[Fastlane51]

Ok, so Im new to this forum.
Im a Pre-Pharmacy and Pyschology (Double Major?)
I had a few questions I wanted to ask about Organic Chem...
I really want to succeed and do well in this class; however, I have heard horror stories goin around in my school that this is the "major changer"..doctors that have had all A's until organic then got a D...my brother barley making it out with a B- when he got a 32 on the ACT.
I had to drop down to a lower level than college chem, like a really good general chem, because the chem testing at our college hit me like a ton of bricks...studied 12 hours the day before i failed a test...I almost made it but not quite.In this course, I Currently have a 89% in this chem class cuz I dont quite know how to approach studying for it. I have a 97% average on lab/test/ quizes tho...just a B for tests... I plan on improving my efforts tho, ive taken this class too lightly

What has anyone done to study for organic ?
How many hours and what kind of techniques?
Anyother Pharmacy majors out there that have tips?

-Im thinking that Im gonna read the whole text book during the summer for organic...

Thoughts?

[agrobert]

Study.  Dont listen to rumor BS.  Anyone who tries will get an A.

[macman104]

For organic, the most important thing is simply to practice and become comfortable with the organic reactions and more importantly the mechanisms.  This is not a course that you can simply read the book and pass, you need to be doing the practice problems at the end of the chapters.  It's not something I would ruin your summer over though.  And certainly reading the whole book is not really going to do you any good, especially since most organic courses are split into two semesters (so you'll only likely cover the first half of the book).

[azmanam]

1) Approach unknown mechanisms like all mechanisms: find the nucleophile(s), find the electrophile(s) - nucleophiles attack electrophiles
2) In acid/base equilibrium, the equilibrium favors the side of the arrow with the weaker acid (the compound with the higher pK_a)
3) Make sure the net charge of all compounds is consistent throughout
4) When a nucleophile attacks a carbonyl carbon, the electrons in the pi bond go up on the the oxygen atom and usually come right back down, kicking off a good leaving group.
5) When in doubt about how to draw the product of a reaction, number your carbons in each compound.
6) The 2nd best resonance structure usually defines a functional group's reactivity.

Keep these strategies in mind, and you'll be able to solve any reaction mechanisms - whether you've seen it before or not.

[Fastlane51]

HAHA thanks to all.
Well I wouldnt call it totally ruining it, chem is my second favorite subject in college so its not so bad to read and go over it during the summer. Im gonna try to get 2 jobs and run  late at night cuz I like bodybuilding and fitness.
I really tried in freshment chem but it wasnt good enough so I know im gonna have to step it up, and of course i undertstand everything a lot better now that im in a little lower level chem! Im gettin it a bit more.
But thanks for all of the advice, and if anyone has anyother advice Id sure appriciate it!!!