How to do well in Orgo?

[watiswati]

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i'm looking for advice from anyone who has done well in orgo, or is currently taking it....what are some good study habits/tips for orgo, what do i need to do well in such a challenging course?

 

[Blake]

This probably won't help, but orgo is like any course. Just study a LOT and do it frequently and you should be fine. I never understood the hype behind it. Physics is way more difficult than this, then again, it depends on the course/teacher. I thought orgo was more about memory than anything else, but that's just me.

 

[Turkeyman]

I believe the best way to do orgo is to read the chapter through and then just do ALL the problems at the end of the chapter. Not just the assigned ones, because doing well in organic requires experience above all. For me, mechanisms were most easily learned through doing all the problems at the end of the chapter...and I would barely have to memorize anything because it just set in.

Good luck...the only reason people say its so hard is because they don't put the time in. Don't get caught off guard and good luck! 😀

 

[medic170]

i'm looking for advice from anyone who has done well in orgo, or is currently taking it....what are some good study habits/tips for orgo, what do i need to do well in such a challenging course?

Study a lot and work many problems outside of class.

 

[faradayampere]

Study a lot and work many problems outside of class.

I agree ... do hundreds of extra problems and everything will be in your brain ... org. chem is no diff. from other science classes (exp. bio in which you have to memorize, practice probs doesnt work here =P)

 

[Cerberus]

I suggest studying😉

 

[Blake]

I agree ... do hundreds of extra problems and everything will be in your brain ... org. chem is no diff. from other science classes (exp. bio in which you have to memorize, practice probs doesnt work here =P)

practice problems can work for bio. It helped me in a recent exam in immunology 😳. Yes, there's a ridiculous amount of details in our exams.

 

[medstylee]

what really slayed me in orgo were the long synthesis problems on the exams. during my third quarter, i asked my professor if she could supply me with a few sample synthesis problems that i could practice on. i did them and then met with her to review my answers. i ended up getting a better grade that quarter as compared to the two previous ones. it really helped a) because it helped me learn how to save time on the exam problems and b) the problems she made up were (luckily) very similar to the ones she made for the exam. so, that might be a good idea if you have a professor who is nice/willing enough to help you out like that. best of luck.

 

[Brain]

This probably won't help, but orgo is like any course. Just study a LOT and do it frequently and you should be fine. I never understood the hype behind it. Physics is way more difficult than this, then again, it depends on the course/teacher. I thought orgo was more about memory than anything else, but that's just me.

This is almost exactly what I thought of orgo. My advice is to try to think through and understand the material rather than simply memorizing it. The first few chapters you go through will probably be basic reaction mechanisms (ie SN1, SN2, etc) and how certain compounds behave under various conditions. If you truely understand the basic material taught at the beginning of the semester, you should not have to do very much memorization and can think through almost any problem you're given. I only had to memorize 5 or so reactions studying this way. It really isn't a bad course, just keep up with it and you should be fine.

 

[Blake]

This is almost exactly what I thought of orgo. My advice is to try to think through and understand the material rather than simply memorizing it. The first few chapters you go through will probably be basic reaction mechanisms (ie SN1, SN2, etc) and how certain compounds behave under various conditions. If you truely understand the basic material taught at the beginning of the semester, you should not have to do very much memorization and can think through almost any problem you're given. I only had to memorize 5 or so reactions studying this way. It really isn't a bad course, just keep up with it and you should be fine.

Well, of course I had to understand some of the stuff, but our exams focused a lot more on reactions ( orgo 2 was full of this ). Memory became a huge factor in success, because there's just no ''logic'' in my opinion when you have to learn over 30 reactions for an exam. I honestly can't say I remember anything out of orgo.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

First of all, keep up with the work. Review what you learned every day, make flash cards of the reactions, etc; do review problems every day. Orgo builds on previous knowledge so you need to learn it right from the beginning and keep at it. if you start to fall behind don't hesitate to go for office hours; it can help a tremndous amount. And most of all, pray. 👍 Best of luck!

 

[crysb]

i'm looking for advice from anyone who has done well in orgo, or is currently taking it....what are some good study habits/tips for orgo, what do i need to do well in such a challenging course?

i loved ochem. once you get the basic mechanisms down (like substitution, elimination) things came quite easily. for me at least.

it's amazing how repetitive orgo is in the sense that learning patterns really help you out. pay special attention in the beginning when you're learning the basics and i think the rest of it will come along just fine.

good luck!

 

[cooldreams]

i'm looking for advice from anyone who has done well in orgo, or is currently taking it....what are some good study habits/tips for orgo, what do i need to do well in such a challenging course?

it wasnt that challenging... just goto class hehe 😀

 

[DrHopeless]

Yeah I agree with this. Pretty much all orgo is just identifying nucleophile and electrophile, then the rest is just that. It is quite repetitive, but you have to study and do practice problems, because that is how you are going to recognize that all the reactions are pretty much the same thing. Good luck with it....

i loved ochem. once you get the basic mechanisms down (like substitution, elimination) things came quite easily. for me at least.

it's amazing how repetitive orgo is in the sense that learning patterns really help you out. pay special attention in the beginning when you're learning the basics and i think the rest of it will come along just fine.

good luck!

 

[bgtati]

i'm looking for advice from anyone who has done well in orgo, or is currently taking it....what are some good study habits/tips for orgo, what do i need to do well in such a challenging course?

Find urself a study group 2-3 people with hardcore members...then sit down and do every solved problem/problem in the back of the book that is possible to do. make sure you have a solutions manual, and practice,practice,practice. Treat this class like your loved one and give it alot of time. Soon you will be teaching it to your classmates.

 

[Medikit]

Don't fall behind and keep telling yourself that everything is important. Mechanisms are your friend and imo they are fun too, learn how they work.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Find urself a study group 2-3 people with hardcore members...then sit down and do every solved problem/problem in the back of the book that is possible to do. make sure you have a solutions manual, and practice,practice,practice. Treat this class like your loved one and give it alot of time. Soon you will be teaching it to your classmates.

oh yea a study group is essential 👍 i forgot to mention that

 

[OSURxgirl]

Recopy your notes.

Get old exams if you can find them and do them

Use molecular models to help you with stereochemistry and conformations.

Make reaction flashcards and drill, drill, drill.

If you are confused get help immediately. Don't fall behind!

 

[QofQuimica]

Here is a message I posted for another thread; you can read the entire thread here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=164965

**************

I am an organic TA and tutor, and my advice to students is to approach studying organic like you'd approach studying a foreign language. Some students mistakenly believe that they can memorize their way through the course. But this is impossible, because there are an infinite number of possible reactions out there. You do have to learn the vocabulary and "grammar" (mechanisms) of organic chem, which requires some memorization. But the real test of fluency in these types of subjects is whether you can now take what you've learned and apply it to new reactions (or make up new sentences) that you've never seen before.

That kind of ability can only be achieved by working a lot of problems, just as learning to speak another language can only be done if you spend a lot of time practicing speaking it. Ideally, you should spend an hour every day studying organic if possible. Forgo re-reading the chapters in favor of working every problem in your book (yes, all of them, even the challenge ones) and really try to work them out yourself before reading your solutions guide. Ask your TA for help as needed, attend all of the problem sessions and classes, and go to your professor's office hours every week. Students that put in this kind of effort invariably do well come finals time. Plus you have the added bonus that the prof will actually know your name and can write you a letter when you go to apply for med school.

 

[CarleneM]

I definitely agree with QofQuimica on it being like learning a foreign language. And other posters who have said not to fall behind. falling behind will be the kiss of death in that class. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that your attitude about orgo can have a big impact in your approach and therefore your success. Don't think of it as an insurmountable killer class that is pointless anyway. Think of how many people have come before and succeeded in the class. If they can do it, so can you. it gets pretty interesting, at least it did for me, when i got myself more open to the idea that it could be interesting and manageable. I know it sounds cheesy but don't psych yourself out about it. Rock those syntheses!

Oh and i'm a psych major so if i love orgo (which i did) then so can you! physics, now that i hated....

Here is a message I posted for another thread; you can read the entire thread here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=164965

**************

I am an organic TA and tutor, and my advice to students is to approach studying organic like you'd approach studying a foreign language. Some students mistakenly believe that they can memorize their way through the course. But this is impossible, because there are an infinite number of possible reactions out there. You do have to learn the vocabulary and "grammar" (mechanisms) of organic chem, which requires some memorization. But the real test of fluency in these types of subjects is whether you can now take what you've learned and apply it to new reactions (or make up new sentences) that you've never seen before.

That kind of ability can only be achieved by working a lot of problems, just as learning to speak another language can only be done if you spend a lot of time practicing speaking it. Ideally, you should spend an hour every day studying organic if possible. Forgo re-reading the chapters in favor of working every problem in your book (yes, all of them, even the challenge ones) and really try to work them out yourself before reading your solutions guide. Ask your TA for help as needed, attend all of the problem sessions and classes, and go to your professor's office hours every week. Students that put in this kind of effort invariably do well come finals time. Plus you have the added bonus that the prof will actually know your name and can write you a letter when you go to apply for med school.

 

[QofQuimica]

I definitely agree with QofQuimica on it being like learning a foreign language. And other posters who have said not to fall behind. falling behind will be the kiss of death in that class. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that your attitude about orgo can have a big impact in your approach and therefore your success. Don't think of it as an insurmountable killer class that is pointless anyway. Think of how many people have come before and succeeded in the class. If they can do it, so can you. it gets pretty interesting, at least it did for me, when i got myself more open to the idea that it could be interesting and manageable. I know it sounds cheesy but don't psych yourself out about it. Rock those syntheses!

Oh and i'm a psych major so if i love orgo (which i did) then so can you! physics, now that i hated....

Heh heh, that's a good point too about attitude. Students who are open-minded might be pleasantly surprised to find that they actually love organic. It's the kind of class that makes sense of all of that biology you've been studying and brings everything together in a way where it finally makes sense. I was a Spanish and biology major, and organic was the last pre-med prerequisite that I had left to take. I took the class as a junior, and I liked it so much that I ended up taking mostly chemistry classes my entire senior year of college. I also ended up going to grad school to get a PhD....in organic chemistry. 😀

 

[Sophie]

This probably won't help, but orgo is like any course. Just study a LOT and do it frequently and you should be fine. I never understood the hype behind it. Physics is way more difficult than this, then again, it depends on the course/teacher. I thought orgo was more about memory than anything else, but that's just me.

Off topic (sorry, but I'm bad at O Chem, so I'd only be able to tell the original poster what NOT to do), but is there a line drawn between those who love Physics and those who love O Chem? I've talked to a lot of people who like one and hate the other, but no one who likes both. O Chem is the biggest nightmare class for me and I have to put in tons of effort just to get a B, whereas Physics is fascinating, fun, and easy.

Too bad I still have another O Chem class to take. 🙁 Good luck, wati.

 

[Noeljan]

for me what helped was being really familiar with the trends. Try studying at all times with a periodic table close by. Glance at it often and try and associate trends with what you are studying. This will help a lot for the entire two semesters. Organic is a good course because once you get the principles down, and can predict what is going to happen based on the characteristics, you can figure out problems a lot easier (and with that comes less studying). I studied soooo much less in Organic 2 (except for the beginning which you had to think about bc it was not familiar at first, such as NMR, IR, etc) but even after that things start to come a LOT easier if you worked hard at Organic 1.
also, for organic I had the examcrackers book which I would refer to for nice summaries of information. Don't try and just memorize reactions and hope they will be exact on the test. I have friends who would do this (who couldnt even tell you the difference btwn an electrophile or nucleophile but would trybank on memonzing reactions), and never did too hot. Learn the basics. Understand what is going on. Wade (the text) was also very good. They gave skeleton type examples in the chapters which helped a lot.

 

[Blake]

Off topic (sorry, but I'm bad at O Chem, so I'd only be able to tell the original poster what NOT to do), but is there a line drawn between those who love Physics and those who love O Chem? I've talked to a lot of people who like one and hate the other, but no one who likes both. O Chem is the biggest nightmare class for me and I have to put in tons of effort just to get a B, whereas Physics is fascinating, fun, and easy.

Too bad I still have another O Chem class to take. 🙁 Good luck, wati.

I've met people who enjoyed both, and who managed to always get 95+ on orgo and physic exams. I just couldn't stand physics. I stilll can't believe I made it to med school, considering how much I hated every single second of this. Oh well, it's gone now, and I sure as hell won't enter a residency where there's physics involved.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

I've met people who enjoyed both, and who managed to always get 95+ on orgo and physic exams. I just couldn't stand physics. I stilll can't believe I made it to med school, considering how much I hated every single second of this. Oh well, it's gone now, and I sure as hell won't enter a residency where there's physics involved.

I really enjoyed both physics and ochem..but..I'm a math major, so physics wasn't much of a stretch from that. As for ochem, I had a really great prof for first semester, plus I took it freshman year when I was still an overzealous studier. Both of them at some point made me feel bad that I couldn't study the subjects more in depth. Maybe it's just an issue of being interested in a lot of things. 🙂

 

[Blake]

I really enjoyed both physics and ochem..but..I'm a math major, so physics wasn't much of a stretch from that. As for ochem, I had a really great prof for first semester, plus I took it freshman year when I was still an overzealous studier. Both of them at some point made me feel bad that I couldn't study the subjects more in depth. Maybe it's just an issue of being interested in a lot of things. 🙂

I didn't love maths, but I didn't hate it with a passion either. It was ridiculously simple (at least, at the pre-med level).

 

[biobossx99]

i'm looking for advice from anyone who has done well in orgo, or is currently taking it....what are some good study habits/tips for orgo, what do i need to do well in such a challenging course?

I just finished Cal's 3A/3B series. Doing book questions helped me alot. Cruise through those and if your school offers a supplemental study group, for cal we have the Student Learning Center, go take one. Hopefully if your profs give out lots of practice exams, or if you can find em w/ answers, GET THEM they are gold!

habits, well don't miss a lecture, EVER. Get a good nights sleep and put an effort to pay attention. Attitude!

Flash cards help alot for the bread and butter reactions.

What I liked to do was fold a piece of paper in half,
put all the reagents on one side
and the products on the other
with solvents in the middle

and I'd group them into things similar together (ie Carboxylic acid der together, general carbonyl stuff, etc, and the MISC group into one)

This also helps u learn trends too.

For mechanisms, I would practice doing them over and over until something clicked, and most of the time mechs are often very similar between reactions u learn.

Anyways, hope this helps

 

[mudphudwannabe]

I didn't love maths, but I didn't hate it with a passion either. It was ridiculously simple (at least, at the pre-med level).

It is ridiculously simple at the premed level. Try real analysis. But..I am something of a masochist. Higher level math is by no means necessary (and possibly not even helpful) for med school. I think the main thing higher level math has helped me with is logic..which comes in extremely handy in biology. But you could probably get the same thing from a philosophy class..or just by thinking. 😉

 

[Blake]

But you could probably get the same thing from a philosophy class..or just by thinking. 😉

I'll go with the thinking option 😉

 

[QofQuimica]

Off topic (sorry, but I'm bad at O Chem, so I'd only be able to tell the original poster what NOT to do), but is there a line drawn between those who love Physics and those who love O Chem? I've talked to a lot of people who like one and hate the other, but no one who likes both. O Chem is the biggest nightmare class for me and I have to put in tons of effort just to get a B, whereas Physics is fascinating, fun, and easy.

Too bad I still have another O Chem class to take. 🙁 Good luck, wati.

I love both. I started out as a math major so I took physics as a freshman and I thought it was really neat, especially E and M and modern physics. But when I took organic later, I fell in love on a whole new level. 😛

 

[Sophie]

I stand corrected. 😛

 

[spongiebob]

i just finished organic I this semester, got an A on it.

My tips

-Do a study guide, adding what you learn in class that day to it
-Do not fall behind, since it's a LOT of material, especially when it comes to the mechanisms and different reactions/synthesis, nomenclature
-our professor provided us with lots of problem sets and the solutions , and this really really helped. So do lots of problem solving.
-try to learn the trends, and not just memorize but understand the reasoning behind everything.
- Compressing all info. together helped me a lot. For instance, i did a table with all the nomenclature,priorities,pka's, Infrared peaks,etc of each functional group.
-Be optimistic and study a lot, you'll do fine 🙂 and if you need any help post it here!

Good luck 🙂