Archive for the "Tips" Category

Studying for Summer Organic Chemistry

Posted on June 8th, 2015

One of the biggest challenges students can undertake is signing up for Organic chemistry in the summer.  How so?  Well, there are a few reasons.

First, the course time usually shrunk from 16 week to 8 weeks.  This means, longer classes and more frequent tests.  Secondly, the subject material is usually covered more quickly, but the content remains the same.  As such, students can feel overwhelmed and become exhausted studying the materials much more quickly than is typical.  But, we here at StudyOrgo have streamlined the process of studying organic chemistry mechanisms!

Our illustrative overviews with full mechanism descriptions and diagrams makes mastering any reaction in your class much easier.  And, with over 170 reactions, you’ll feel confident you’ll have everything you need to get the “A” in this course.  Here are a few tips for getting the right start to studying with help from StudyOrgo today!

  • Time management – Schedule your studying NOW! – Time management is the key to acing organic chemistry in the summer. 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. Think of it as a doctor appointment – you just have to do it!  Also, if you plan your studying ahead, you will be less likely to schedule something that gets in the way because you will already have penciled it in! Use your Smartphone calendar to send you alerts and reminders for your studying appointment.
  • Open your text book – Read the title and abstract on the first page of each chapter and check out the number of pages. It will give you a very quick idea of what you will be learning about in each chapter and how much material you will be covering.
  • Look at a syllabus – Remember, your syllabus is an official contract between you and the professor. They must disclose what you are required to learn and how you will be graded. Professors can remove requirements at will but cannot add them easily. Use this to your advantage! Highlight the contents or reactions of the book that will be required and use this to focus your attention on while studying over the summer course.
  • Read ahead – Before each class, glance at the chapter to be covered that lecture beforehand. Don’t try to understand everything, just pay attention to the major words and phrases used and the ideas. This will allow you to pay more attention during class because you will already know what is being said, now you pay attention to the details. Most people are scrambling to write down notes and drawings in class, but not really paying attention.  Try it yourself, look at your classmates at the next class for a minute or two, they are usually feverishly writing!
  • Sign up with StudyOrgo – The Editors at StudyOrgo have painstakingly reviewed and prepared the material in the most crystal-clear and “get-to-the-point” manner as possible. We consult students and ask for their opinion on whether they understand the material as presented. We provide quick descriptions and in-depth mechanism explanations. Many of our reaction have multiple examples, so you can learn and then quiz yourself in our website! For the student on-the-go, we have also developed a mobile app (iOS and Android) provides all the functionality of the website! All of these benefits are included in your StudyOrgo membership!

With a little time management and StudyOrgo, you will have no trouble getting an A in Organic Chemistry this summer!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Organic Chemistry General, Tips | Comments Off on Studying for Summer Organic Chemistry

How To Get Ahead For The Upcoming Semester

Posted on January 13th, 2015

Use your iPad or iPhone to study on the go during your break.

Use your iPad or iPhone to study on the go during your break.

One of the questions we receive here at StudyOrgo frequently is how to get ahead for the next semester. Arguably, the second semester of organic chemistry is much more challenging for students than the first. This is because all of the general chemistry refresher and organic chemistry introductory material has been covered and you are now responsible for it! You may have covered addition reactions, maybe substitution and elimination if your professor was on task. But that covers the reactivity of only 3 of the more than 20 functional groups you will study in this class! Thus, the speed of the course is about to pick up. We have developed a few helpful hints to take advantage of your winter break and get ready for the spring semester of organic chemistry.

  • Open your text book – Shockingly simple, often overlooked. Simply read the title and abstract on the first page of each chapter and check out the number of pages. It will give you a very quick idea of what you will be learning about in each chapter and how much material you will be covering.
  • Look at a syllabus – Organic Chemistry II is often a continuation of Organic Chemistry I and likely you will have the same professor or pool of professors from the first semester. Remember, your syllabus is an official contract between you and the professor. They must disclose what you are required to learn and how you will be graded. Professors can remove requirements at will but cannot add them easily. Use this to your advantage! Highlight the contents or reactions of the book that will be required and use this to focus your attention on while studying over the semester.
  • Schedule your studying NOW! – 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. Think of it as a doctor or dentist appointment – you just have to do it! Also, if you plan your studying ahead, you will be less likely to schedule something that gets in the way because you will already have penciled it in! Use your Smartphone calendar to send you alerts and reminders for your studying appointment.
  • Read ahead – If you have a week or two left, read at least two chapters over the break once through to get yourself ahead of the class. Don’t try to understand everything, just pay attention to the words used and the ideas. This will allow you to pay more attention and ask questions about the details in class instead of scrambling to write down notes and drawings.
  • Sign up with StudyOrgo – The Editors at StudyOrgo have spent numerous hours reviewing and preparing the material in the most crystal-clear and “get-to-the-point” manner as possible. We consult students and ask for their opinion on whether they understand the material as presented. We provide quick descriptions and in-depth mechanism explanations. Many of our reaction have multiple examples, so you can learn and then quiz yourself in our website! For the student on-the-go, we have also developed a mobile app (iOS and Android) provides all the functionality of the website! All of these benefits are included in your StudyOrgo membership!

With a little time management and StudyOrgo, you will have no trouble getting an A in Organic Chemistry this year!

Posted in Q and A, Tips | Comments Off on How To Get Ahead For The Upcoming Semester

Preparing to Study Organic Chemistry

Posted on August 28th, 2014

Many students find themselves lost by the end of semester in Organic Chemistry.  This has led to a terrifying perception of Organic Chemistry that is passed down from upperclassmen.  We at StudyOrgo are here to say, you can make it!  You just need the right strategy to succeed.

“Divide and Conquer”

247The best way to stay ahead of the semester is to divide your chapters into blocks that you will study.  Most professors will have a fairly clear outline of what chapters from your book will be covered before each exam.  Your goal here should be to divide your time (starting right now!) until the exam into blocks to study.  Some chapters, like substitution (e.g. SN2) and elimination (e.g. E2), are longer than others because these reactions are the foundations for future reactions you will learn later in the course.  So, spend a lot of time mastering these important topics.  Finished a chapter early?  Move ahead and don’t wait until you receive the lecture to start studying.  Many people find studying before the lecture help them to really understand what the professor is saying and will give you an opportunity to ask questions right away.

But remember; no one is a better judge of your understanding than you!  If any material is unclear, don’t move forward until you are confident and seek help immediately.  StudyOrgo.com has developed a customized presentation of difficult concepts in organic chemistry into an easy to understand format with a step-by-step breakdown and description of common reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry.

 Schedule your studying times

To achieve your “divide and conquer” plan, get serious about studying the material.  The best way to this is to schedule yourself an “appointment.”  Carry out your studying at a designated spot, we recommend not studying in the comfort of your home or dorm room where distractions are copious.  Pick a coffee shop, library or classroom to force yourself into studying.  Learning these time management skills will not only help you earn a passing grade in Orgo, it will help you in your career as well!

Practice Problems

Professors are notorious for advertising to their students that homework is not mandatory and/or you will be graded on the homework.  Relax then, right?  Wrong!  An important realization to make is that there are only so many types of questions a professor can ask.  Therefore, if you see a ton of practice problems, chances will be high you have already seen the exam problem. Many professors will throw in “really hard” questions that terrify students and it may seem like they are just being plain evil.  There is a reason for everything!  Professors use this tactic to assign A’s to the students who have kept up and followed along the whole time and rightfully so since these questions cannot be answered without understanding everything they have covered.  You can be one of the few who aces these questions!

Review Materials before the Exam

Either you have been following the steps above the whole semester and you are ready for that exam… or you read our article too late and the exam is next week.  There is still hope!  Simply adjust the “divide and conquer” strategy to fit the time you have remaining until the exam.  We suggest you review ALL of the material though and not just what you think you don’t know.  In our experience, the difficulties students have are often because they missed a concept earlier on.  Orgo is like a pyramid, the top falls without a strong base.  Here at StudyOrgo, we have developed easy to follow review study guides and exercise sets to help with reviewing all the concepts you will have to master to pass the course!  Check out www.studyorgo.com/summary.php for more details!

Posted in Organic Chemistry General, Q and A, Tips | Comments Off on Preparing to Study Organic Chemistry

Five Tips to Study Organic Chemistry

Posted on April 23rd, 2014

There may be no subject of study more feared than organic chemistry. Many students quickly find their mastery of the materials inadequate to answer the most basic questions on their practice exams.  However with effort, time and a sensible strategy you can definitely become ready for the next exam!  Here we present 5 tips to grasp organic chemistry concepts and reactions quickly and efficiently.

Organic Chemistry Studying

Most students of organic chemistry begin studying for an exam, very often 2 to 3 chapters of material, a week before the exam.  It may have worked for History 101, but it won’t work for this course!  There is no short cut, so don’t spend your time looking for one! Think about it – your class is likely 2 hours per day and 3 days per week; that is 6 hours of lecture each week.  Your rule of thumb should be 1 hour of studying for each hour of lecture.  Take that time to go back to the PowerPoint or class notes and ask yourself, “Do I really know what’s going on here?”  The sooner you begin, the more time you have to answer questions and really prepare yourself for the exam.  Set up a calendar to help yourself budget your time and maximize your efficiency; Monday – study lecture notes on Chapter 1, Wednesday – practice problems on Chapter 1, Friday – office hours with professor on Chapter 1 questions.  By using good time management, you get maximum results in the minimum time!

Tip #2.            Go back to the beginning.

As students review the material, there is a compulsion to skip of the beginning of the lecture and early chapters of material because it’s “background” or “really easy” and jump into the material they don’t understand.  This is a recipe for self-defeat!  Organic chemistry is like a pyramid – the top will collapse without a strong base.  Even if you think you have no time, go back to the introduction and early chapters and spend some time reviewing this material.  You will likely be surprised how much better you will grasp the “hard” material once you completely understand the “easy” material!

Tip #3.            Gather all practice questions and old exams.

Another shortcut to avoid is jumping right to the practice exam as your method of study.  These questions are likely as hard as they will possibly be for your course and require a complete understanding of the concepts and mechanisms involved to answer them.  As a T.A. for over 8 years, I estimate 70-80% of exams are based on practice questions assigned by professors from the book.  So why not master those practice problems?  If you master how to solve these questions and nothing else, you have already passed the exam!  During your 6 hours of studying per week, take half of the time to solve the practice problems assigned. Write down any questions you have about each practice problem and try to find the answer in the book or seek help from professors, tutors or websites like StudyOrgo.  Once you solve these questions, use the practice exam as a “check” for any remaining issues and you will be completely prepared to ace your exam!

Tip #4.            Assemble you knowledge.

As you review material and practice problems, write down any questions you have, no matter how slight.  After you complete the review, come back to these questions at your next study session and look for the answer.  If you can’t find the solution on your own, set up a meeting with your professor, tutor or check StudyOrgo for help on the material.  For studying mechanisms, try making a table reactions or flash cards of the reactions.  Just by preparing these materials you are mentally studying the reaction and are preparing for the test, and you have your own study aid that you can understand to refer to right before the exam.

Tip #5.            Get a good night’s rest before the exam.

Recalling memory is almost impossible if you are fatigued.  Pulling an ‘all nighter’ for organic chemistry exams almost never ends well for students.  Your best bet is to get 7-8 full hours of sleep before the exam, even if you feel you aren’t ready.  Ask yourself – what can you really learn the day before the exam?  Use the day before to refresh your memory on what you have learned in your studying sessions and practice problems.  By following Step #3 & #4, you have this material very organized and written in your own hand so reviewing should be easy! And just in case your notes are unclear, the material presented at StudyOrgo.com is tailored to explaining mechanisms and concepts in a very clear and simple format to help you study.

By following these 5 tips you will feel fresh, have a clear mind going in and have the best chance of getting an A on the exam.  Good luck!

Posted in Tips | Comments Off on Five Tips to Study Organic Chemistry