I'm about to give up.

[booksandteeth]

So I just wanted to come on here to rant for a minute.

Ochem is ruining my life. I've heard a lot of things about this class but no one told me it was going to be this painful. I've tried everything - notes, practice problems, TA sessions, office hours and more - yet I've failed the last 3 exams. The first exam I failed I took it as a sign to change my study habits, which I did! I ended up doing worse on the second and third exams. It seems that no matter what I do with this class it just leads to more failure. It doesn't help that the professor lacks any empathy and puts in zero effort in teaching. Half the class is failing and yet he blames us for not understanding the material. SIR! It is YOUR job to teach it!!

If I end up failing this class it will set me behind 2 whole semesters, which is something that I'm not willing to keep waiting for, considering I just want to start dental school and start doing the things I love. I have a strong passion for dentistry but at this point I am genuinely finding it difficult to care about these classes that will rarely ever show up again and that I gain nothing out of other than stress, tears, and a deteriorated mental state.

Before anyone says anything - I am aware that the road to becoming a dentist is difficult and I shouldn't just expect to be handed anything without hard work. I just wanted to let off a little steam about this horrid class. I'm just fed up with all this and am very close to giving up.

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[Noname96]

ok, and?

 

[senaj0495]

So I just wanted to come on here to rant for a minute.

Ochem is ruining my life. I've heard a lot of things about this class but no one told me it was going to be this painful. I've tried everything - notes, practice problems, TA sessions, office hours and more - yet I've failed the last 3 exams. The first exam I failed I took it as a sign to change my study habits, which I did! I ended up doing worse on the second and third exams. It seems that no matter what I do with this class it just leads to more failure. It doesn't help that the professor lacks any empathy and puts in zero effort in teaching. Half the class is failing and yet he blames us for not understanding the material. SIR! It is YOUR job to teach it!!

If I end up failing this class it will set me behind 2 whole semesters, which is something that I'm not willing to keep waiting for, considering I just want to start dental school and start doing the things I love. I have a strong passion for dentistry but at this point I am genuinely finding it difficult to care about these classes that will rarely ever show up again and that I gain nothing out of other than stress, tears, and a deteriorated mental state.

Before anyone says anything - I am aware that the road to becoming a dentist is difficult and I shouldn't just expect to be handed anything without hard work. I just wanted to let off a little steam about this horrid class. I'm just fed up with all this and am very close to giving up.

I feel your frustration with ochem (the class took a toll on my gpa). But, know that dental school is gonna be as rigorous as ochem if not more. Take the moment to reflect on why you might not be improving (keep on trying different study methods and just because a professor is not doing his job doesn't mean you should entirely blame him for your grade). If you end up failing the class, retake it at a different college. Don't rush yourself in preparing for dental schools because it's only gonna get worse when you're actually in dental school. If you're really passionate about dentistry, I believe you can stay optimistic and find ways to overcome this even if it may take longer than you'd hope. Stay strong!

 

[MR.GG]

Bottom line, don't give up. Its moments like these that weed out the ones who can handle dental school in the future and who can't. I don't know if you get your graded tests back or can check what you did wrong on available practice problems but figure what you are doing wrong and focus on those topics/concepts, then do practice problems until they are easy to you. And just be honest with yourself how much effort you're putting in and if you actually competently know the concepts. I know your professor may be bad but you can't frustrate yourself over something you have no control over.

 

[Gustavo dos Santos]

A few things. First, sounds like you have a bad professor. That being said, you need to utilize all other materials available to you. This may be the first time you’ve been in this type of situation, but it certainly will not be the last. You need to be able to teach yourself difficult material and take responsibility for your own learning. This will be a skill that you will use heavily in the rest of your undergrad and dental school.

Second, If you are putting in as much effort as you say, then there is a huge disconnect between how you study and how you should be studying. Maybe sit down with a TA and go over your study plan or previous tests and figure out where the disconnect is. Ochem isn’t a study-a-few-days-before kind of class. The concepts build on each other and you have to understand what is going on, you can’t just memorize an example or quickly go over your notes. Sit down with someone who has been successful In ochem and figure out why your studying isn’t effective.

Third, I totally validate what you are feeling. The sense of frustration, fear, And uncertainty as you feel like a dream is slipping out of your reach is very real and so many predent and premed students have felt this. Don’t worry about being postponed 2 semesters if it comes to that. If this is really your dream, it’s worth working for. It is a hard path, and it will certainly get harder, but if this is what you want keep at it, make the changes you need so you can succeed, and don’t give up.

 

[Hi polo pick]

Ochem depends on your professor, find another school with a good professor. Meanwhile, use chads videos. If you break down Ochem to the bare minimum its easier to understand. What is the before product, the reaction , and what is the main point of the reaction aka the final product. Dont lose hope.

 

[Bigjt1420]

@MR.GG is right. Tough science classes weed out the ones who wont fight hard for what they want. I failed OChem 1 in college (well, a C-), with my highest test score something around a 45%?? I ended up having to retake the class after I graduated at a different local college back home. It's a road I had to take but you just gotta fight through it all, you can do it. I'm now almost a DS3 and doing well in Dental School. The people who become the Doctors, Dentists, PA's, etc. are the ones who wont quit when you are getting your teeth kicked in. You want it, you can do it! Good luck

 

[Faris_]

I took both OC at very difficult Texas school but before each semester I went through the entire curriculum of each before the semesters started using Chad’s prep. Like someone said, OC is NOT about memorizing questions and examples, it is about learning concepts. I also watched every well-known OC YT channel to get a better understanding of the concepts. Take a step back and understand what’s wrong about how you study.

 

[Dentalboithrowaway69]

Read David Kliens's Organic chemistry second language book (you can probably find the pdf on libgen or reddit). This book is golden and the reason I got an A in orgo. Also do a lot of practice AFTER you learn the concept. I see so many people try to memorize orgo without fully understanding it and they end up doing poorly. Last piece of advice is to make sure you fully understand the first few chapters because orgo builds on itself. For example once you learn nomenclature and stereochemistry your going to use that until the end of orgo 2.

 

[Dochopeful13]

Read David Kliens's Organic chemistry second language book (you can probably find the pdf on libgen or reddit). This book is golden and the reason I got an A in orgo. Also do a lot of practice AFTER you learn the concept. I see so many people try to memorize orgo without fully understanding it and they end up doing poorly. Last piece of advice is to make sure you fully understand the first few chapters because orgo builds on itself. For example once you learn nomenclature and stereochemistry your going to use that until the end of orgo 2.

I second this. Klein’s books and chad’s videos saved me in orgo.

 

[TrilogyX7]

So I just wanted to come on here to rant for a minute.

Ochem is ruining my life. I've heard a lot of things about this class but no one told me it was going to be this painful. I've tried everything - notes, practice problems, TA sessions, office hours and more - yet I've failed the last 3 exams. The first exam I failed I took it as a sign to change my study habits, which I did! I ended up doing worse on the second and third exams. It seems that no matter what I do with this class it just leads to more failure. It doesn't help that the professor lacks any empathy and puts in zero effort in teaching. Half the class is failing and yet he blames us for not understanding the material. SIR! It is YOUR job to teach it!!

If I end up failing this class it will set me behind 2 whole semesters, which is something that I'm not willing to keep waiting for, considering I just want to start dental school and start doing the things I love. I have a strong passion for dentistry but at this point I am genuinely finding it difficult to care about these classes that will rarely ever show up again and that I gain nothing out of other than stress, tears, and a deteriorated mental state.

Before anyone says anything - I am aware that the road to becoming a dentist is difficult and I shouldn't just expect to be handed anything without hard work. I just wanted to let off a little steam about this horrid class. I'm just fed up with all this and am very close to giving up.

Why don't you take it at another school? Ochem is hard wherever you go but the prof you have makes a big difference.

 

[Dwerfy]

First of all- three words: ORGANIC CHEMISTRY TUTOR. He is on youtube and is seriously amazing. His videos basically taught me organic chemistry and he covers pretty much everything you would need.

Sometimes in situations like these it is easy to create "mental blocks" in our minds. These blocks can make us feel hopeless and the task feel impossible. We have ALL been there. You CAN learn organic chemistry. You CAN do it (as a former O-chem TA, I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!) Learning how to approach studying for organic chemistry is crucial, but your thought patterns and mindset make a big contribution to Ochem. Ochem is unique and it requires you to think and reason in a very different way than a lot of traditional science classes do. It is much more abstract which is why a lot of people struggle with it.

I don't know if this helps, but I imagined the molecules of the mechanism as little people or characters in my mind. It was engaging and helped me a lot with my mechanisms, and many students I helped found this helpful as well. If you can associate the little people (whether it's a hydrogen, oxygen etc.) with their different properties it may help you with solving mechanisms.

If this is your dream, keep going. Nothing worth having comes easy.

 

[Firik]

As an Ochem tutor and scoring top on a DAT Ochem section, putting time to read a textbook and working through each problem and then finding even more problems will teach you more concepts that your professor don't have time to go over in lectures. The more time you put into it the more knowledgable you will become. I learned everything from my textbook and sometimes looking up summary charts on websites. I have helped a lot of pre-health professionals from getting C to actually A on exams, hence a couple of private tutoring sessions can really put you in the right direction. If possible find someone that people recommend and who is very good. I do believe you can teach everything yourself. Good luck!

 

[clutchfans]

@MR.GG is right. Tough science classes weed out the ones who wont fight hard for what they want. I failed OChem 1 in college (well, a C-), with my highest test score something around a 45%?? I ended up having to retake the class after I graduated at a different local college back home. It's a road I had to take but you just gotta fight through it all, you can do it. I'm now almost a DS3 and doing well in Dental School. The people who become the Doctors, Dentists, PA's, etc. are the ones who wont quit when you are getting your teeth kicked in. You want it, you can do it! Good luck

This is words to wise, "The people who become the Doctors, Dentists, PA's, etc. are the ones who wont quit when you are getting your teeth kicked in." How bad do you want it type of mentality.

 

[Soleus715]

You should really read the textbooks.
This is gonna be the same thing in many dental schools where professors are more focused on their research than teaching students and you will need to self-teach a LOT. I'm generally on the side of students and hate awful teachers, but at some point you gotta realize it's on you to control your own future.
Don't let bad environment determine how far you go. This applies to just about anything in life.

To leave on a good note, I also second Chad's videos it was by far the most concise and time efficient way to learn the subject.

 

[Toofster]

Chad's videos are amazing, and you NEED to utilize them. Never assume that your professor's lectures alone will be sufficient. Science is all about exposure (not immediate comprehension), so listen to different lecturers on the same topics, read through your textbook and practice every single practice problem. Make notecards for reactions (using Chad's as your base).

Organic Chemistry was my most feared subject of the prerequisites, but as I got into it and utilized the above resources, it quickly became one of my favorites. You can do this!

 

[MG14]

A lot of people assume, and just want to get the undergrad courses over with to get on to the "real" stuff in dentistry. Honestly, this is true for like 80% of undergrad. However, Organic Chemistry is a little different. It's a different style of learning, it's a teacher giving you sticks, wood, kindling and a lighter (the materials to build a fire) and then you have to actually build and light the fire. It's also difficult because the concepts are shown on a two dimensional page and you have to visualize them in a 3 dimensional space and how they are affected/relation. Believe it or not, it's actually extremely useful. This kind of learning is very applicable and now since being in dental school I understand and appreciate it more. But yeah, Orgo is definitely one of those courses that I would say is important. Understanding the concepts in and of themselves may not be the most applicable, but the style of learning, critical thinking and application is crucial.

 

[booksandteeth]

Thank you everyone for the useful resources and kind words! I didn't expect anyone to comment but I really appreciate it My next exam is in less than a week and I've been using Chad's videos and David Kleins book and I already see a big difference in my understandings!!