Orgo 2, I'm scared

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Dr. Josh

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One week into it and I'm afraid I'm already losing it. I can't afford to do poorly in this class. I retook orgo 1 and got an A. It's a different instructor for orgo 2. What can I do to make sure I master this course. I'm really concerned.:scared: And it's hard to go to office hours and ask specific questions, because it's not like I even have specific questions.
 
Are there private tutors available? Maybe try reading the material before class, so you will be familiar with it before you first hear it from the prof.
 
Have you tried talking to the professor? I know it's cheesy, but the professor knows his teaching style better than anyone and can sometimes point you towards the best study aids. Honestly, I never had much luck with reading through the material before class, but I found it helpful to copy over my notes afterwards.
 
I found reading as many different books/internet sources as possible very helpful.

I don't know which book you're using, but the Francis Carey Orgo textbook is amazing (it was what we used at our school). Check it out.
 
Yeah, I forgot about the internet. There are a bunch of websites with quizzes that are helpful.
 
I thought Orgo 2 was easier than Orgo 1. You received an A the second time you took Orgo 1, so you're pretty much ready to think in terms of organic chemistry.

Just do lots and lots of practice problems from here on out, and you'll at least get a B+.
 
Pick up the Bruice text. 5th ed. best orgo book on the market.
 
Dr. Josh said:
One week into it and I'm afraid I'm already losing it. I can't afford to do poorly in this class. I got a D+ the first time i took Orgo 1 and retook it (I just completed it) and got an A. It's a different instructor for orgo 2. What can I do to make sure I master this course. I'm really concerned.:scared: And it's hard to go to office hours and ask specific questions, because it's not like I even have specific questions.
Click to expand...

What exactly is confusing you? I would suggest first going over Orgo 1 reactions, because they are the foundation to doing well in Orgo 2. Also, it might be helpful to get a tutor. Get help now. Do not wait.
 
I have no advice, I'm doing orgo II myself this fall...even though I've managed to get an A+ in I, I'm still anxious - the second half of the textbook just seems so much more dense with info.:scared: I mean, like 1/4-1/3 of the orgo I course is just nomenclature and stereochemistry, but every chapter in orgo II seems to have like 20 reactions you need to memorize.:scared:
 
Inuranic said:
I found reading as many different books/internet sources as possible very helpful.

I don't know which book you're using, but the Francis Carey Orgo textbook is amazing (it was what we used at our school). Check it out.
Click to expand...
You liked his book? Can't say I was a big fan of it, because I mainly felt like he was reading to us...I did pretty well in the class though, a B+ I think, but I prefer when the prof isn't the author of the book too.
 
Orgo II is a lot more reactions, but if you really look at the material you're really just doing the same reaction over and over again.

Know things like good vs. bad leaving groups, good vs. bad nucleophiles, and be able to recognize probable sites of nucleophilic attack. If you understand these major concepts than you can think your way through a reaction or mechanism that you forgot by simply going with what makes sense.
 
I was one of the students that never had specific questions but still never really understood what was going on in Orgo I or II, but still got an A in both. My best suggestion is for you to go to every office hour/review session/recitation that you can spare time for. You won't have questions at first, but other people will, and they are usually the things that confuse everyone else anyway. In any case, you will hear the TAs explain it out, and that will definitely help. Once you've heard explanations for enough types of questions, you will start to see a trend behind the answers. Orgo is as much about memorization as it is about reasoning. There is actually a lot of logic behind the reactions and reagents, and mastering this logic will help you tremendously not only in class but also on the mcat. Best of luck!
 
http://www.mnstate.edu/jasperse/Chem360/Handouts/Chem360Handouts with Answers.html

That's a link to all my schools organic II notes. That guy is probably the best organic professor there is, plus he typed answers to ALL the notes. good luck😀

Dr. Josh said:
One week into it and I'm afraid I'm already losing it. I can't afford to do poorly in this class. I retook orgo 1 and got an A. It's a different instructor for orgo 2. What can I do to make sure I master this course. I'm really concerned.:scared: And it's hard to go to office hours and ask specific questions, because it's not like I even have specific questions.
Click to expand...

​
 
It looks like you've found a helpful resource already, but here's another which helped me when I took Organic Chemistry. My professor believed in a style of teaching called "guided inquiry," and he would put us in groups where we worked through a workbook. As much as I hated Organic Chemistry while taking the class, I will have to admit that the workbook was quite helpful. It's called "Organic Chemistry: A Guided Inquiry" by Andrei Straumanis. You might also want to get the solutions manual so that, at least for the exercises, you can be sure that you are not doing something wrong. Good luck on your Orgo class.
 
Dr. Josh said:
One week into it and I'm afraid I'm already losing it. I can't afford to do poorly in this class. I retook orgo 1 and got an A. It's a different instructor for orgo 2. What can I do to make sure I master this course. I'm really concerned.:scared: And it's hard to go to office hours and ask specific questions, because it's not like I even have specific questions.
Click to expand...
I'm sure if you're struggling, there are other people in the class that are struggling. Ask some of your classmates, and maybe you can make a small study group outside of class. We did this in O-Chem both semesters, and it was very helpful; simply because a topic you know about, someone else doesn't, so they get help, and vise versa. Sometimes hearing someone else "teach" you a topic helps you grasp it, even if it is a fellow student.
 
Did you play with tinker-toys alot as a kid? It helps. Get a good molecular model kit, and work them out spatially.

Orgo II is just applying all the rules from Orgo I. Most of the tests are open-ended "here's this, now turn it into this".

I spent more time conceptualizing and seeing how something would fit than rote memorization. FWIW, I only got a B, but I attribute that to taking Orgo II in a condensed 6-week summer session (I had no choice).
 
Gulp im the same way. Although im half way through chem I im afraid!!!!
 
1)I think many times people get poor grades because they develop a negative outlook on the material due to either their general perception of the material or lack of understanding the material when presented in class. For me, developing a positive attitude towards the material works. How? I read the material to be lectured the day before the class, and try to do some problems related to that section and KNOW the material prior to attending the class. I try to use the lecture as a review to re emphasize the material. This way, I don't get frustrated if I don't understand the material during lecture which can eventually cause you to have a negative outlook on the class and the material. This method has helped me get A+'s in most of my prereqs. Others may have different methods. But, for me the mental game and attitude play a huge impact on how I do in the class. So, I took actions accordingly to develop a positive attitude.

2) Ochem is very visual. If you can visualize things as much as you can, I think it may help since most people are visually oriented. If you can take a molecule (say a tetrahedral) and rotate it around at will, things like that will help with assigning R/S configurations, reaction mechanics (SN1 racemization, SN2 inversion) etc.....

3) If you can relate many things in ochem as a electrical phenomenon ie + and - attracting each other etc... the general concepts will come much easier. At least it does for me. Most of the behaviors in chemistry can be linked to how - vs -, + vs +, and - vs + react to each other ie nucleophilic/electrophilic rxns, VESPR theory etc...
I think the beauty of chemistry is that it may sound so esoteric, yet, it comes down to very basic ideas. Just my 2 cents.
 
TCIrish03 said:
Did you play with tinker-toys alot as a kid? It helps. Get a good molecular model kit, and work them out spatially.

Orgo II is just applying all the rules from Orgo I. Most of the tests are open-ended "here's this, now turn it into this".

I spent more time conceptualizing and seeing how something would fit than rote memorization. FWIW, I only got a B, but I attribute that to taking Orgo II in a condensed 6-week summer session (I had no choice).
Click to expand...

Thanks and I'm taking it in a condensed 5 week course and mine is a 5 credit course so it's a lot of hours and a lot of material condensed into a few days. BTW, it's also only 4 days a week. :scared:
 
ocwaveoc said:
1)I think many times people get poor grades because they develop a negative outlook on the material due to either their general perception of the material or lack of understanding the material when presented in class. For me, developing a positive attitude towards the material works. How? I read the material to be lectured the day before the class, and try to do some problems related to that section and KNOW the material prior to attending the class. I try to use the lecture as a review to re emphasize the material. This way, I don't get frustrated if I don't understand the material during lecture which can eventually cause you to have a negative outlook on the class and the material. This method has helped me get A+'s in most of my prereqs. Others may have different methods. But, for me the mental game and attitude play a huge impact on how I do in the class. So, I took actions accordingly to develop a positive attitude.

2) Ochem is very visual. If you can visualize things as much as you can, I think it may help since most people are visually oriented. If you can take a molecule (say a tetrahedral) and rotate it around at will, things like that will help with assigning R/S configurations, reaction mechanics (SN1 racemization, SN2 inversion) etc.....

3) If you can relate many things in ochem as a electrical phenomenon ie + and - attracting each other etc... the general concepts will come much easier. At least it does for me. Most of the behaviors in chemistry can be linked to how - vs -, + vs +, and - vs + react to each other ie nucleophilic/electrophilic rxns, VESPR theory etc...
I think the beauty of chemistry is that it may sound so esoteric, yet, it comes down to very basic ideas. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

wow, thanks, I'll try to take your advice.

thanks for everyone's advice.
 
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