Organic Chemistry 2 Comeback?

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TexasSurgeon

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Hey guys, thanks in advance.

Simply put, I made a C in organic chemistry 1. I had difficulty with synthesis, some stereochemistry (not too much), and some of the mechanism portion (nothing that a little practice won't clear up). The problem was that I wasn't spending enough time with the material. As a result I made a C. I'm scheduled to take organic chemistry 2 next semester. Is it possible for me to pull an A in the class? What would you recommend to do so? Any specific areas in orgo 1 that you recommend?

This break, I've been going through the book and reading through the chapters and working the problems there and at the back, but I feel like those have no relevance to how are exams are. My book is Wade's organic chemistry
 
Synthesis will only get worse as you learn more reactions and reagents. Mechanisms are similar, although you'll learn a few new ones. If you don't have a strong foundation, brush up on the ones you've learned. Focus on the concepts. New reactions you'll learn in Orgo 2 will have different reagents, but often the mechanism is similar to previously learned reactions. Stereochemistry will also be important. Specifics don't really carry over though, unless your orgo 2 professor expects you to perform orgo 1 reactions on orgo 2 synthesis problems (mine did).

Reading the textbook is usually useless for orgo. Invest in a supplemental book that gives a good overview and has extra practice problems. Practice practice practice is key for synthesis reactions. I found flash cards to work well for learning all of the new reactions/reagents in Orgo 2. It was actually the first time I've ever made flash cards for a class.
 
The problem was that I wasn't spending enough time with the material.

You just answered your own question.

I have no experience with Wade's organic chemistry text but the key for ochem is practice practice practice until you start to see patterns.

Flashcards (I know, what are we in middle school?) helped a TON for Ochem II since there are so many different reactions you must become familiar with and each reaction has a specific condition in order for it to occur, a specific result, etc

Also keep an eye on the sorts of problems your professor assigns for homework rather than doing random practice problems elsewhere.

G'luck
 
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I got an A in Orgo I and im also taking Orgo II next semester. Based on what I've heard, Orgo II is mostly reactions. You should focus on understanding the reactions. Its all pattern recognition and after seeing what attacks what and why its attacking, you will understand the reactions better incase the professor asks it in a different way. You should spend your time mostly on understanding reactions and flow of electrons. I heard there wasn't much stereochemistry but you should also try to better understand NMR, IR etc.
 
I had a similar experience, struggled in Orgo after not really studying/assuming I could cram my way through it (dumb). Second semester I picked it up, studied regularly, went to the professor if I had questions, and got an A. You can do it! What helped me was doing extra problems on my own from the back of the book, and checking them with the solutions manual (you should be able to buy one used online for pretty cheap).
 
oh yeah, you're gonna be hit with a lot of mechanisms second semester, and you're going to have to memorize them. When I had free time I would just copy them out of my notes over and over. it actually helped a lot with getting comfortable drawing mechanisms/ pushing electrons around, plus by exam time I knew every mechanism like the back of my hand.
 
I thought the material presented in Ochem II was more challenging than Ochem I. However, I did do better in II than I.
 
I thought the material presented in Ochem II was more challenging than Ochem I. However, I did do better in II than I.

Most people do. Orgo 1 is an entirely new subject that people have trouble with. By the time Orgo 2 rolls around, you either will know what you need to do to pass or you'll have another tough semester.
 
You should drop Honors.

It is obvious you are not some superstar Honors biomedical engineering student, especially with the C in Orgo.

Honors is extremely counterproductive with engineering.

As for the C in Orgo I, you probably should take Orgo I over. Otherwise prepare to have Orgo II consume your life and have your other grades take a hit, especially since you are a BioE major.
 
Fall semester 2012 I got the following grades in the sciences:

O-chem 1 : A
Physics 2 : A

I'm ready to tear the MCAT a new ******* in April!!!!
 
You should drop Honors.

It is obvious you are not some superstar Honors biomedical engineering student, especially with the C in Orgo.

Honors is extremely counterproductive with engineering.

As for the C in Orgo I, you probably should take Orgo I over. Otherwise prepare to have Orgo II consume your life and have your other grades take a hit, especially since you are a BioE major.

I actually ended up changing my major. After doing bioE research, I realized bio engineering wasn't something I was interested in. Why would I drop honors? I get higher distinctions (which I am aware don't matter). But I also get the benefit of getting to know faculty way better, and that had already helped me with rec letters.

I had multiple things that contributed to me not spending enough time with Orgo. It's my like I was sitting around playing COD. I'm sure you are aware of what unexpected interferences can do to grades.

Why are you even a EE? You posted that being a physician is like a dream to you. So why not focus on that instead of both that and EE? Your classes will get way harder this year.
 
I actually ended up changing my major. After doing bioE research, I realized bio engineering wasn't something I was interested in. Why would I drop honors? I get higher distinctions (which I am aware don't matter). But I also get the benefit of getting to know faculty way better, and that had already helped me with rec letters.

I had multiple things that contributed to me not spending enough time with Orgo. It's my like I was sitting around playing COD. I'm sure you are aware of what unexpected interferences can do to grades.

Why are you even a EE? You posted that being a physician is like a dream to you. So why not focus on that instead of both that and EE? Your classes will get way harder this year.

That is good to hear that you switched your major from BioE to Biochemistry.

Honors is likely to be much more feasible as a natural sciences major.

I am very well aware of how unexpected interferences effect grades. In my circumstance, most of those interferences were out of my control due to an undiagnosed, hard-to-manage (and rare) autoimmune disease.

People do frown upon playing video games, but if it is a form of relaxing that makes you comfortable and makes life less stressful then go for it. As long as you don't play to a point where you need to start worrying about your grades you are ok.

Anyways, my disease is stressful, and I would much rather work as hard as possible every single day for the rest of my life than be disabled or incapacitated from my disease for even a day.

I am taking 9 hours this upcoming semester, all in my major. I am going to have to make sacrifices. All I am going to do is work, study, and rest when needed. I do get better everyday, and I have made significant progress over the past year, and even this month.

As for choosing EE, I love studying EE. I did not enjoy it at first, but it is an acquired appreciation. I am kind of torn between EE and becoming a doctor, but technically I could do both. I am not concerned about my GPA-it will only be going up due to my health improving. Since I have passed my weed-out courses (Circuits, EM, Thermo) I should be ok when it comes to difficulty. The material actually does not get any more difficult. But, to keep things in perspective, it does not get any easier. I DO feel like I am on the shadow of death every semester, but I end up doing fine as long as I have not been extremely sick during the semester (and subsequently was forced to take medical withdrawal).

However, I need to be able to get a decent job with excellent, if not exceptional, benefits from just having an undergraduate degree. My rare disease is extremely expensive and I am surprised I did not max out on the benefit dollars that I can receive for medical treatment in a year.

I actually had to decline a 6 month internship with a company that starts with IN and ends with TEL due to my health (I don't want the name of the company to get indexed). It makes me sick to think that I had to decline such an internship.

The point is that engineering does:

1. Causes a GPA hit

2. Is stressful

3. Takes away any free time that you have

The rewarding aspects of engineering are:

1. Job stability

2. Decent pay and benefits

3. A rewarding career (but obviously not as much as a doctor)

The rewarding aspects of my future career as an engineer are much more of a priority than becoming a doctor at this point of time, even though being a doctor would be amazing and a dream come true.
 
Redo first semester before spring starts, its VERY important to be on good terms with the basics. The sequence of specific organic chemistry material may differ at your institution. Here, we follow the mcmurry textbook, and if you happen to take into my advice (I tutored organic for 2 years), MEMORIZE the first 6 chapters by heart, orgo 2 will be all downhill after that, or as I like to say; spontaneous.
 
Redo first semester before spring starts, its VERY important to be on good terms with the basics. The sequence of specific organic chemistry material may differ at your institution. Here, we follow the mcmurry textbook, and if you happen to take into my advice (I tutored organic for 2 years), MEMORIZE the first 6 chapters by heart, orgo 2 will be all downhill after that, or as I like to say; spontaneous.

What are the topics of the first 6 chapters for you? The 6th chapter is where we start SN and EN stuff...
 
What are the topics of the first 6 chapters for you? The 6th chapter is where we start SN and EN stuff...

Structure and bonding, Polar bonds, General reaction mechanisms + reaction kinetics/ thermodynamics, alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes
 
Hey guys, thanks in advance.

Simply put, I made a C in organic chemistry 1. I had difficulty with synthesis, some stereochemistry (not too much), and some of the mechanism portion (nothing that a little practice won't clear up). The problem was that I wasn't spending enough time with the material. As a result I made a C. I'm scheduled to take organic chemistry 2 next semester. Is it possible for me to pull an A in the class? What would you recommend to do so? Any specific areas in orgo 1 that you recommend?

This break, I've been going through the book and reading through the chapters and working the problems there and at the back, but I feel like those have no relevance to how are exams are. My book is Wade's organic chemistry

I, too, got a C in O-chem I. I took O-chem II in the summer and got a B+. I'm really frustrated that I didn't get at least an A- (because of an unfair professor who put 3rd exam material on the 2nd exam! 😡) But I must say that taking it in the summer was one of the best decisions I've ever made! Even though the material is crammed into 2 months instead of 4, it allows you to really focus on that class alone instead of taking it with other classes 🙂

The biggest theme in O-chem II is mechanisms, mechanisms, mechanisms! Write out the new mechanisms you learn at least several times a day, every day, until you can pretty much do them in your sleep. :meanie: By exam time, they should be familiar enough for you to perform well on the test 🙂
 
Dont worry if you got a C in Orgo 1. I got a C in Orgo 1 from a top 20 university and managed to get an A in Orgo II and 2 grad level Organic Chem classes.

The best tip I can offer any undergrad is begin studying in advance, at least 2 week prior to an exam and go to class.

As for doing well in Orgo 2, I utilized a student help service, where an upperclassman tutored me once a week. Also after studying for a while, it really becomes sort of intuitive, like math. I would suggest using TA and Professor Office Hours as much as you can to help you along. Also the stuff you have to memorize, make sure you have it all memorized cold so you can push through it.

Hope that helps! Don't give up because I got that C too, also in biochem, but you can/will bounce back!
 
Definitely do-able, although I got an A in Orgo 1, my teacher was notoriously easy and I managed to snag that A simply by memorizing practice exams/keys he posted online for us to use (which was ~50% of the material on exams, class was graded on a percentile but in the end the top 20 percentile ended up being ~60%)

After the semester was over I had taken a step back and realized I learned literally nothing from Orgo 1, and I was pretty nervous going into Orgo 2. However once Fall semester came, I simply paid attention in class, diligently went over my lecture notes/problem sets, and when it was all said and done, ended up finishing 95th percentile for Orgo 2.

Just make sure you stay on top of your game since it's reallllly easy to fall behind. Not sure how your teacher will structure the class, but all my exams were pretty much 80% the predict the products, predict the reagents, mechanisms, & retrosynthesis.
 
Wouldn't it be better to retake orgo 1 next year and get an A, and then take orgo 2 in the spring and get an A in that? That way, you'll be more prepared for both semesters of orgo because you can study during the summer, and you can raise your science gpa. The only drawback is taking biochem simultaneously with orgo.
 
I just finished orgo 1 as well with a B, and I want an A next semester. I put a lot of effort into orgo 1, and feel really bad about my B, but I was basically failing the course at one point, so I'm pretty thankful.
I think I was doing so badly in the beginning because of the lack of new practice problems (our textbook has like 7 per chapter, its the Oxford book), until nearly the end of the course, when our professor gave us extra problems that he made, which helped a lot, I went from a D average to a B with the last two exams!
So I think for next semester, unless we get lots of extra problems from the start, I might go to the non-honors textbook and use their problems, maybe even find some problems online to help me. Memorization doesn't really work with how my professor builds the tests, but doing a tonnnn of problems did.

That's just how I study, but doing mechanisns over and over, especially new problems of similar mechanisms helps me remember it better. It's worth a try to see if it helps you.
 
Wouldn't it be better to retake orgo 1 next year and get an A, and then take orgo 2 in the spring and get an A in that? That way, you'll be more prepared for both semesters of orgo because you can study during the summer, and you can raise your science gpa. The only drawback is taking biochem simultaneously with orgo.

It would mess up my timing for courses and the like, although I wish I could do that.
 
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