Uh-oh.......

[Beau Geste]

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I got my Orgo test back today, and I really thought I did much better I got a 68, which was also the class average. 🙁 **sigh** I finished the test super early and I thought I did well, but that wasn't why I did so poorly. The questions I thought I might have missed I ended up getting right. It seems though that I need to go back over my IUPAC naming skills, because I missed all my points in this section. Oh, I can draw a zillion different conformations of stereoisomers and draw consitutional isomers until my fingers bleed, hybridization is my friend, and I've even got the boiling point/energy concepts associated with carbon chains, as well as acid-base properties, but for some reason I made dumb errors on my IUPAC naming.

We get to drop our lowest test grade, and I'm bummed that I will have to drop my first. You're supposed to do well on your first exam, right, to have that cushion?!

I am still in shock - It's been 10 years since I've had anything lower than a "B", especially since I work hard for my grades. I went to talk to the professor after class, and he was pretty optimistic. He told me to go back over my naming (of course) before starting new material on Friday, but since I seem to have a grasp on the harder stuff that I should be able to at least pull a B and maybe even an A if I do that well on the 3 other exams. Mind you, he curves based on the class average, and never "screws" anybody (his own words) that scores above the average.

So, I'm still a little bummed - does anyone have a story of getting a B (or even a C?) in Organic and still getting into med school? Please tell me my life isn't over ! 😱

At least I pulled an A on my genetics test the same day!

 

[Law2Doc]

I got my Orgo test back today, and I really thought I did much better I got a 68, which was also the class average. 🙁 **sigh** I finished the test super early and I thought I did well, but that wasn't why I did so poorly. The questions I thought I might have missed I ended up getting right. It seems though that I need to go back over my IUPAC naming skills, because I missed all my points in this section. Oh, I can draw a zillion different conformations of stereoisomers and draw consitutional isomers until my fingers bleed, hybridization is my friend, and I've even got the boiling point/energy concepts associated with carbon chains, as well as acid-base properties, but for some reason I made dumb errors on my IUPAC naming.

We get to drop our lowest test grade, and I'm bummed that I will have to drop my first. You're supposed to do well on your first exam, right, to have that cushion?!

I am still in shock - It's been 10 years since I've had anything lower than a "B", especially since I work hard for my grades. I went to talk to the professor after class, and he was pretty optimistic. He told me to go back over my naming (of course) before starting new material on Friday, but since I seem to have a grasp on the harder stuff that I should be able to at least pull a B and maybe even an A if I do that well on the 3 other exams. Mind you, he curves based on the class average, and never "screws" anybody (his own words) that scores above the average.

So, I'm still a little bummed - does anyone have a story of getting a B (or even a C?) in Organic and still getting into med school? Please tell me my life isn't over ! 😱

At least I pulled an A on my genetics test the same day!

If you are allowed to drop the test, you are still in the running for an A, so relax. Just learn the nomenclature for the next one.

 

[QofQuimica]

If you are allowed to drop the test, you are still in the running for an A, so relax. Just learn the nomenclature for the next one.

I agree. One so-so test can actually be a positive thing if it motivates you to work harder and do better on the rest of them. You know what topics you need more work on, and you have plenty of time to pull your grade up. Now that you know what kinds of questions to expect on the test, you will be better prepared for the next one. Good luck!

 

[CoffeeFreak]

That class should be your #1 motivator. You should have a punching bag with O-Chem on it. You should be out there busting it, getting motivated, kicking a$$ and taking names.

GET YOU HANDS ON EVERY OLD TEST, OLD STUDENT, TUTOR! Spare nothing, attack, attack, attack. You want to be average or lumped in with the rest of those clowns? or worst yet WEEDED OUT! Get that weapon off the ground and stand post. There is no reason you can't bust an A is O-Chem....Forrest Gump is Einstein compared to me and I got an A in that mother of a class.

Seriously, it is a difficult class but don't let it get the best of you. My point is that you are capable of a better grade and I think you can do it. Just think of all the MD researchers out there who had to stay up late or surgeons who complicated surgeries that required hour and hours of extreme patience.

Go do it.

 

[almost_there]

A tip for studying orgo (that I found useful):

Do lots and lots of problems! Especially the types of problems that your professor gives. In your case, since you're having issues with nomenclature, do lots of problems in both directions (naming molecules, and drawing molecules from names). Usually, your textbook will have lots of good problems on this. One technique a small study group I was involved in did was to create exams in the format of the class exams FOR EACH OTHER... you learn as much in the writing of the exam as in the taking of it.

🙂 Good luck -- don't let a few mistakes get you down!

 

[Beau Geste]

Thanks, you guys. I was up pretty late last night working on IUPAC naming and will be tonight too. If you give me the name, I'm able to choose the right structure, but last night I was only about 75% correct for the naming part (including alcohols and halide substitutions). More practice tonight!

 

[sunnyjohn]

Meg,

Is the pof gonna grade on the curve? I still think you will get that A. That 68 wil be a great motivator.

SPEECH PATHS ROCK!

 

[Daddydoc]

I got a B- and a C+ in my two semesters of organic. I have 3 interviews in the next couple of weeks so I'll let you know if you can get in with a C. By the way, I got a C in Biochem, too. If you can do well on the MCAT, that will help. I got a 12 in Biological sciences, so I think that helps to show that I actually did learn something. Just keep working hard and don't get discouraged.

 

[keitaiKT]

megboo, your situation sounds a lot like mine. On my first Orgo test, I also got the class average grade. I had done very well in all of my other science pre-requisite classes, and had studied and practiced the concepts and problems like crazy before the test. Yet when I walked in there, the test was a good deal harder than any of us had anticipated, and that was certainly reflected in my grade! I definitely walked out of that class worried that I would blow my chances with medical school, so I know how you are feeling right now. But I did manage to pull off an A - in the class, and we didn't have the ability to drop the lowest grade, either. I just kept working hard and tried not to let myself buy into the "Orgo is impossible" mindset. You will find that as you become familiar with how organic chemistry works (as well as how the prof tests it), it will become much easier for you.

You can DEFINITELY still get that A, so don't let this minor setback get you down!

 

[Beau Geste]

Thanks you guys! What worries me most is that this class doesn't have a lab component, so the grade comes from exams only. I've been studying my butt off today like I did last night, and I'm starting to get 90-95% of my naming correct. I feel a lot better about it now.

Our next exam will probably cover:

Alcohol and Alkyl halides
Alkenes: Structures, properties, elimination reactions, and addition reactions
Stereochemistry
Nucleophilic Substitution

This weekend I will be reading ahead to try to work out IUPAC naming for alkenes and skim the topics. I completed the "pushing electrons" book and just bought O-Chem as a 2nd language that I will review also this weekend.

Our prof. will definitely curve, but with the class average being my test grade (69), that will be a C instead of a D I guess, so the curve for this exam isn't that great. HOWEVER, many people who have already taken this class say an average of 70 or better will get you a B for sure and 80 will get you an A, so that helps, but I still want to get my grades the old-fashioned way (not relying on the curve 🙂).

I also found an immense number of websites with O-chem tutorials, so if anyone wants me to send you the links, just PM me! Warning: There are a lot!

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress, so maybe those who are taking Ochem in the Spring can learn from my failures/successes.

Thanks again, all! I've definitely learned not to be overconfident after this exam..... 😱

 

[Sooz]

Thanks you guys! What worries me most is that this class doesn't have a lab component, so the grade comes from exams only.

I know how you feel, my O-lab is a totally different class from the lecture portion, and I am assigned a grade for each. 😕 We took our first exam not too long ago 😱 and like you, I was pretty nervous going in. Just don't let that first test get you down, it sounds like you know what you need to focus on, and I'm sure if you do that you'll be fine. Also, I'm not 100% on this, but I'm pretty sure that one "B" (or even a "C") in Orgo I would not be enough to keep you out of med school on it's own. But who cares about that anyway, you'll pull an "A" out! 🙂

 

[karlin009]

You can still do well in the class. Try to figure out the testing style of your professor.
For Orgo 2 we had a new professor and I was used to just studying from the book for my Orgo 1 professor. When I got my first test back, it was a 58. I got help right away and really focused on his notes. I ended up getting a B+ in the class

 

[unfrozencaveman]

For one, you still have an A in the class if that test is droppable- but I had a very strange experience in my orgo class that could work to your favor. Apparently, with this professor, basically every "A" student lost their **** at some point during the semester, and bombed one test. There wasn't a single recepient of a final A grade that didnt get a B or lower on one of the tests- so that when I averaged my grades from the tests it came out to something like A, C- (whoops), A-, A- on the final, I was waiting for a B something, but it actually turned out to be a solid A when all of the students were ranked against each other in the end. Simply because no one in the class had managed to get an A on every test. You're still in good shape. And I'll second the kick in the butt theory. Always did wonders for me.

 

[Beau Geste]

I know how you feel, my O-lab is a totally different class from the lecture portion, and I am assigned a grade for each. 😕 We took our first exam not too long ago 😱 and like you, I was pretty nervous going in. Just don't let that first test get you down, it sounds like you know what you need to focus on, and I'm sure if you do that you'll be fine. Also, I'm not 100% on this, but I'm pretty sure that one "B" (or even a "C") in Orgo I would not be enough to keep you out of med school on it's own. But who cares about that anyway, you'll pull an "A" out! 🙂

Thanks Sooz... unfortunately there are a few companion C's on my transcript from years back - so I want to stay away from them! I went into this wanting A's all they way and pulled through Bio I/II and Chem I/II with A's, but at this point, I'll take a B in this class, but a C makes me nervous! Now we're covering SN1 mechanisms and I'm so into this part the time flies in class. I've been practicing my electron pushing left and right, so if I do poorly on this concept I'll have deserved it all the way!

Again, thanks to all! It's hard to find yourself sometimes in a sea of overeager undergrads. Sometimes I wonder how many of them are doing worse/better than I am (our prof doesn't post grades, just the average test grade)!

 

[PBandJ]

What worries me most is that this class doesn't have a lab component, so the grade comes from exams only.

See, in my organic chemistry class, 30% of our grade was from the lab component. I got screwed BECAUSE of the lab component (we had a lab prof with a completely irrational grading scheme to the point where almost every single person came out with an 85% in lab). i would have had an A based on my test grades but got B+ b/c of the lab. so you see, lab doesn't always help ya.

in any case, as others before me have stated, don't let one bad test grade discourage you. study your butt off! you can do it! 🙂

 

[momgracea]

Megboo...

I feel your pain. I got mine back today with a 75. Class average was a 60! There supposedly is a built in curve (75-87 B, 88-100 A) but I was really pulling for an A since it is only going to get harder.

In my case, we get no drops, only the opportunity to replace our lowest grade with our final (if higher.) I am so bummed.

What really screwed me was the reasonance structure drawings. I studied that &^%* 'til I was blue in the face and still did not fully understand what I was doing. I guess I'll be buying "Pushing Electrons" and getting a tutor.

<Sigh.>

 

[Beau Geste]

Megboo...

I feel your pain. I got mine back today with a 75. Class average was a 60! There supposedly is a built in curve (75-87 B, 88-100 A) but I was really pulling for an A since it is only going to get harder.

In my case, we get no drops, only the opportunity to replace our lowest grade with our final (if higher.) I am so bummed.

What really screwed me was the reasonance structure drawings. I studied that &^%* 'til I was blue in the face and still did not fully understand what I was doing. I guess I'll be buying "Pushing Electrons" and getting a tutor.

<Sigh.>

Hey! A 75 in my class was also a B! We haven't really covered resonance yet, it's coming up. We're looking at alkenes right now and working on SN1 mechanisms. I totally get this part, so I'm feeling a little better. I have Pushing Electrons and O-chem as a 2nd language. I'm keeping pace with the class, and it helps.

 

[blee]

Orgo was easily my hardest postbac class, but also my favorite by far. I loved it.

My enthusiasm helped carry me through the rough parts, but in the end the best way I found to study the material was to do ALL of the problems in the book. I would sometimes do them all twice, just to make sure I knew what I was doing. If you don't have the solutions manual for your text, definitely get it. And don't be afraid to seek help; I was in my professor's office at least once a week with questions about the problems in the book, or questions about the exams after we got them back, or other things. I found that spending time with him during office hours made me feel more personally vested in the course, which also helped me to study more efficiently.

Don't worry about a little slip this early in the semester. You can easily make it up in the next exams. Good luck!

 

[Beau Geste]

Orgo was easily my hardest postbac class, but also my favorite by far. I loved it.

My enthusiasm helped carry me through the rough parts, but in the end the best way I found to study the material was to do ALL of the problems in the book. I would sometimes do them all twice, just to make sure I knew what I was doing. If you don't have the solutions manual for your text, definitely get it. And don't be afraid to seek help; I was in my professor's office at least once a week with questions about the problems in the book, or questions about the exams after we got them back, or other things. I found that spending time with him during office hours made me feel more personally vested in the course, which also helped me to study more efficiently.

Don't worry about a little slip this early in the semester. You can easily make it up in the next exams. Good luck!

You bet! The solutions manual is a must-have for this class!