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Organic chemistry
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Do you get B's now? If so, keep doing what you have been doing, but moreso.
Do not fall behind. Do not fall behind. Do not fall behind.
ORGO is a topic that is so broad that it is just going to depend on your professor. My class was mostly about nomenclature and knowing your reactions, backwards and forwards (sorry, couldn't resist). We had some mechanisms for sure, but not as many as some other classes that I hear about. Just stick to the all time good advice. Do homework problems, focus on learning what the professor is teaching, and DO NOT FALL BEHIND!
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I agree. Most orgo courses are about equally divided between understanding and pure memorization. In any event, you will almost certainly see very large amounts of information. Digesting it all takes time, so study as you go. Almost certainly, if you wait until the night before the test to study it won't be good.
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Do homework problems and practice problems in your text. Do all of them.
Then before the test, make sure you remember how to do them.
It's also important to take very good notes. Try to study at least every other day. Or study Sunday to Thursday night and skip the weekend.
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owlegrad said:
Yes.
Yes.
For myself, I would say: learn learn learn your reactions. Reagents, what can be turned into what, etc. I always struggled in organic because I never spent enough time learning the basics of how to turn starting compound X into finished product Y through the intermediary of passing it through reactions A, B, and C.
It's actually kind of fun (?!) when you have a toolbox of useful reactions to call upon to solve problems. It becomes kind of a puzzle... and you feel damn smart when you figure it out.
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I've been a bit worried about orgo for pharm school recently. I'm afraid I haven't retained much from the course as far as reactions. Is this going to come back to haunt me in the fall? Should I be poring over my textbooks this summer? 
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I've been a bit worried about orgo for pharm school recently. I'm afraid I haven't retained much from the course as far as reactions. Is this going to come back to haunt me in the fall? Should I be poring over my textbooks this summer?
Just skim over and make sure your memory about it is up to date. If you understand the concepts instead of trying to memorize and forget, it will help.
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Most students study organic chemistry completely wrong. If you are memorizing pretty much anything in organic, you're doing it wrong. Organic is not a science you master by memorizing.
First, pick up David Klein's Organic Chemistry As A Second Language (part 1). Consider part 2 for reactions, but honestly, most textbooks are acceptable. Some students like part 2, others dont.
Second, know that organic chemistry is fundamentally about electron movement. If you do not understand why an electron is moving in a certain direction, then you do not understand organic chemistry. However, if you do understand why, then it doesn't matter what substrates you are handed, you can identify the reactions and perform them accordingly.
First, pick up David Klein's Organic Chemistry As A Second Language (part 1). Consider part 2 for reactions, but honestly, most textbooks are acceptable. Some students like part 2, others dont.
Second, know that organic chemistry is fundamentally about electron movement. If you do not understand why an electron is moving in a certain direction, then you do not understand organic chemistry. However, if you do understand why, then it doesn't matter what substrates you are handed, you can identify the reactions and perform them accordingly.
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I found this the easiest part to understand. Drawing arrows and predicting flow, once practiced, is sort of a piece of cake. The hardest part was probably remembering the vast amount of possible reactions quickly enough to regurgitate it in a test-taking situation. Obviously, that requires repetition. That, and remembering weird things like how ketals form was difficult.
And, as often mentioned, the Klein book is really awesome for first semester. 2nd semester...your mileage may vary, depending on your instructor.
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Meh, you will be memorizing stuff - no way you can possibly "understand" nomenclature. It's a list of rules and you learn them. Understand what you can, but don't think that no memorization will be involved. That's pretty silly, IMO.
It is still really strong advice to try and understand as much as you can though, particularly understanding electron movement and the basic principals behind reactions. 👍
It is still really strong advice to try and understand as much as you can though, particularly understanding electron movement and the basic principals behind reactions. 👍
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I guess my overall advice is to not look to your professor and class notes as the only source of information. Practice! Do the homework at the back of each chapter, even if they are not assigned. Sure, you can memorize the reactions but I found it much easier to try to understand each reaction through all those practice problems. It saved me a lot of headache and stress on exams when the teacher throws those "exceptions to the rule" questions on there.
There's also this guy on Youtube that is excellent in explaining the concepts. Not sure if we're allowed to post YT links on here but look up freelanceteach. I used his videos as reinforcement for material covered in class.
There's also this guy on Youtube that is excellent in explaining the concepts. Not sure if we're allowed to post YT links on here but look up freelanceteach. I used his videos as reinforcement for material covered in class.
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If you get confused on some concepts, having a classmate explain it to you can help a lot.
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Read the chapter sections until you understand the topics.
Complete the section practice problems.
Complete the end-of-chapter problems.
Do all of this in conjunction with when the chapters are covered in your lecture.
Speak regularly to your professor about questions.
Go to class.
Complete the section practice problems.
Complete the end-of-chapter problems.
Do all of this in conjunction with when the chapters are covered in your lecture.
Speak regularly to your professor about questions.
Go to class.
F-that aim for an A in any course you take. Don't tell yourself that a B will suffice until you got the grade at the end of the semester. You don't know how the class is run yet. If you give yourself a B-like effort you can end up with a D. Always aim for the highest grade.
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Memorizing is KEY, but applying them takes practice.
Besides what everyone else mentioned, form study groups and visit professor during office hours (if your university allows you).
Is there tutoring for ochem and calc in your university? If so, definitely take advantage of it.
Try asking the professor for more/different examples on mechanisms to understand on how to apply it.
Besides what everyone else mentioned, form study groups and visit professor during office hours (if your university allows you).
Is there tutoring for ochem and calc in your university? If so, definitely take advantage of it.
Try asking the professor for more/different examples on mechanisms to understand on how to apply it.
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I heard from many students that "Organic Chemistry 1 as a Second Language" by David Klein is a good book. It explains mechanisms and reactions very simple.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/04..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=186T19HMKQS60XA7M2GQ
Definitely support using this book. I recommended it to the students that I tutor in Organic.
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