I finished my last exam this week in Organic Chemistry (second semester), and I was psyched to find out that I got an A! This class was brutal, and our professor is notorious for forcing a specific grade distribution, which is a hard thing to do in a post-bacc program of working professionals who are all mostly above average students as it is. In any event, I intend to celebrate this weekend before I start double Physics over the summer semester. Good luck to everyone applying this year!
Congrats. Orgo is a tough class
everything now should be a breeze
Congratulations on your A! Do you have any tips on how to do well in Organic? I’ve made A’s in Chemistry and Physics, all I have left is Organic.
Thanks! As far as tips go, it seems like (from others I’ve spoken to) that this is entirely dependent on your professor and how (s)he tests. I have a few tips based on the way my professor tested, but you’ll know more after your first exam.
For me, it helped a great deal to read the chapter thoroughly (and do the in-text problems) before going to the lecture on that particular chapter. I was able to “get something” out of the lecture when I did that and the clinical examples that my professor used made a lot more sense and truly helped to support my understanding of the material.
I would usually review my notes and reread the chapter again after the lecture and before doing the homework problems. After doing the homework, I’d make a list of all the questions I got wrong, had trouble with, or felt needed a review prior to the exam.
Before each exam, I’d reread the chapter again, review my notes, and then rework all the problems from the list I’d generated.
In some chapters (where there are a lot of reaction mechanisms or reaction types to know), I’d make flashcards. Making the flashcards has the dual benefit of helping you study while making the cards as well as helping you with recall before the exam.
People say this all the time, but you really can’t let yourself get behind in this class. Much of the material first semester builds upon itself as you progress, and you don’t want to be playing catchup all semester.
Kaplan has a book called “Organic Chemistry Edge” that I found useful and helpful.
My advice going from first to second semester is to make sure you have a solid understanding of aromatic reactions (EAS, sulfonation, nitration, Friedal-Craft alkylation, side-chain bromination, etc.) I felt like I had to go back and review this chapter for every exam in O-Chem II. Also, be sure you have a pretty good understanding of Sn2, Sn1, E2, and E1 reaction types. Mainly, just know when each is favored.
As far as getting a head start, just go back and review acid-base general concepts from Gen Chem. These will come up again and again.
Good luck. It’s definitely a tough class, but it’s completely do-able.
I would add before you go in, be able to draw Lewis structures in your sleep, have a basic grasp of electronegativity trends, and make sure you understand BOTH Bronsted-Lowrey AND Lewis acids and bases, and the difference between them.
If your prof tests a lot of reaction mechanisms, I suggest drawing them repeatedly. This helps your brain understand where the little electrons are going, and why, so that when you see the same reaction with different molecules, you already know what’s about to happen. When you do reversible reactions, draw them frontwards and immediately draw the reverse, and go back and forth a few times.
I never felt completely prepared for an 0-chem exam, but having the reaction mechanisms and the understanding of the basic concepts allowed me to draw some Lewis dots and push some electrons around and as often as not, guess the right answer.
Thanks for the tips guys. It sounds like I have my work cut out for me next year.
Nah, I didn’t take all my advice, and I still got an A. Just do as many of these things as you can.
Congrats on the A! It’s an amazing feeling, especially for O-Chem. We had to take the ACS standardized exam at the end of O-Chem II covering the entire year of O-Chem. I walked out of the test feeling less than stellar (and certainly less intelligent than I went in 
) but I ended up with an A as well and am EXTREMELY happy that the class is over. It’s very amusing to me that this class is the one that stresses so many of us out rather than a 300 or 400 level class. Go figure. 
Enjoy the feeling and celebrate the A! And heck, at least in my opinion, summer physics will be a BREEZE compared with O-Chem.
Larry
congrats! That’s a real accomplishment.
As for me, organic chem is the grade I’m going to have to apologize for by doing extremely well, I hope, in physics, biochem, and neurology.
This is a subject that requires a near-obsession to master. I wish I could say I was driven hard enough but I constantly find myself thinking, this course is so poorly taught, the text is so poorly written, and the exams are so unpredictable that why am I wasting my time?
But, I have to just push myself through it. I also find myself wondering whether I should take the course again in order to better master the material. But I keep meeting or hearing about very successful medical professionals who say organic chem “kicked their butts”. So wish me luck; mine’s about to get kicked this Thursday, hopefully not too hard! 
Hi Terry,
I was actually thinking of writing to you to find out your thoughts on orgo at HES. I just finished gen chem on Thursday and it went really well, but I attibute a lot of that to our professors and all the tools they gave us. I’d love to hear more details as I’m trying to decide what to take in the fall.
Quote:
Enjoy the feeling and celebrate the A! And heck, at least in my opinion, summer physics will be a BREEZE compared with O-Chem.
That was my experience. I loved Orgo, but it was a beast. Physics was a nice change.
Quote:
Hi Terry,
I was actually thinking of writing to you to find out your thoughts on orgo at HES. I just finished gen chem on Thursday and it went really well, but I attibute a lot of that to our professors and all the tools they gave us. I’d love to hear more details as I’m trying to decide what to take in the fall.
I wouldn’t recommend the organic chem course at Harvard Extension.
I do agree with you that gen chem is excellent–professional teachers, well run, good materials. I can say the same for biology–difficult, but fair.
The summer school teacher, Proctor, is considered very good, but it’s difficult to imagine learning organic chemistry in 7 weeks.
Actually, go to Charleston, SC, and take orgo from my brother-in-law. He’s using innovative teaching methods that actually seem to (1) help students understand and enjoy the material and (2) get better grades.
I just started Organic Chemistry last night. I know it will be a demanding class, since there is only 10-12 weeks to cover the whole year, but after the first lecture I feel really optimistic about the whole thing. I read the chapter before the class, and the teacher seems to be really cool: very explicit and accessable. So far so good…
I’m worrying about the labs + reports, but we’ll see how it’s coming along…
Quote:
really cool: very explicit and accessable. So far so good…
I’m worrying about the labs + reports, but we’ll see how it’s coming along…
Having a Professor that is explicit and accessable will definitely be a plus. My Orgo Professor was like that. If any of his students had a problem with the material, he’d go over it until we couild explain it back to him. Dr. Bentz ( my prof.) has the patience of a saint.
Make sure you utilize your instructor’s office hours to your satisfaction. With taking I & II in a compressed time-frame, it may be beneficial.
Good luck to all of you that are taking Orgo this summer. I am sure you’ll do fine.
Ian
Our professor was good at explaining the material so I can’t complain there. His exams, on the other hand, were brutal. He was big into stereochemistry and major/minor products. Every exam included a huge list of reactions, and you always had to know the stereochemical aspects along with the “minor” products. If you left off a minor product or didn’t get the stereochemistry just right, you missed it even though you might know the reaction. They weren’t hard in the sense of being conceptually difficult; they were just tedious.
But, now that I am done, I am actually thankful that I endured this. I think those three-hour tedious exams will be good practice for the MCAT.
Good luck to everyone starting or in the midst of Orgo now. Just stay on top of the material and work the problems! If you run out of problems to work, check out the following web site. I found it to be very helpful:
http://www.cem.msu.edu/%7ereusch/VirtualText/intro1.htm
Also, check out the Kaplan book I mentioned in an earlier post. It helps explain the material as well as providing problems to work.
Terry -
How did it go?
Quote:
Terry -
How did it go?
Hi Skeeter,
I’M DONE!!! Had a Bio exam Wednesday, Orgo on Thursday, and today I’m just chilling.
orgo was brutal; I’m just glad it’s over. I’m already looking forward to summer school physics and am awaiting my textbooks, used from Amazon, so I can start preparing. Then in the fall it’s biochem, neurology, and massage therapy, I hope!
I’m almost two weeks through my summer organic course. So far so good. I’m doing really good in the lab + I got 100% on my first lecture quiz. But the material haven’t really got all that hard yet.
I was wondering if any of you who already took organic found the molecular model set helpful. It was listed as an optional material for our course. I didn’t buy it yet. $50 is not cheap. I was wondering how helpful this thing is and if I’ll realy need it when the material becomes progressively more difficult.
I read some ratings of different kits online and I’m not too convinced.
Kasia
I found the models very helpful, but I bought a very cheap set (like 10 bucks) from an online store. Can’t remember which one, but I wouldn’t spend 50.
I’m not sure whether you’ve gotten to the “chair conformation” section yet, but I found them helpful in trying to understand the stereochemistry of attachments to cyclohexane. I also found them helpful when considering R vs. S stereochemistry in more complex molecules.
Our professor let us use them on the exams, which again, I found helpful for one or two problems. Mostly, I felt that they saved time because you didn’t have to spend those precious few minutes drawing out a complex structure in different three-d aspectss.
GET THE MODELS! I agree w/DC Chad that you can find them cheaper than the ones in the campus bookstore, but I found them invaluable study aids. My prof, too, allowed us to bring them into exams but I actually didn’t use them in exams - took too much time. But I DID use them in studying and they really helped me visualize the structures. It’s money well spent!
Mary