I did it! Made it through Gen Chem 2 without jumping off a bridge and making either an AB or B depending on how my ACS exam went. I am signed up for Organic Chem 1 next semester and have no clue what to expect.. would anyone care to fill me in/scare me into working my butt off so I don't fail miserably?
ORGO1 next semester
- Thread starter hunterg5
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For me Gen Chem was a complete breeze compared to orgo.
To not fail miserably, I'd prepare for each lecture the night before, and always do every problem in the textbook (probably the Wade book) after the lecture, using the solutions manual to make sure you understand them all.
The key to doing well is volume of problems, and working out as many mechanisms as possible so you start recognizing patterns more easily.
Lab is usually very intense, with very little help from the lab instructor (at least it was for me). Prepare for each lab the night before as if you were going to receive no help at all. Make sure you're familiar with the functionality of your equipment and how to set it up and break it down. They'll probably show you how to set up your distillation apparatus (for example) once, and then expect you to know how to do it from then on. I took a picture of each setup so i could refer back if i couldn't remember. Always do the lab report ASAP and hand it in on time.
To not fail miserably, I'd prepare for each lecture the night before, and always do every problem in the textbook (probably the Wade book) after the lecture, using the solutions manual to make sure you understand them all.
The key to doing well is volume of problems, and working out as many mechanisms as possible so you start recognizing patterns more easily.
Lab is usually very intense, with very little help from the lab instructor (at least it was for me). Prepare for each lab the night before as if you were going to receive no help at all. Make sure you're familiar with the functionality of your equipment and how to set it up and break it down. They'll probably show you how to set up your distillation apparatus (for example) once, and then expect you to know how to do it from then on. I took a picture of each setup so i could refer back if i couldn't remember. Always do the lab report ASAP and hand it in on time.
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orgo is like visual logic puzzles
it's fun if you are a chem nerd like me
it's fun if you are a chem nerd like me
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Don't think that this will be like any other class you've learned...
This is usually brand new material for all students so don't feel surprised if you're all overwhelmed and behind.
When I took orgo it was 3x a week and I would only study at the end of the week and recap the material. I got an A- in 1 and A in 2. Trying to review after every class was impossible for me and I don't recommend it.
98% of the material makes intuitive sense (meaning you don't need to rely on some dead scientists equation to figure out something).
Learning Orgo can be best equated to building a large building. If your foundation is wobbly, you will crumble and fall. Hard.
Lab had little to do with lecture for myself... If you can manage to apply what you learn in lecture to lab, that's a very good sign.
Practice makes permanent so crack that book open and practice! It REALLY helps to have an answer key.
Good luck and ENJOY!
FYI, Orgo was my first A in college so yes it's possible!
This is usually brand new material for all students so don't feel surprised if you're all overwhelmed and behind.
When I took orgo it was 3x a week and I would only study at the end of the week and recap the material. I got an A- in 1 and A in 2. Trying to review after every class was impossible for me and I don't recommend it.
98% of the material makes intuitive sense (meaning you don't need to rely on some dead scientists equation to figure out something).
Learning Orgo can be best equated to building a large building. If your foundation is wobbly, you will crumble and fall. Hard.
Lab had little to do with lecture for myself... If you can manage to apply what you learn in lecture to lab, that's a very good sign.
Practice makes permanent so crack that book open and practice! It REALLY helps to have an answer key.
Good luck and ENJOY!
FYI, Orgo was my first A in college so yes it's possible!
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Get the book series Organic Chemistry as a Second Language by David Klein.
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Organic is like learning a foreign language. Practice, practice, and practice some more!
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Organic is so fricken overblown by literally everyone. It's difficult, what do you expect but it's by no means of the word impossible. These overdramatic losers literally put the fear of God in people about Orgo. Those are the same people that can't make sacrifices to do well in the class.
The material is not difficult, it is merely different. If you pulled a B in gen chem, you may/can pull an A in orgo.
The kicker is you're most likely going to have to give up some free time to do well in the class. But that doesn't make the class extremely difficult. It makes it a higher responsibility and priority. If you can't compensate, then that's your fault.
The material is not difficult, it is merely different. If you pulled a B in gen chem, you may/can pull an A in orgo.
The kicker is you're most likely going to have to give up some free time to do well in the class. But that doesn't make the class extremely difficult. It makes it a higher responsibility and priority. If you can't compensate, then that's your fault.
Dunno who your orgo professors were, but don't speak like you can represent how Orgo is taught at every school.
I can with 100% certainty say that Organic was many, many times more difficult than Gen Chem at the school I took it at, and the class averages were MUCH lower (like 20-30 points lower). The professors were much bigger aholes and appeared to have been told to help as little as possible. There was also no curve, even though some schools do in fact curve orgo.
I can with 100% certainty say that Organic was many, many times more difficult than Gen Chem at the school I took it at, and the class averages were MUCH lower (like 20-30 points lower). The professors were much bigger aholes and appeared to have been told to help as little as possible. There was also no curve, even though some schools do in fact curve orgo.
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Not quite sure how you're inferring I know how orgo is taught at every school. The subject matter is the same though. Just because the averages were way lower doesn't mean it's this apocalypse class. It's a class that a requires a lot of time.
In today's day and age, there are multiple sources than just your professor to learn organic...
Contextual clues? You're claiming that its "overblown by everyone" and that the only reason people might have done poorer than you or I is that they are "overdramatic losers who can't make sacrifices to do well"
This kind of talk completely disregards the possibility that the class might be more difficult at a different school than the one you attended.
This kind of talk completely disregards the possibility that the class might be more difficult at a different school than the one you attended.
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You suck as a detective then. Almost everyone who takes it says it isn't as bad as what it was described as. And no, I did not say everyone, I said anyone that says its this freakishly difficult class that is the bane of our existence is overblowing it. Difficult, yes, but nothing to **** yourself about.
Class averages are stupid. You do realize the class averages, even in what we would consider easy classes, is still a 75?
Claiming that it's way harder at one school versus the one I attended is a fool's statement. No matter what, you're still tested on organic chemistry...
Anyway, to the opie, just be prepared to study more than you did for gen chem. That's all. You will be fine, I personally promise you.
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I only got a 126 in the CARS, but come on man... look at your word choice. You're proving my point in the second post of this thread.
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Uhh ok..lab was, in fact, very intense and I had basically no help from my instructor. If we didn't remember how to set up an apparatus or thought the reaction was messed up and we asked for help, we were told "check your lab manual and notes"... You are proving MY POINT. Not everyone's professor will be the same, lol
I didn't do every problem in the wade, but I did do about 60-70 percent of them, and think that most of the people who did poorly on the tests (test breakdown was probably about 50 percent failure, 30 percent 60-70, 15 percent 80s, 5 percent 90s) would have done much better if they had cracked out more problems. By saying "Do all of them" I'm pushing him to do as many as possible. Obviously he's not actually going to do all of them lol
Whats wrong with handing every lab in on time? A large percentage of my class could not keep up with the extensive lab reports. I'm emphasizing how important it is to get them done early, nothing wrong with that
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I second this. Don't make the mistake of using that book as your only form of learning/studying. Use it to understand the concepts, then use your textbook for more difficult problems, because the exams will have the more difficult problems. The trick is alot of practice. I enjoyed the class more than general chemistry, although it was much harder.
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Then something is wrong with your class lol.
Our lab instructors said the same thing... Except that was an expectation not a surprise to hear that from them. You want to be told 50 times how to set something up? It's in your lab manual...
You shouldn't need to be told to hand something in on time bro. Who honestly has to be told that at 18+, especially someone who did well in Gen Chem. But maybe that's why you needed to be told twice how to set something up🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Just giving you crap lol.
