<p>Hey guys! I took a summer class in Orgo I back in FL and we happened to use the 7th edition of John McMurray's Organic Chemistry text. Do you all use the same one in Orgo II? Which chapters to you all cover in Orgo I? How about Orgo II?</p>
<p>In my summer class we finished through Ch.13 (NMR). How many people can I expect in the Organic II class versus Organic I?</p>
<p>we used organic chemistry 5th edition by bruice. the cover has like 2 leaves… Orgo 1 covered 1-13 as well ending at NMR. Orgo 2 covers about 14-23, and 28. the number of people are about hte same</p>
<p>so can someone describe their experiences in their organic chem class? LIke how difficult it was, how much time it took, how u found a study group and etc…</p>
<p>well im going to be a jr next year. right now it’s by far the hardest class i’ve taken in Cornell. i thought it was really hard because it didn’t work with my cramming… (but i continued to cram anyway hahaha). Orgo covers a lot of material and i felt the curve was much harsher than gen chems. But it depends on the person. My friend said she liked orgo and she got As both semester and all she did was read the textbook and her notes and do the problem sets about 4 days before the prelim… I guess her cramming worked =</p>
<p>I’m dissapointed that they dont use McMurray! I mean he does teach there! Does Bruce? How is the lab? Any reccomendations on who to take for the lab and lecture? So by the number of people about 100-200 people? My Orgo I was 134 to start with, 84 after the drop date. Man I agree Orgo I was def one of those classes you cant cram for! The reactions take time and repetition. I’ll admit though I loved my prof! And he was hard as hell! I read every page and completed every problem in the 13 chapters! Thats how I got an A.</p>
<p>How much did you have to study each day to get an A? Did you sleep very much? lol</p>
<p>I really enjoyed orgo lab. However, it’s a different professor now and I don’t know anything about him.</p>
<p>As for number of students in orgo 2…when I took it the count was 725 students.</p>
<p>Which topic(s) would you guys say were the most difficult when you took the course?
I started reading the book, but the first chapter seems to be a review of gen chem.</p>
<p>725 students? Ummm aren’t we paying for a private school??? Damn!
As for how much I studied…I recall nights with 2 hours of sleep studying reactions over and over again. I am, however, a night studier and as long as you avoid the mistake of not reviewing every day you can avoid this. I have this to say: Never do an all nighter! It won’t work. Of course it depends on the teacher but my 2 exams were both 6 chapters worth of material and the final was a standardized test from the American Chemical Society I believe. </p>
<p>Additionally, yes there is a bit of a gen chem review at the beginging (hybridization, resonance, and so on) but you will learn to apply more to that such as radical resonance.</p>
<p>Here are tips for Orgo I I wish I knew:
<ol>
<li><p>Take notes for every chapter if you have time (I didnt) and keep a seperate sheet of paper for each chapter noting concepts you didnt fully grasp and need to review again. Additionally, write down any questions you have for the instructor or TA. Then get your questions asked immediately. I looked at these materials as my primary study guide for the final.</p></li>
<li><p>Study at least 3 hours a day for this class. If you do not you will start mixing mechanisms, forgeting names,…</p></li>
<li><p>Ask your teacher for the standardized test of Organic Chemistry so that you know where you stand nationally in order to prep for the PCAT,MCAT, GMAT…</p></li>
<li><p>Become the ultimate sycophant! Could you think of a better reccomendation for a Chem major if you are one?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Oh I forgot to mention that the hardest concept for me were</p>
<p>-ring flips of cyclohexane
-mechanisms (oxymercuration, hydroboration, lindlar, OsO4 Rxns)
-Mass spectroscopy
-bacward synthesis</p>
<p>People also have trouble with</p>
<p>-Naming of enantiomers, diastereomers, meso compounds</p>
<p>O_O!! FL Cornellian your scaring me!! Im taking oro chem next semester :(!! lol… 3 hours for one class? that is really long. I mean what about the other classes?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Did you forget that this is Cornell? Besides, the organic chem class is split into two lectures (usually a 9:05 and 10:10 class) so everybody won’t be together at once.</p>
<p>3 hours/night for one class seems excessive. I don’t even study 3 hours per night in med school.</p>
<p>Which professor do you guys recommend if you were to take Oro Chem I and II?</p>
<p>Just to let you know I I read every single page of the book and completed every single problem. Most classes don’t require that much immersion within a subject. I suppose it all depend how well you wish to learn it. According to my standardized tests scored I scored in the top 3% nationally according to the American Chemical Society’s standardized Orgo test. It all depends how well you wish to know it and how much is required of you.</p>
<p>And please don’t be scared! It’s a cool subject and if you are going towards health this is pretty darn practical! Have fun with it! How many people can claim they know under which conditions olive oil is turned into some butter substitute? Or better yet see how the face of science is changing based on knowledge at the atomic level? Have fun and the work pays off!</p>
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<p>Well, there is only one prof who teaches 357 and 258 during their respective semesters…so I recommend that one :-P</p>
<p>your fall professor will be Jon Njardarson i believe. I had him last year. He replaced Ruttledge. He was the Honors Orgo professor, dont know if he still is. I dont know how well he lectures cause i never pay attention… but my friend who got a A said he’s really good. Another one of my friend got a A PURELY by reading his orgo NOTEs!!! That’s impressive. </p>
<p>Second semester is Sogah. He taught for liek 20 years already. He gives HARSH EXAMS but he is a nice guy… People hate him though but i think it has to do more with the course info than him… Orgo II is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY harder than Orgo I. There’s no comparison. </p>
<p>You don’t need to study 3 hours a day to get a A. That’s just crazy. My friends who got Orgo all started studying like 4 days before the exam, meaning they start READING (not rereading) the textbook, look over the notes (for the first time after taking it), and START doing the problem sets and Friday sessions and practice prelim (if there is). So basically for 4 days before every test, your life wont be too good.</p>
<p>Ruttledge now teaches Orgo Lab. I think he’s a great professor…</p>
<p>I noticed that people usually make index cards of “reactions.” What are rxns are these?
Also, are the model kits helpful for studying/during the exam?</p>
<p>One notice for you guys talking about how much he studied for this class, he <em>did</em> take the course over the summer, so it was a rushed course.</p>
<p>This is such a good topic-Orgo is feared as like, the toughest course in sciences (well, it is for those who are pre-frosh or non-science majors anyway). I really want to take Chem I/II this year so I can take the Orgos next year. And it seems so interesting so long as you study!</p>
<p>I have one question though; In order to get all the prep classes in before I MIGHT consider taking the MCATs, I’d have to take Orgo/Physics at the same time. Are there ‘Physics for Bio majors’ at Cornell like there are at other schools, where the material is significantly less? I feel like that would be an absolute deadly combination.</p>