of practice problems.
Btw I think people struggle so hard with it because we have the tendency to want to learn something and build upon it. Organic Chemistry is a lot of learning something then ditching it when you learn the next section even thought they may seem similar.

You need to attend ALL lectures.

Reading chapters was something I never thought was personally that helpful. I think doing practice problems are infinitely more helpful, and if you don't understand a concept, you should definitely ask your professors.

 

[Magus5454]

You'd be surprised how much ochem actually builds on itself which you dismissed

 

[Coltuna]

You need to attend ALL lectures.

Reading chapters was something I never thought was personally that helpful. I think doing practice problems are infinitely more helpful, and if you don't understand a concept, you should definitely ask your professors.

This X1000. The thing about upper level sciences, especially O-Chem is keeping up with the material. Do practice problems as you learn the material, not just 1-2 days before your exam. Are these easier classes just intro classes?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

For both courses, as mentioned above, it's really just doing practice problems until you understand the material. Just reading the textbooks and memorizing stuff won't help you because these are application-based classes. Drill practice problems until you know how to solve them confidently. This is what worked for me

 

[deleted812153]

My 2 cents for Gen chem only: Lecture is a waste of time. Just read the book and do practice problems until you're blue in the face.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

My 2 cents for Gen chem only: Lecture is a waste of time. Just read the book and do practice problems until you're blue in the face.

Agreed. I probably attended a total of 10 lectures between both gen chem 1 and 2.

 

[Mister Significant]

This X1000. The thing about upper level sciences, especially O-Chem is keeping up with the material. Do practice problems as you learn the material, not just 1-2 days before your exam. Are these easier classes just intro classes?

I read the chapters because it gives me a more detailed explanation of how the reactions work and why. I've spent my last 3 weekends in the library studying for it, I'll spend a day on each chapter. But your right about keeping up. I feel time is better spent by spending a 2 hour block on a certain concept then taking a break. By easier classes I just mean my major classes (Psychology).

 

[Mister Significant]

You'd be surprised how much ochem actually builds on itself which you dismissed

It builds upon itself in the aspects of resonance, chirality (etc.). But if you try and build upon a molecule acting a certain way each time then you'll get frustrated. I find myself having to ditch opinions about a certain molecule each chapter so that I can learn the new concept.

 

[Magus5454]

It builds upon itself in the aspects of resonance, chirality (etc.). But if you try and build upon a molecule acting a certain way each time then you'll get frustrated. I find myself having to ditch opinions about a certain molecule each chapter so that I can learn the new concept.

I guess my professor taught it differently. Yes they act differently but every chapter builds on what you have learned

 

[Mister Significant]

I guess my professor taught it differently. Yes they act differently but every chapter builds on what you have learned

It definitely does. Like I said before my teacher is not fluent. The book is how I've been doing it. Getting a B but I know I could probably be more efficient with a good teacher.

 

[Skiiiiiing]

Study

 

[MareNostrummm]

Here's a tip, do every single practice problem timed. At first give yourself 2 minutes a problem. Then get down to 1 minute (be reasonable, if its a problem with multiple steps change your time limit accordingly). That way you get used to thinking fast and when you get to the midterm/final you'll do really well. Also timing yourself forces you to focus when you study so you're more efficient.

 

[stickgirl390]

Science teacher here, and 4.0 in prereqs. You need to do something Ochem related every day. Practice practice practice practice. Make sure you understand the fundamentals of electrons and bonding. Ochem is like a ladder:you have to conquer the early steps before you can climb higher.

 

[CaptainJackSparrow83]

OP it depends on your school. You have to take everyone's advice here with a grain of salt.
I went to a small private school but students were relatively intelligent and class grades were curved. So I was competing with people of my intelligence level for A's and out of a class of 50 only 8 % were allowed to get an A or A-. (Incredibly unfriendly premed school) . This was the norm for my Organic, Biology, General Chem classes. Physics was a little more relaxed and they allowed 25% of the class to get A/A- .

Regarding learning material , for detailed videos you can watch some Harvard guy named Garret (asian dude) who goes pretty in detail
Practice problems all over the internet. And just try your best.
First quarter of ochem was wayy different than last quarter.

But again keep in mind school matters. My ex went to some random school in MA called assumption college. She got a degree in Psych and had not taken a single biology course yet pulled off a 4.0 and now she has a C in community college biology. Meanwhile I worked my ass off in intro bio in college and got an A-, ended up with a 100% when i retook community college biology with her for fun.

 

[RinShanKaiHo]

I didn't study hard enough in freshman year as I thought all the stuff I already knew in high school... I was kicked really hard by orgo and genetics in sophomore year, as I tried to do these two with upper class physics and 2 research projects in 2 labs at the same time... I then just realized I could only do certain things but not the others. I understood orgo from electron perspective and then it was much easier for me. I kind of gave up on the genetics class, as the professor's lectures did not correlate with the exam at all. I ended up with an A- in orgo, A in physics, and a B in genetics.

My $.02 is, don't do that(have too many commitments to handle), just understand the material from a fundamental way, it helps a lot.

 

[SLU Student]

You definitely have to take all this advice with a grain of salt like one of the posters mentioned above. You have to figure out what works best for you. Many have said that you HAVE to go to lecture, but for me, that simply didn't work. The class was too early, and I would always be way too tired and drift off. I did much better by skipping lecture and watching a recording of it after.

What I do suggest is to have some exposure to the material everyday. Even if its just 30 mins in between classes, try to squeeze in a few problems. Other than that, everything else is up to you (whether you attend lecture, read, etc.).

 

[MareNostrummm]

You definitely have to take all this advice with a grain of salt like one of the posters mentioned above. You have to figure out what works best for you. Many have said that you HAVE to go to lecture, but for me, that simply didn't work. The class was too early, and I would always be way too tired and drift off. I did much better by skipping lecture and watching a recording of it after.

What I do suggest is to have some exposure to the material everyday. Even if its just 30 mins in between classes, try to squeeze in a few problems. Other than that, everything else is up to you (whether you attend lecture, read, etc.).

The professor will usually hint at what they are going to test on during the lecture. (10 minutes on one topic = probably going to be tested on) So if you don't go you might end up focusing on topics that are low yield for the midterm.

 

[SLU Student]

The professor will usually hint at what they are going to test on during the lecture. (10 minutes on one topic = probably going to be tested on) So if you don't go you might end up focusing on topics that are low yield for the midterm.

Other schools may not be as lucky, but my undergraduate institution provides sound and video recordings of the entire lecture for every class they offer. If OP also has these resources and cannot focus in class, then I highly suggest skipping lecture and watching the recording. It has several benefits such as the ability to pause it, slow it down, speed it up, to study at your own time, etc.

If these resources are not available, then go to lecture.

 

[Mister Significant]

Other schools may not be as lucky, but my undergraduate institution provides sound and video recordings of the entire lecture for every class they offer. If OP also has these resources and cannot focus in class, then I highly suggest skipping lecture and watching the recording. It has several benefits such as the ability to pause it, slow it down, speed it up, to study at your own time, etc.

If these resources are not available, then go to lecture.

The professor will usually hint at what they are going to test on during the lecture. (10 minutes on one topic = probably going to be tested on) So if you don't go you might end up focusing on topics that are low yield for the midterm.

Class is at 1 pm, and I go as much as I can, but if I have a paper due that day by 5 or an exam later I’ll skip. She provides all notes online. They’re her handwritten planned lecture notes. since she is hard to understand and goes so fast, I’m pretty sure everyone in class just tries to copy down what she puts on the board as quick as they can.

 

[Mister Significant]

Here's a tip, do every single practice problem timed. At first give yourself 2 minutes a problem. Then get down to 1 minute (be reasonable, if its a problem with multiple steps change your time limit accordingly). That way you get used to thinking fast and when you get to the midterm/final you'll do really well. Also timing yourself forces you to focus when you study so you're more efficient.

Thank you so much! You shaped my study session I had today. Read this early on and committed the last 8 hours to timing myself doing my practice problem sets. I’ve been killing it! Gotta love the efficiency right before the exam, been studying for weeks and am never as productive as days before the exam..

 

[MareNostrummm]

Thank you so much! You shaped my study session I had today. Read this early on and committed the last 8 hours to timing myself doing my practice problem sets. I’ve been killing it! Gotta love the efficiency right before the exam, been studying for weeks and am never as productive as days before the exam..

Glad to hear it helped. When you get around to studying for the MCAT you'll be doing the same thing.

 

[Mister Significant]

update... ended the semester out with a 3.82 taking 15 credits. Got an A- in Organic Chemistry 1. Ended up scoring 95th percentile on final exam. Funny looking back at my angst lol.

 

[Coltuna]

update... ended the semester out with a 3.82 taking 15 credits. Got an A- in Organic Chemistry 1. Ended up scoring 95th percentile on final exam. Funny looking back at my angst lol.

Wow, you really couldn't get an A in that Orgo class? Goooooooooood luck in Medical School one day... If you make it.

Edit: Kidding. Great job!

 

[PopeKnope23]

I came into college deathly afraid of chem and ended up changing my major to it from bio after ochem I, which I just finished in Dec. Got a 97% on the final exam, which, believe it or not, was still not the highest grade in my class. My ochem professor is the best instructor I've had in my life. Our class averages on exams were like 82%, which I've heard is insane in organic. Aside from those facts, I would attend all lectures, spend HOURS doing practice problems and went in for office hours if I didn't understand a problem. I read the book and made flashcards based on the book material starting like 5 days before the exam. Ochem really isn't that difficult once you figure out the patterns. And use flashcards once you get to the reagents and the diff stereochem that results from them, for example. Also for Sn1, Sn2, E1, E2.

Best of luck! You've got it.

 

[Mister Significant]

I came into college deathly afraid of chem and ended up changing my major to it from bio after ochem I, which I just finished in Dec. Got a 97% on the final exam, which, believe it or not, was still not the highest grade in my class. My ochem professor is the best instructor I've had in my life. Our class averages on exams were like 82%, which I've heard is insane in organic. Aside from those facts, I would attend all lectures, spend HOURS doing practice problems and went in for office hours if I didn't understand a problem. I read the book and made flashcards based on the book material starting like 5 days before the exam. Ochem really isn't that difficult once you figure out the patterns. And use flashcards once you get to the reagents and the diff stereochem that results from them, for example. Also for Sn1, Sn2, E1, E2.

Best of luck! You've got it.

Definitely not as bad as people say. I liked it a whole lot more than general chemistry. Good to hear that you are doing so well. Now the Ochem lab is a whole other story lol. It's kicking my A$$.

 

[PopeKnope23]

Definitely not as bad as people say. I liked it a whole lot more than general chemistry. Good to hear that you are doing so well. Now the Ochem lab is a whole other story lol. It's kicking my A$$.

I feel you. Ochem lab is so so time consuming. What part do you feel is the most difficult?

 

[Mister Significant]

I feel you. Ochem lab is so so time consuming. What part do you feel is the most difficult?

Trying to do everything in the time provided and not getting sloppy with it. I tend to spill my sample, and I always get a horrible yield. Also keeping the lab book going while running the experiments.

 

[Blanky]

I would say you need to have 100% attendance unless you already score As and want a break (which is not what we are talking about as you asked for higher grades.)
Read the chapter/powerpoint before each lecture ( this will allow you to learn for the second time as the teacher is telling you what he wants you to know/ is going to test)
For orgo i read the klein book before lectures.

I think perfect attendance while having pre-read the material alone is a huge factor in success. Also consider if you get a consistent amount of sleep, then move on to regular diet and exercise as this can drag people down.

 

[Blanky]

update... ended the semester out with a 3.82 taking 15 credits. Got an A- in Organic Chemistry 1. Ended up scoring 95th percentile on final exam. Funny looking back at my angst lol.

Congrats! That is great!!!