<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>It seems that many schools weed-out prospective pre-meds through Organic Chemistry. Is the class really that hard to understand conceptually, or is it just a lot of work or what?</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Sheldon</p>
<p>Organic chemistry is primarily a test of your study skills. If you study well and efficiently (and take advantage of the professor's office hours), you should do fine. Visualizing the reaction mechanisms (chair flips and so on) can be hard for some people, so I recommend getting a molecular model kit; they really help. My labs were mostly synthesis reactions (ugh) and more tedious than they were difficult.</p>
<p>Edit: Oops, I just realized this is the Princeton board. Oh, well.</p>
<p>Psh. Model kits are for wimps. ;)</p>
<p>Orgo by itself isn't difficult; the uber-competitive premeds are. They tend to be so competitive that low 90s in the class would still be Bs, which is what makes the class hard. (Compare to some higher math courses, where 70s would be As.)</p>
<p>im not sure which orgo class you are in that has people scoring in the 90s-- ive heard that the class averages are between 60-70 on the tests</p>
<p>orgo at princeton isn't easy, but it's do-able. i'm a freshman right now taking orgo, biological emphasis (ie the orgo with all the premeds in it). averages for tests are around 60 +/- ~5. its not much work (just one optional but recommended problem set per week), but the tests are hard, and the students in the class are all shooting for A's. still, the professor and TA's are good, and if you study well you should be able to do fine.</p>