I'm taking Orgo 2 this fall with a notoriously hard professor. I really need to make straight As this semester, so I'm paranoid about not doing well in this class. What is the best way to prepare for the class so that the material will come easier during the semester? Also tips on how to ace orgo 2 are welcome. Thanks!
How can I prepare for Organic Chemistry 2 this fall?
- Thread starter vashka
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2009
- Messages
- 5,804
- Reaction score
- 63
Don't fall behind. And brush up on Ochem I if you just skirted by this semester. Although Ochem I and Ochem II are very different in terms of concepts tested, if you don't have the basic background down, you'll spend the first few weeks of Ochem II playing catch-up.
Well I'm taking it as a 5 week class this summer.
How to do well in it? See if there is an online syllabus. If there is, download it.
Then read the sections covered in the entire semester. Do problems at the end of the section. The problems you don't get circle and have them ready to ask questions.
Do this and when the course starts this semester everything will just be review to you.
How to do well in it? See if there is an online syllabus. If there is, download it.
Then read the sections covered in the entire semester. Do problems at the end of the section. The problems you don't get circle and have them ready to ask questions.
Do this and when the course starts this semester everything will just be review to you.
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2010
- Messages
- 2,225
- Reaction score
- 5
You know the very last topics you cover at the end of Ochem 1...Ochem 2 is pretty much a whole semester of that bull****. Say goodbye to your model kit and hello to reading graphs. IR, H NMR, spectroscopy in general, and a ton and ton of reactions. You go from this to that to create something else.
Ochem 1 > Ochem 2, in my opinion. Ochem 2 is slightly easier considering it is the 2nd semester of the class...But I found that the interest level was not the same...Might I add that I had a better professor during the first semester, so it kind of all goes together.
Basically, review extra well the stuff from the last couple weeks of ochem 1 and if you have enough time just get a copy of the syllabus for the fall classes, google for back exams, etc. and start studying the new stuff.
Oh, and make sure you read up on reviews for your professor, ratemyprofessor. It's probably the biggest factor that can make even the hardest and tedious classes actually tolerable and interesting.
Ochem 1 > Ochem 2, in my opinion. Ochem 2 is slightly easier considering it is the 2nd semester of the class...But I found that the interest level was not the same...Might I add that I had a better professor during the first semester, so it kind of all goes together.
Basically, review extra well the stuff from the last couple weeks of ochem 1 and if you have enough time just get a copy of the syllabus for the fall classes, google for back exams, etc. and start studying the new stuff.
Oh, and make sure you read up on reviews for your professor, ratemyprofessor. It's probably the biggest factor that can make even the hardest and tedious classes actually tolerable and interesting.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2009
- Messages
- 2,933
- Reaction score
- 34
This is crazy overkill IMO.
If you're using the same textbook as you did from orgo 1, look through the chapters just to see what topics will be covered. If you're feeling ambitious, watch some Khan Academy videos that correspond to those topics. The best thing you can do while you're actually taking the class is to read chapters early, and read often. Do all the problems in the book and ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS. Also invest in a buttload of cheap scrap paper and just work tons of reactions and their mechanisms. I found this to be the best way to internalize most concepts. The hardest part of organic II is synthesis, and you can expect to see lots of it on exams and quizzes. If you can learn how to understand and figure out synthesis problems, you shouldn't have a hard time with much else that's thrown at you.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2010
- Messages
- 81
- Reaction score
- 0
An A can be obtained in any class by anybody. Some take more effort than others. The question comes down to how much effort you are willing to put it in. If you really want it, work for it. It's that simple.
Read the chapters that will be covered before lecture. Do problems in the book. It really builds on itself throughout the semester, so get a good understanding of the basics (Sn1/2, E1/2, blah blah blah). Don't move on till you've nailed a topic, and don't slack on anything. In addition, learn the prof's teaching style/testing style to get a leg up. Take advantage of office hours/tutoring/online resources for help.
Read the chapters that will be covered before lecture. Do problems in the book. It really builds on itself throughout the semester, so get a good understanding of the basics (Sn1/2, E1/2, blah blah blah). Don't move on till you've nailed a topic, and don't slack on anything. In addition, learn the prof's teaching style/testing style to get a leg up. Take advantage of office hours/tutoring/online resources for help.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2007
- Messages
- 4,197
- Reaction score
- 36
Klein's Second Language and practice problems. Do A LOT of practice problems. Pay very very close attention to chapters on IR/NMR, carbonyl addition and substituion, and carboxylic acid deriviatives. Those are high yield for the OChem section on the MCAT.
GL.
GL.
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2010
- Messages
- 637
- Reaction score
- 3
Every school does things separately, so I'd recommend asking upperlcassmen the question you're posing here.
For my two cents, I'd say memorize concepts very, very well. I got As in both orgos by memorizing more than an elephant is capable of, and applying what I knew from memorizing during the test. I know this is weird, but it works well for me.
For my two cents, I'd say memorize concepts very, very well. I got As in both orgos by memorizing more than an elephant is capable of, and applying what I knew from memorizing during the test. I know this is weird, but it works well for me.
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2006
- Messages
- 1,576
- Reaction score
- 25
Relax and drink beer.
Ochem tends to be overly hyped in my opinion. Just enjoy your summer! Have some fun while you still have a chance...
Ochem tends to be overly hyped in my opinion. Just enjoy your summer! Have some fun while you still have a chance...
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2009
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 0
i aced organic 2... barely, but i did it.
Get solutions to problems in your textbook and eat/sleep them. Spatial arrangement and electronegativity lie at the heart of so many ochem problems. Carbonyl chemistry. memorizing all the reducers, oxidizers, their limitations, uses. Get good at naming or at least recognizing molecules. Each professor is going to have their nuances, go to lecture and pay attention to emphasized examples.
Get solutions to problems in your textbook and eat/sleep them. Spatial arrangement and electronegativity lie at the heart of so many ochem problems. Carbonyl chemistry. memorizing all the reducers, oxidizers, their limitations, uses. Get good at naming or at least recognizing molecules. Each professor is going to have their nuances, go to lecture and pay attention to emphasized examples.
2
235788
You can't prepare. You just need to do the work. Plain and simple. Just prepare to get rocked by the ACS final.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2009
- Messages
- 5,219
- Reaction score
- 44
The only thing I'd recommend would be to go over all the reactions you learned in Ochem 1 and make sure you have them memorized solid. Honestly, the most trouble I had in Ochem 2 came when I forgot reactions from Ochem 1 and couldn't do the synthesis problems because I was missing an easy step. Otherwise, Ochem 2 does not involve many new concepts, just a lot of new reactions to remember. So, make a list of Ochem 1 reactions, make flashcards, or whatever, just make sure you know them.
I hope, for your sake, you aren't serious.
Similar threads
