We all have heard of the oh-so-dreaded Organic Chemistry and we all know it freakin' sucks...or does it?
Yes. It totally does suck, and I have met exactly no other student who has liked the course. I decided to take it over the summer in order to graduate early, and this was a very bad idea. I had looked everywhere to figure out what taking Organic Chemistry was like during the summer and I couldn't really find a solid answer. So I figured I would write a mini-guide to surviving first-semester organic chemistry on the first attempt.
Before going into the class I recommend reading a couple chapters ahead and making sure you are 100% comfortable with General Chemistry I material, or you will definitely be screwed. Taking a prep course is strongly suggested, but not required. Know your Lewis structures, understand the VESPR theory, and definitely, understand the different definitions of acids and bases (Arrhenius-good, Brønsted-Lowry -better, Lewis-best, and most important) among other things. You should also try to learn as much nomenclature or compounds as possible, this is definitely something you could self-teach and get away with, ya' just need to practice, practice and...practice.
You also don't have to read every single page of every single chapter. Take what you learn during lecture and use those notes as an outline as to what you should definitely read and skim the rest of it. Spend most of your time doing problems (this is something I wish I had done more effectively) rather than reading, because to be frank---reading the entire textbook will NOT help you learn the material. Everyone takes notes their own way, but I recommend taking notes on white printer pages with colored markers or pens so you can draw out different mechanisms and reactions. You have to memorize several mechanisms so investing in some paper, and the Master Organic Chemistry study guides ($18 per study guide), isn't such a bad idea.
Also, the tests are not designed to fail the person taking the test. Honestly, the tests I took were completely fair in that it asked us questions on material we were responsible for studying, and mostly nothing took me by surprise. However, it is NOT like your regular type of Chemistry test where it is a multiple choice section, and then an application section. In fact, it is a mix of everything, and you have to apply everything you memorize and understand and use it for synthetic application. It is the epitome of "wtf".
Don't expect to ace every test, but also don't expect to fail all of them. Definitely buy the ACS final study guide too, it was a lifesaver.The final was relatively easy compared to the tests I took in class, so if your professor is tough, take it with a grain of salt, consider it a blessing and move on. It will be ok. The lab was not as bad, a lot of frustration and patience is involved but shouldn't give any MAJOR problems. Just stick to this guide, and you should be fine, just don't get too scared. Really try hard to learn everything first semester so you can remember it for second-semester organic chemistry!
Good Luck!
