This semester you will start Organic Chemistry and you have likely heard a lot of rumors about the class; statements from upperclassmen like “it’s difficult”, “this class is impossible” or “the professor is horrible!” We here at StudyOrgo have helped countless students overcome the difficulties of this class and can help you before you even enter the class. We have over 20 years of collective experience tutoring and teaching Organic Chemistry and have developed a few helpful tips that have saved students from the seemingly crushing pressure of Orgo 1.
StudyOrgo has over 180 reaction mechanisms typically covered in Organic chemistry and explained in an intuitive and clear manner available in an online format. We also offer the Quiz Mode to allow you to customize reactions and test your memory of important parts of all of our reactions. We offer simplified and illustrated descriptions of complex concept topics that you will encounter in your first few weeks in Orgo 1. We also have developed a mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones that allows you to study organic chemistry on the go! Sign up with StudyOrgo today to take full advantage of our system!
Here’s what you can expect in the first few weeks of Organic Chemistry 1.
- Most professors will spend the first class reintroducing general chemistry topics, but he or she will completely assume you received an A+ in general chemistry and have a full grasp of all these concepts! Refresh your memory of atomic structure, valence electrons, acids/bases and pH/pKa concepts. These will be used right away in Orgo 1. If you aren’t sure, ASK FOR HELP!!
Tip #1 – Look at a syllabus – Remember, your syllabus is an official contract between you and the professor. Professors are required to disclose what you are required to learn and what grading rubric will be used. Professors can usually remove requirements (to the delight of the students!) but cannot easily add them. Use this to your advantage! Highlight the contents or reactions of the book that will be required and use this to focus your attention when studying this semester.
- Professors will almost always begin quizzing the second week, the midterm is only 7 weeks away. Prepare for them early!!
Tip #2 – Schedule you’re studying! – Now that you know where the book is and a rough idea of what you are responsible for learning from the syllabus, take a calendar and divide the time you have to each test by the number of chapters. Schedule 2-3 hours a week to study and DON’T SKIP OR RESCHEDULE. Use your Smartphone calendar to send you alerts and reminders for your studying appointment.
- The class is about to go supersonic speed! Stay ahead of the pace of the class to avoid falling behind!!!
Tip #3 – Read ahead – The first week of Orgo2, read two chapters to get yourself ahead of the class. Don’t try to understand everything, just read the text and try to understand the big ideas. This will completely change the way you pay attention in class and allow you to spend more attention and ask questions about the details in class instead of scrambling to write down notes and drawings.
Tip #4 – Attempt ALL homework problems – When tutoring students, they are often intimidated when we ask them to try sample problems. But after a few examples, every student does them better and better with each new problem. Some students have even made comments such as ‘why didn’t I do this sooner?’ We were at StudyOrgo agree! It takes a lot of time, but practicing the problems will make it easier for the quizzes and tests.
Most importantly, RELAX!! With a little time management and help from StudyOrgo, you will have no trouble getting an “A” in Organic Chemistry this year!
