<p>From what i heard this class is a horror but why? I heard there is very little math, and its mostly just memorizing names and drawing structures. Along with some reactions. So whats the big fuss about people at my school tell me don't expect an A only Bs if your lucky.</p>
<p>Because it’s like learning a whole new language.</p>
<p>Organic chemistry is required for pre-meds. Given the importance of grades for medical school admissions, expect them to be fiercely competitive to get A grades.</p>
<p>Average in orgo i hear is a B even for pre meds like myself</p>
<p>A B grade will drag your GPA down in the context of medical school admissions; you’ll need at least two A or A+ grades to counterbalance it.</p>
<p>I got a B in chem and chem lab last semester. Does that mean I’ll get a C or a D for orgo?</p>
<p>Possibly. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you work for it.</p>
<p>My chem teacher told me that gen chem and orgo are two different subjects and that someone who does poorly in gen chem doesn’t mean they’ll do bad in orgo. Anyone agree?</p>
<p>Columbia09, I COMPLETELY agree with you. I’m not in the college-level Orgo classes yet, but from my High school Honors orgo class, I can tell you that they’re different entities. Chem has tons of math. Orgo? None. None at all. The nomenclature should really be a class itself, quite honestly. You need to memorize the different rules for naming, and believe me, theyre endless. Reactions and mechanisms are boundless. It’s VERY different from gen.chem. If you can memorize LOTS, then you’re good.</p>
<p>@Columbia09 - </p>
<p>Gen. chem (as my p chem prof called it: “baby” physical chemistry) takes a totally different approach to studying chemistry than in organic chemistry. Just because you didn’t get an A in gen chem doesn’t mean you are doomed for organic chem by any means.</p>
<p>I think the reason that most people have a problem with organic chem is that they don’t know how to properly study for it. Some people say that it’s a lot of memorizing – and that’s true – but really it pays more to truly understand the concepts than it does to just memorize them and regurgitate them on the exam. That is what most people have problems with, is knowing the “why” behind the “what happens” and being able to apply that knowledge to similar situations. General chemistry is more about the math and some general concepts. Some people do better with the math (gen chem), and some do better with the molecules and mechanisms (o chem).</p>
<p>Back to the studying point… I think most people freak out about organic chemistry being so difficult because it’s a new level and type of learning. As I said before, memorizing will get you through, but it will be less beneficial and in the end more difficult than truly understanding the material. Organic mechanisms do require memorizing, but there’s also a lot of general chemistry/physics/patterns that goes behind them that people overlook because they just want to quickly memorize them and move on. People also tend to take it at a point in their academic careers in which they have other difficult classes, but they are still used to the intro level ones. The difficulty of it all is all in perspective.</p>
<p>For example, I got As in gen chem 1 and 3, but I got a C+ in organic 1. I just didn’t know how to properly study for it, didn’t put the time into it, and had a lot of other difficult classes and other commitments that sucked my time up. I did better in organic 2, but I still didn’t really “get” how to effectively study and retain the material. That being said, I also know people that struggled in gen chem and breezed through organic. It all depends on how you learn best and how you study. Looking back on the material, it’s really not difficult at all… but I say that now because I have taken many other upper level chem and bio courses (including biochem and bioorganic courses) and am now in graduate school for pharmacy. It’s all in your perspective.</p>
<p>Just buy a model kit (and use it), take advantage of tutors and your professor’s office hours, and work on your study habits. If you have labs, go beyond just doing them and actually understand them. Same goes for class material and homework. If you do this in organic (and all of your other classes) you’ll be just fine.</p>
<p>Well… that was a long-winded and repetitive post. I hope it helped :)</p>
<p>How intensive does the study of orbitals get? This is pretty much all we’ve talked about for the past week in and half. I struggled with it in Gen Chem and apparently haven’t gotten any better at it. I’ve started using Khan Academy and it is helping, but… Blech.</p>
<p>There are a couple of major concepts in organic chemistry that underlie all of the reactions, and those are 1) the shapes of organic molecules, and 2) where the electron densities are found. Orbitals are the explanation for both of these.</p>