Retaking Organic 1 for a third time

[goowls2015]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Im a sophomore right now and i took organic 1 last semester and got an F. Im retaking it right now and don't seem to be improving much. I might be able to pass with a C. Would withdrawing and taking it a 3rd time screw me over or should i just try passing with a C this time around. I have A's in all my other science courses. Bio, gen chem, physics, and much more. Id appreciate thoughts and advice.

 

[Gurby]

What are you doing differently this time around? Have you tried getting a tutor? Probably should have thought more about this 2 months ago but oh well.

 

[goowls2015]

What are you doing differently this time around? Have you tried getting a tutor? Probably should have thought more about this 3 months ago but oh well.

tutors at my school are useless. Ive done it. The sessions consist of 20+ students and only 1 tutor. You can only ask one question basically.

 

[GCS-15]

Buy the book: organic chemistry as a second language.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Gurby]

tutors at my school are useless. Ive done it. The sessions consist of 20+ students and only 1 tutor. You can only ask one question basically.

That sounds completely worthless, yeah. How about hiring a private tutor?

At least for me, I pretty much skated through my post-bac getting A's in everything, but hit a wall with OChem and bombed the first tests. I hired a private tutor who was able to help me change my thought process about a lot of things and turn it around for an A. I think 1-on-1 tutoring is the best thing ever and the best way to learn. The only drawback is cost...

It sounds like you probably have some mental blocks, are thinking about things in a sub-optimal way, and that is stopping you from succeeding even after a 2nd pass at the course. Maybe sitting down 1-on-1 with a tutor would help straighten some of that out.

 

[Geo16]

That sounds completely worthless, yeah. How about hiring a private tutor?

At least for me, I pretty much skated through my post-bac getting A's in everything, but hit a wall with OChem and bombed the first tests. I hired a private tutor who was able to help me change my thought process about a lot of things and turn it around for an A. I think 1-on-1 tutoring is the best thing ever and the best way to learn. The only drawback is cost...

It sounds like you probably have some mental blocks, are thinking about things in a sub-optimal way, and that is stopping you from succeeding even after a 2nd pass at the course. Maybe sitting down 1-on-1 with a tutor would help straighten some of that out.

Whoa. Haha, that is insane!

 

[goowls2015]

That sounds completely worthless, yeah. How about hiring a private tutor?

At least for me, I pretty much skated through my post-bac getting A's in everything, but hit a wall with OChem and bombed the first tests. I hired a private tutor who was able to help me change my thought process about a lot of things and turn it around for an A. I think 1-on-1 tutoring is the best thing ever and the best way to learn. The only drawback is cost...

It sounds like you probably have some mental blocks, are thinking about things in a sub-optimal way, and that is stopping you from succeeding even after a 2nd pass at the course. Maybe sitting down 1-on-1 with a tutor would help straighten some of that out.

Yeah I get what you're saying. 1-1 tutoring would be nice. To bad they charge allot down here in Florida. Im better off just studying more and watching youtube vids.

 

[Gurby]

Whoa. Haha, that is insane!

When I say "bombed" I mean like... 80 on the first test and 70 on the second one, and I could tell from the homeworks that I was getting left behind and something wasn't right with my approach to the class. Went and got 1-on-1 tutoring from a guy who has been head TA for the class in the past and is basically a full-time chemistry tutor. Definitely some of the best money I've spent.

Yeah I get what you're saying. 1-1 tutoring would be nice. To bad they charge allot down here in Florida. Im better off just studying more and watching youtube vids.

I'll bet you could find somebody for $30/hr, even if it's just a random chemistry major upperclassman I think a couple hours might be really helpful. Or you can keep doing what you've been doing and hope things magically get better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Your entire medical career is kind of at stake here, I think you should take this pretty seriously.

 

[flip_08]

Gurby is right. You need to find the root of the problem. Ochem is a tough class but you need to be sure you can pass before trying a third time.

Study the textbook on your own over the summer and make sure you understand it thoroughly before taking it again next year. You could mix in some online resources too like Kahn academy.

 

[cactusman]

If your best chance is possibly passing with a C, I would say take the W. Maybe try Nuts and Bolts of Organic Chemistry in addition to looking at the textbook over the summer - I haven't taken Ochem yet, but the book is supposed to prepare students better for Ochem problem solving and I've seen good feedback for it in older threads on this site.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

Buy the book: organic chemistry as a second language.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

This is great advice. I also recommend the actual textbook by the same author (Klein). You can get the first edition dirt cheap used. I recommend this to anyone taking ochem who doesn't like their textbook or professor.