Summer Classes, what should I expect?

[DrStraggler]

Hey! So this summer I'm doing a program and then 2 classes after it (Organic I & II). I'm very nervous about these courses, and I've never taken a summer class before so I was wondering if there's any advice you guys have.

Right now, I'm thinking I'll have to devote somewhere between 2-4 hours of study time daily as there is a test after every (7) days.

Organic is a dense course, so I was wondering if it's necessary for me to buy the model kits (it's recommend on the syllabus).

Any/all advice appreciated

And good luck to anyone else taking a summer course this year as well!!

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[235788]

Hey! So this summer I'm doing a program and then 2 classes after it (Organic I & II). I'm very nervous about these courses, and I've never taken a summer class before so I was wondering if there's any advice you guys have.

Right now, I'm thinking I'll have to devote somewhere between 2-4 hours of study time daily as there is a test after every (7) days.

Organic is a dense course, so I was wondering if it's necessary for me to buy the model kits (it's recommend on the syllabus).

Any/all advice appreciated

And good luck to anyone else taking a summer course this year as well!!

the only difference is that it is accelerated, which means you need to study daily (at least 5 days/week) and stay up on the material. You can't cram as easily for those -- so study well in advanced before tests

My first summer class was gen chem 2 and I got a c+... kind of an eye opener that summer classes require a lot more than I had planned. They aren't "easy" like many people say.

 

[dsoz]

Hey! So this summer I'm doing a program and then 2 classes after it (Organic I & II). I'm very nervous about these courses, and I've never taken a summer class before so I was wondering if there's any advice you guys have.

Right now, I'm thinking I'll have to devote somewhere between 2-4 hours of study time daily as there is a test after every (7) days.

Organic is a dense course, so I was wondering if it's necessary for me to buy the model kits (it's recommend on the syllabus).

Any/all advice appreciated

And good luck to anyone else taking a summer course this year as well!!

#1 I recommend the model kit. Especially if you are a the type of learner that needs to touch something to make it real (I am and my model kit was very valuable).

#2 I took biochem last summer in 4 weeks. I am a non-trad and it has been many years since I took o-chem so it was a little bit of a shock. The first day of class, the prof told us that we were stupid for taking biochem in 4 weeks because there is not enough time for the material to sink in. You can only survive so many hours of lecture before your brain starts to hurt, and you can only read the textbook so much before your eyes start to water and go cross-eyed. Furthermore, the temptation to go outside and play is HUGE. You will fight the urge to give up studying early to go out and hang with friends. This may make your grades suffer. I know for me, in biochem the only way that I pulled an A- was to go to lecture for 3 hours every morning and spend 4-5 hours reading the text/reviewing notes/emailing the prof with questions/memorizing those darn amino-acids, pathways, etc. every afternoon.

I wish you luck. O-chem is a B!TC# class under the best circumstances. Summer classes are probably not the best. Be prepared for a wild ride!

dsoz

 

[Neurosis]

Plan for nearer to 4-6 hours of studying per day.

hopefully this only pertains to O-Chem. Are summer classes really that intensive?

 

[sc4s2cg]

Oh boy. I took Ochem I/II and LabI 2 years ago in the summer. Grades:
I: B
II: A-
Lab I: C+
Lab II: didn't take, taking this summer.

It was tough. Definitely get a model kit, and be sure to study *every* day. No slacking. Remember, you are learning 15 weeks of material in just 5-6.

 

[ur2l8]

Plan for nearer to 4-6 hours of studying per day. Taking organic chemistry on an accelerated schedule is not something I'd advise anyone to do. Organic chemistry is a "weed out" course and you stand a much higher chance of being "weeded out" if you don't have the discipline to put in the long hours it will take to succeed when the great outdoors is calling.

Organic chemistry model kits did not help me at all, though I'm not a visual learner. I struggled with the spatial reasoning required to excel in organic chemistry and found the easiest way for me to master it was to spend time drawing the structures (especially chair conformers, boats and half-boats) on paper from different angles. They help some, but I find that many just learn how to visualize organic molecules through hours of two dimensional practice on paper.

Truth. The kits are a complete waste of money-drawing them out had the same effect for me. People say minds work differently but...I don't see how anyone really benefits from the kit after using it once to "see" the structure.

Spending the time studying like docbert said is a must though. I took only ochem1 last summer; studied 3-4 hours per day maybe, including practice problems.

Sent from my iPhone

 

[Hemorrage]

Hey! So this summer I'm doing a program and then 2 classes after it (Organic I & II). I'm very nervous about these courses, and I've never taken a summer class before so I was wondering if there's any advice you guys have.

Right now, I'm thinking I'll have to devote somewhere between 2-4 hours of study time daily as there is a test after every (7) days.

Organic is a dense course, so I was wondering if it's necessary for me to buy the model kits (it's recommend on the syllabus).

Any/all advice appreciated

And good luck to anyone else taking a summer course this year as well!!

you'll be fine. work hard, and study 6 hours per day and get that A. Dont? Well then your better off not taking them over the summer because ORGO 1+2 are weed out courses during the semesters, therefore in the summer its probably a super weed out course.

 

[sc4s2cg]

Wrong thread. My bad.

 

[sc4s2cg]

Truth. The kits are a complete waste of money-drawing them out had the same effect for me. People say minds work differently but...I don't see how anyone really benefits from the kit after using it once to "see" the structure.

Spending the time studying like docbert said is a must though. I took only ochem1 last summer; studied 3-4 hours per day maybe, including practice problems.

Sent from my iPhone

The kits really helped me understand how structures are formed, how resonance works, what the different structures look like, and how new bonds formed.

It really was indispensible to me. But you're right, once you get all of the above there really is no use for the kit. I don't think I used much in Ochem II at all once we got in the sn1/sn2, e1/e2, etc. reactions.

 

[neuro nephrons]

pray for air conditioning

 

[myronnie]

Oh boy. I took Ochem I/II and LabI 2 years ago in the summer. Grades:
I: B
II: A-
Lab I: C+
Lab II: didn't take, taking this summer.

It was tough. Definitely get a model kit, and be sure to study *every* day. No slacking. Remember, you are learning 15 weeks of material in just 5-6.

Why did you have so much issue with the lab during the summer? I'm scared now...I'm taking Orgo II lab during the summer

 

[sc4s2cg]

Why did you have so much issue with the lab during the summer? I'm scared now...I'm taking Orgo II lab during the summer

I was just so focused on the lecture that I neglected the lab. That, plus I haven't really taken labs beyond gen chem I and II before so I didn't have any clue as to what was going on. My mixtures were always contaminated, I didn't take the experiments seriously, etc. I wouldn't worry about lab if you know you will take it seriously.

 

[deleted393595]

pray for air conditioning

especially in Texas