Scholarly Advice for Academic Mastery
A collection of insights and advice from some of the most successful university, graduate, and professional students and scholars.
Topic: Organic Chemistry
Every one dreads the infamous Organic Chemistry class. Everyone hears the rumors about the level of difficulty and how most people do not pass it the first time. I want to clear up any confusion and let you know this is FALSE! Organic chemistry can be very enjoyable if you understand what is going on. Many medicines we use today are here because of Organic chemistry.
I was a tutor in Organic chemistry for several years and here are some tips I have for the class:
1. Make sure you study the class 30 everyday! This is important because I notice that most people wait a day or two before the test and end up failing it and do not understand why. This is not a class you can wait until the last minute to study for, you need to constantly be learning the material. Going over the material everyday will help you really understand the material instead of just memorizing it.
2. Know the chemical reactions forwards and backwards. Many people benefit making these reactions into note cards, one side showing the starting material and the backside showing the product. In addition to knowing the starting material and product make sure you know the reactants. This will help when you get to synthesis problems.
3. When doing synthesis
problems be sure to look at the problem forward and backwards. Look at the
product and the given starting material and work forwards and backwards to
find the answer, the answers always lie in the chemical reactions you
learned for the test. Just go through all the chemical reactions from the
chapters and the answer is right in front of you. Also, take these type of
problems step by step. Do not panic and and start feeling defeated before
you even begin.
Good luck with the class and
remember just study all of this a little everyday and it is amazing how well
you will begin to really understand the material.
Carissa Janice Smith
PhD, Chemistry
Rice University
This article is directed to those who are about to, or will have to, take
an extremely daunting and difficult undergraduate college course at almost
any university--Organic Chemistry. However, the tips can also be applied to
difficult science courses in general, including but not limited to:
biochemistry, physical chemistry, and physiology. I took Organic Chemistry
last year at Washington University in St. Louis as a part of my premedical
curriculum.
The sheer amount of information covered in this course can itself be
extremely intimidating. However, at WashU, the professors took it one step
further by writing exams that not only tested our recall of covered
information, but our fundamental knowledge of organic chemistry by making us
formulate complex syntheses we had never before encountered, in lecture or
the text.
The first thing I did to ensure my success in this course was to have an
unwavering confidence in my academic abilities, and I flat out refused to
let myself be intimidated by its reputation. It's helpful to approach the
course with a slight air of arrogance, and to KNOW that if you put in the
work, you will be successful.
That brings me to my second point, work. Never have I seen a greater
correlation with the amount of hours I spent studying for a course with my
course grade than I did when I took Organic Chemistry. Try to do ALL of the
problems in your textbook. After that, do the problem sets your professor
assigns (if any). Another good tip is to read the material that is to be
covered in a lecture BEFORE attending that lecture. After the lecture, read
the sections or chapters involved and complete the relevant problems in your
text.
At the heart of Organic Chemistry are reaction mechanisms and syntheses. In
order to learn these, I developed a "Reaction Sheet" method that worked
wonders for me. The basic concept is to hand write all of the reactions and
reaction mechanisms covered in a chapter for each chapter. Also, for each
reaction note certain characteristics that differentiate it from other or
specific trends (e.g. In SN2 reactions, the order of reactivity goes
primary>secondary>tertiary due to steric hindrance effects). Be sure to hand
write, not type or photocopy from a friend or notes, these sheets. The
process of writing something out helps engrave it in your brain. The more
you write the reaction, the better you will recall it on test day.
So there you have it, a few tips to get you started on your road to success
as a premed or chemistry major when tackling Organic Chemistry. Take these
tips as a starting point to develop your own studying strategies for the
course.
All the best!
Anubodh Varshney
Washington University in St. Louis
Tip for Organic Chemistry:
Most organic chemistry classes require students to know many different
reactions; however, brute memorization is not the best way to approach this
feat. Looking for patterns and understanding why a reaction proceeds via a
certain path will make the task of remembering the reactions easier.
Specifically pay attention to the 3D configuration of the molecules
involved, electron configuration/ electro-negativity,
and possible resonance forms.
Rachel Beck
University of Virginia
This summer I am taking Organic Chemistry at a university in my hometown. Now many call this course the beast of courses because of the amount and difficulty of the material taught. My friends even called me crazy for trying to tackle the whole year of organic in one summer. Monday through Friday I have class from 2:30 to 4:30pm.
Although this class is extremely tough I am managing to do pretty well thanks to a few smart study methods.
First, READ AHEAD!!! In a course like organic chemistry, it really helps to have a basic understanding of the material before it is actually taught. This is because the subject matter is so detailed that you can't fully grasp the knowledge if you haven't read over it ahead of time. Thanks to this method I only have to read the text once because once I listen to the lecture, the teacher just enforces what I already read.
I start reading at 9am everyday take a lunch break and continue studying until the class at 2:30, which brings me to my next tip: STUDY EARLY!!! Scientific studies have shown that your brain functions at its optimal level in the daytime. When you study early, you knock hours off the time you would have spent in the evening trying to get yourself to stay awake or not get distracted. The day is your time to work so use it for that. Also, if you study early you will have more time to relax in the evening and you won't have the stress of homework on your mind.
Even over the weekends, I spend much less time studying for tests compared to my classmates because I learned the material efficiently and effectively the FIRST TIME so I don't have to cram. This also leads to better long-term memory of the subject.
My last tip: participate in class. As dorky as it might sound, answering the questions your professor asks in class will really strengthen your knowledge of the material and point out potential subjects you need to review. Also, you gain the respect of the professor so if you do need help in the course he/she is more to take time out of his/her schedule to help. If you have to sit in the front of the classroom then do it because you will see the payoff in your grades. So far these tips have worked for me, so I have no doubt they will work for you.
Roshni Pankaj Shah
Washington University in St. Louis
Organic Chemistry is like eating and elephant – take one bite at a time.
Organic chemistry is unlike any other class you have taken so far or will
ever take. To succeed not only you will have to work hard, but you will also
have to develop special study habits. Learning organic chemistry is like
learning a new language. It can only be done gradually. Find out how your
instructor teaches the course. Every instructor is different. Find out if he
or she uses the text heavily. If not, what does he or she depend on? Do they
rely main on library usage, lecture notes, or additional materials? It is
timesaving for you to understand how the instructor is organizing his or
her thoughts.
Keep up on the work load and reading. Trying to catch up in something like
this is a recipe for disaster. Make sure that you take great lecture notes
and if possible record for further review later before assignments and
exams. Do not be afraid of asking for help. This course is known for study
groups, graduate assistant conferences, tutoring, and nights without sleep.
You can get through this course – many before you have walked this road.
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Robert Williams Adjunct Instructor - Buena Vista University Master of Educational Leadership Viterbo University
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How to Study for an Exam Given Timing Concerns: Uh-oh, Do I Have Enough
Time to Prepare?
People study differently and some put in more hours than others. If you are
one of those people who can cram 3hours before an exam or have a
photographic memory, I've always been jealous of you. I have learned that it
is not necessarily the number of hours you clock studying, but how
effectively you can do so with the amount of time you have. Maybe those
people who cram and still do well know how to utilize their resources to
their best advantage or perhaps have an excellent short-term memory.
However, you should not wait until the last minute to prepare for an exam
because those who do so might miss certain intricacies and details that test
makers create to stump the procrastinators. Also, when you wait until near
the end, you don't have time to ask questions about things you are unclear
of. The important thing is to prepare efficiently: make yourself a time
schedule of what you would like to accomplish and leave room to work with
others and time to see professors, go to office hours, or meet with tutors.
I wish I had followed the aforementioned advice more strictly.
This year I took Organic Chemistry for premeds and so did several of my
friends. This is not a subject you can just wing. My friend, (lets call her
Sara), and I probably studied the same amount of time more or less (with her
probably more hours than me) and we did study together. Sara had a tutor
(provided and paid for by her college, which my college does not have) who
she could go over important material or have mechanisms and etc explained.
Studying with Kate was beneficial because she could relay that information
to me and also it was good to gauge your studying and what you have learned
with your peers. Also, teaching each other helps because you learn best by
teaching and it helps you focus on important concepts.
The difficulty with Organic Chemistry is that there is so much material and
there are so many resources to study from that even if you studied all the
time and had no social life, you still may not know everything and be as
ready for the exam. The timeline for this anecdote spans usually one to two
weeks before the exam (given that those who did really well in this subject
practiced throughout the semester), given we both have other
responsibilities and Extracurriculars other than this one subject. Sara and
I both read all the chapters in our books, did all the practice problem sets
and practice exams, each made our own type of "reactions and other things to
remember/memorize" flashcards, but differed in the amount of time we spent
on certain things and that Sara did not actively set a time schedule for
herself. I set my goals earlier before studying with a timeline of what to
complete when, and I squeezed in time to go to review sessions and office
hours sometimes (professors and teaching assistants might point out useful
information/commonly made mistakes and little tricks which are very helpful
and give those students who went an added advantage). Keeping in mind, I
could have started preparing earlier (or practices doing all along the
semester) and I barely fit all this in and could have done so more properly.
I'll admit, Sara was more dedicated than I was in that she sought to truly
understand the material and go in-depth about what she was learning, and I
admire that. However, keeping in mind that neither of us are Chemistry
majors and the COUNTDOWN time we have to the exam, effectiveness and working
smart (instead of necessarily working hard) was critical! Sara's need for
in-depth and honest understanding was what took her more time to study -also
that she would spend more time being stressed out about the impending exam
and losing time to sleep in doing all that- than myself. My approach was to
get a general knowledge of all the material (guestimating the percentage of
questions on such and such topics so I would focus more on one than the
other) and then think of what the professor wanted us to get out of
this/would most likely question on/patterns and drill it into my head. If we
both had started studying earlier for the exam or had been preparing all
along the semester then Sara would definitely be top percentage of the
grading curve and have less worries, but given the crunch she was not able
to fit studying everything in and when the final exam had a majority of
questions on a topic (synthesis, which I guestimated would be weighted
pretty heavily on the exam and spent a lot of time practicing- I got lucky)
which she did not get a chance to go over and practice as much, and she was
kicking herself afterwards for not getting to. She was also kicking herself
and panicking the hours right before the exam, which is not a good mindset
to have when going in to the exam because you end up freezing and having
difficulties remembering what you have learned because you're clouded with
pessimistic stress.
We should have been practicing throughout the semester, but we're only human
and things come up and it is hard to balance college life (both studying for
other subjects, working, dealing with summer internship
applications/interviews, being leaders in campus organizations, and doing
volunteer hours). But if given the time, Kate's approach is the one to be
personified if you truly want to comprehend and get the most out of learning
whatever subject. But with less time than ideal, PREPARE as efficiently as
you can with the time you have: know the amount time you can allot to
studying/focusing, set goals and timeline, get feedback/advice from others
(they might sum up what they've learned for you making it more time
efficient for you), understand the types of questions/topics you'll get and
how much each is weighted on the exam in order to focus your studies. Oh,
and most importantly, REMAIN CALM in the time preparing before the exam and
during-keep your cool and clear your mind, don't allow yourself to freeze or
give up; have hope, brilliance might strike you otherwise use your
logic/common sense (which seems to falter when people are in a frenzied,
desperate state). Final note, don't forget to get a proper amount of SLEEP,
it is just as important as being awake and studying itself. GOOD LUCK!
Anna Ng
Human Biology, Health, and Society
Cornell University