[sundberg]

Hi!
I'm a third year student at a european university, majoring in Organic Chemistry.
I have so far passed all my exams (but far from perfectly), but sometimes I feel rather unsecure on my knowledge.
I know I'm decently intelligent, I have an easy time of learning stuff but what I learnt one year ago just doesn't stick around today (which I guess is rather normal). I will either graduate with a B.S or Master of Science, haven't decided yet. I know that there is alot of phD student and professors around here. What sort of knowledge do you expect from newly graduated students, and what kind of knowledge have other people expected you to have?

There are alot knowledge I once knew, but now is gone, that I feel that I should really know. For example, if someone would just out of the blue ask me to describe Fischer esterification I would probably not have been able to do it more than _very_ briefly (and maybe not fully correct) since it was over a year ago since I studied it. At the same time I would have absolutely no problems in reading about it in 5 minutes, understanding the exact mechanism and then describe it to someone who doesn't know it. So, is it of most importance to have the background and be able to integrate and understand basic theory or am I a bit lost who just doesn't have all that knowledge avaible in my head? It feel kind of strange to be able to now discuss and understand much more advanced theoretical aspects of organic chemistry, while much of the basic stuff is faar back in the head.

(I hope you understood what I meant)

[movies]

Do we really have any professors that post here?  That would be cool!!

I'm just a lowly grad. student right now, but here is my take on your concerns:

I think that everyone I know has had a similar experience.  Even the best of the best incoming grad. students still have a huge learning curve when the start their Ph. D. program.  I aced all the organic classes I took while in undergrad, but once I started grad school it was like I had to start all over again because there is so much chemistry out there to learn.  Undergrad organic chem covers the basics, but the other stuff comes from actually using the chemistry and applying the concepts to the chemistry that you are actually carrying out in the lab.  Things slowly start to fall into place and you recognize connections that you hadn't made before and things start to make more sense.

It's hard to describe, but I wouldn't feel to self-conscious about your knowledge.  If you did well in your previous chem classes, you should be fine.  The more important thing is that you have to want to learn and you have to want to do the work necessary to learn more.  Once you commit to learning more chemistry, there will never be a lack of knew things to learn!!

Also, no one remembers everything.  The fact that you can go back and look something up and make sense of it is much more important than knowing all of the details.  I find that it is very useful to explain concepts to someone else (that is, to teach someone else).  I pick up more things by trying to explain to other people than I do from having things explained to me.  You might find you know a lot more than you think!!

[Borek]

I find that it is very useful to explain concepts to someone else (that is, to teach someone else).  I pick up more things by trying to explain to other people than I do from having things explained to me.  You might find you know a lot more than you think!!

That should go to humor forum, but it will better fit here and now. There is a saying in Poland - what is a dumb pupil?

Teacher explains once - pupil doesn't understand.
Teacher explains for the second time - pupil doesn't understand.
Teacher exaplains for the third time and he finally understands the subject by himself - pupil doesn't understand.

[Nikola]

I am in my Junior year of my Chemistry Major, and I find myself doing the same thing at times. Some of the simple stuff like a Diels-Alder mechanism, I have a tough time recalling. Once I look it up though I can relearn it fast. I suppose that it is impossible to remember everything even though you may try. Colleges teach us to be robots(we just memorize things) and in all actuality we forget how to think! Knowing all the elements of the periodic table does not make your smart, I'd rather know how to use and manipulate problems and reference the easy stuff!

So in short I wouldn't be worried, just keep some books on hand to reference them.