I am really, really struggling with O-chem currently. I am doing fine in the lab because we work in groups and to some extent things make sense.
However, I am currently at Hunter College where there is 1 (yes only 1) O-chem professor and he is outrageously terrible (34 pages on ratemyprofessor attesting to how bad he is, that bad). I am basically trying to teach myself from 3 textbooks and a lecture series on Youtube but I just looked over a review exam he provided and despite studying for hours and hours, I feel like I understand absolutely nothing.
Has anyone gone through this? Do you have any tips, resources or advice? I am dying here.
I would suggest you get with a tutor to help you. Go to the school and see if you can get free help through the learning center or if you have to, hire a tutor. If a tutor can help you get through the class, the expense will be worth it. If you get a good grade, the expense will be more than worth it.
I may try a tutor. Perhaps hearing things explained and having someone see where I am going wrong will help.
Sorry I missed that info in your post. Yes, I covered all that information in my year of Gen Chem.
Wow. We literally went up to the cut-off of O-Chem topics and that was that. It was more an overview of Chemistry topics including a little bit of Bio-Chem but mainly inorganic chemistry concepts. I wish we had touched O-chem topics. I wonder if that is typical? Does O-chem get explored in most first Gen Chem classes? Bah.
Wow. We literally went up to the cut-off of O-Chem topics and that was that. It was more an overview of Chemistry topics including a little bit of Bio-Chem but mainly inorganic chemistry concepts. I wish we had touched O-chem topics. I wonder if that is typical? Does O-chem get explored in most first Gen Chem classes? Bah.
conformations, orbital hybridization, nomenclature (well some nomenclature was and some wasn't), and radicals weren't considered "O Chem" they were considered Gen Chem. My first O Chem class we reviewed this stuff as well....but really quickly.
Although, from your description I don't think we took the same kind of Gen Chem. I took a full year of science major level, General Chemistry. My school was on quarters, not semesters, so a school year is 3 quarters and that's what I took of Gen Chem, 3 quarters. I'm trying to remember if we covered those topics first or second term....don't recall.
We did cover some basic O chem nomenclature at the end of the year as well. We covered standard inorganic nomenclature at the beginning of the year (basic stuff like naming polyatomic ions, and inorganic compounds), but did have a day or so focussed specifically on organic nomenclature at the end of the term.
BMCC in Tribecca has a pretty good O-Chem Class and it is not that difficult. The professors move at a reasonable rate and follow the 1,2,3,....interms of chapters. I would suggest dropping your original class and taking the class there. Good Luck!
Ironically, I took the rest of my pre-reqs at BMCC (great professors) and just transferred into Hunter this semester and this is my last pre-req (for Hunter). I already applied to their program for the fall so I can't really drop since I am in a time sensitive area of my app process with them right now. Believe me, I am kicking myself for not taking this class back at BMCC when I was still there.
Tallulahbelle
46 Posts
I may try a tutor. Perhaps hearing things explained and having someone see where I am going wrong will help.