What do to before Organic

[Harbindoc]

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Does anyone have any good ideas about what I can review before I start Organic in the fall. Any good review books you might reccomend? I really want to get an A in this class since my other pre-req grades were nothing phenomenal B in G-Chem both semesters B in Physics I A- Physics II And scattered A's and B's in my Bio major. I am really worried about organic because everyone says it is so horrible. Thanks for your help and sory for rambling! 😀

 

[Luminox]

My best advice is : nothing. When there's no pressure and no one around to explain the book as you read it, you won't learn a thing. When the semester starts and you can talk to friends and TAs, and have some pressure to get the work done, then you'll get into the learning curve. For god's sake, have some fun this summer!

take care!

lumi

Originally posted by Harbindoc:
•Does anyone have any good ideas about what I can review before I start Organic in the fall. Any good review books you might reccomend? I really want to get an A in this class since my other pre-req grades were nothing phenomenal B in G-Chem both semesters B in Physics I A- Physics II And scattered A's and B's in my Bio major. I am really worried about organic because everyone says it is so horrible. Thanks for your help and sory for rambling! 😀•

 

[Spang]

Here's my two cents: Get a review book like Schaum's or even better the Kaplan book for organic and just start leafing through it and study along with it as the class goes.

Secondly, get a book called "Pushing Electrons" (by Weeks I think) it uses grade-school type review (fill-in the blanks, etc) to teach electron movement which is the key to understanding the mechanism in organic. Understanding the mechanism is, IMHO, the key to doing well in organic.

Now for the disclaimer: I am a non-traditional student who took organic and all other prereqs at night while working. My classes were the evening section of the regular class not some extension class or something. Anyway, I'm no brain surgeon but I got an A in orgo I and an A- in orgo II and just got my MCAT back (which was easily 60 if not 70% organic in BS) and I got a 10 in BS.

So, there you go, take it or leave it but that's what I'd do if I had it to do over, which thank God I don't!!

Spang

 

[Jamier2]

Here's my suggestion to make organic easier. Find the functional groups, and memorize all of the common ones before class starts. If you know these like the back of your hand, the class (at least the first half) will be much easier. The time you would have spent learning fg's you can now spend on other aspects of the class.

Like Spang, I have heard many praise the whole "electron motion" method of learning organic chemistry. I didn't get to try this, but everyone I've spoken to says it's the best way to predict reactions, etc.

Good luck, organic is do-able, just not so easy. 🙂

 

[Harbindoc]

Spang,

I have heard other people rave about the pushing electrons book, so I have ordered it from Amazon. I also liked your idea about memorizing functional groups although I don't know what they are. Can you tell me where I can find all of them? Are they in the pushing electrons book?

Thanks so much for your help! Have you applied yet? Good luck!
🙄 🙄 😱 😀 😀

 

[Harbindoc]

Oh and thanks Jamier don't want to leave you out!
😛 😀 😉 🙄

 

[Jamier2]

Originally posted by Harbindoc:
•Oh and thanks Jamier don't want to leave you out!
😛 😀 😉 🙄•

No problem.

To find the functional groups, just look in any organic text, maybe your school library (if you are close) has some copies. If not, get ahold of any MCAT review book. All the books I got for MCAT practice included them.

Good luck. 🙂

 

[fishtolive]

I felt the same way when going into organic as I had heard so many horror stories. I say forget books cuz the summer is not fo da book learnin...I got the standard deviants video set on organic and felt aquainted enough with the material by the time i got into it...did it work? Got A's in both orgo 1 and 2, had a really high ACS score (national orgo exam) and now do independent study/research in the field...take it easy for now and just get to know your buddy orgo...when the semester comes, find an empty class and write mechanisms until you can't take it anymore!