I'm not sure about you, but when I was taking Organic Chemistry I was dying. I tried with all my might to understand the material, but it was not clicking with me, the reactions at least (I was a pro at naming molecules). I dreaded each and every quiz and test. I celebrated barely scraping by through my ritual of mixing orange juice and vodka into a wonderful mixture of molecules interacting to create the reaction of choice (mostly easy sleep). Khan Academy was my ride or die, and all of my fellow classmates bonded over our struggles.

Even with all those tears, elevated stress levels and hours of trying to understand the difference between cis- and trans- molecules, I am glad I took and endured that class. As much as I hate to admit it, organic chemistry is such an important class for biology and chemistry majors to take. These are the molecules that make up your very life. Without those amino acids forming correctly, you or anything would not be here.

It is a difficult class for many, and even if the only bit of information that sticks is how to draw a hexagon, be glad you took it. Now going through my senior year as a Biomedical Science major, I understand Organic Chemistry more than I ever did in the class. Something finally decided to click in my head and makes molecular and genetic-based classes so much easier to understand.

Also, the lab for this class taught so many important lab skills that are needed to know in future labs. It was the first class that taught me the importance of recording information and how to properly formulate a lab report.

Organic Chemistry is a beast, but it is a beast that is so rewarding once you defeat it.

Anyone that is pursuing a science type of degree, especially those that are going into medicine should know the importance of this class. I mentioned earlier that it is the basis of life, it is. These organic chemicals have helped us create the medications so many people in the world today need to survive. Its helped us have a better understanding of the human genome so we are able to find treatments and even cures. It's helped us to eradicate diseases that use to end so many lives before us.

So, appreciate Organic Chemistry, you don't have to like it, but understand its importance in your course load. Without it, you could not do the many things you hope to do after your long college journey.