The mark of a true organic chemistry student is never looking at arrows the same ---> MECHANISMS, lol. You got me beat, Claire; I got an A-. Learning from upperclassmen about which professor is "easier" may be important, but also which teaching style you learn better from is also a factor (one of mine had a flipped classroom while the other had a normal lecture class). Also, model kits are vital in the first semester to visualize molecules. Thinking about the mechanisms in chunks (e.g., alcohol reductions) rather than memorizing products is crucial second semester to ace the course. Best of luck to everyone---may the Diels-Alder reaction be in your favor ;)
I actually just got a D In orgo 1 because my professors teaching method was very VERY flawed. Everyone in my class, not even exaggerating , was doing terrible our avg is a C/D right now. I’m now going to have to retake it next semester but I don’t feel as defeated anymore. Just disheartened. A lot of people have told me they had to retake orgo and that one retake won’t kill me. So I’m at peace with it now but I felt terrible before. The prof was great before but he screwed us all over and the grading policy was just terrible, no room for growth at all. Extremely flawed. Definitely going to be taking your tips for next semester
It’s SO important to know that some professors are just like that and to not equate that to your sense of intelligence!!! If you were in an environment where the teacher was more understanding and HELPFUL things could’ve gone wayyy differently. Make sure to keep your head up next time around because you got this!
i agree a professor is make or break for a class me and my friends took calc at the same time but diff professors n i was getting like 95+ each exam and their class was getting 20s on every exam with NO CURVE some professors just try to fail people and assign too much homework@@Itsclairejean
This comment doesn’t give me any hope at all lol. Unfortunately, my chemistry department has never been solid and I’ve heard plenty of students complain about a few professors in the department. In my case, it’s been a while since I took my last chemistry course due to the coronavirus since I was unable to enroll for certain classes due to limited spaces during the lockdown. At this point I’m just going to go with what I have and do simply do my best to pass.
Next time ask can you change instructors in the middle of the semester it’s up to the new instructor to agree but it is possible. I did this with calculus and it was a huge difference. Turns out my original instructor was breaking rules anyway. So hopefully I saved everyone.
Hi! Thank you for sharing your experiences and tips. I had a few questions I hope that you can address: a) Since my OCHEM courses are structured in a way that is 1 long problem set and about 50 ungraded worksheets, how do you structure your study time when exam materials and timing run into each other (basically how do you balance previewing new lecture material, reviewing past material for upcoming exams, and reinforcing current material for next exams)? b) Are there any specific tips on how second semester OCHEM is different from first semester and how to prepare for it? Thank you again!
I’m at UCSD and the UC strike had a huge impact on my o-Chem 1 experience. Zero campus resources, TA’s, and discussion sections etc. 😢I’m registered for o-Chem 2 this winter, but I am going to push it to spring to have all the resources I need to succeed.
I'm so sorry to hear that :( Yea good graduate students truly do make a difference in organic chemistry learning so good choice on postponing for the second round.
gonna be taking orgchem soon and im really scared since i had a horrible time with it in high school even though i generally really love chem. i did well in both my general chem and analytical chem classes so i do wanna continue the streak of doing well in chem in my uni years.
Orgo is very different from other Chem classes. If you didn't do well in general Chem, that doesn't mean you won't be able to get Orgo. Maybe your brain will grasp reactions and mechanisms better. If you have free time, work on practice problems, as much as you can. Everyday. Even just a few a day, it helps to see this type of material frequently because it's a lot like solving puzzles. If you are stuck on a puzzle, it helps to walk away and come back, and working thru reactions is similar. Need to be exposed to it a lot, and it will become obvious eventually what to do.
studying for my organic final (I know I found this video very late I regret not watching this) MY THOUGHTs. I love my prof shes nice and sweet, but I am now finding out that the other organic professors all have a different grading system hers is a 90 is an A but all the others are 90 is an A but 86-89 is an A- which is way better than a whole B. I didn't know this until I was asking my friend in another class and she said that to me and I was shocked. Because she kept reasuring me Ive made all B's on the exam I should pass with an A, but was like no I need a 96 on the final to pass with an A (including our hw grade). SO TIP GO WITH THE PROFESSOR THATS GRADING SCALE IS BETTER. because 9/10 YOU WILL HAVE TO TEACH YOURSELF WITH TONSSS OF PRACTICE PROBLEMS
Oh my goodness, Your sharing was super cool, yeah, your tips can fetch A+ straightforwadly in organic chemistry, Yup, I can say that we can predict reaction products when it comes to organic chemistry instead it's not as much easy while pursuing inorganic chemistry, I don't know, I mean, How we are supposed to predict the reaction products when it comes to complex inorganic reactions, It's so frustrating to accept the trends, deviations and anamolies in inorganic stuff. I mean, is there any way to resolve the complicated stuff into super comprehensible things, because I think there must be an heuristic approach to predict inorganic reaction products as well. Well, your videos are quite incredible and the coolest part is that we can realize the consequences practically in that context.❤
thermodynamics/kinetics explains a good fraction, but the problem with undergrad inorg is they are giving you the simplified understanding which works well for 90%+ of instances, but completely falls apart for the other 10% or so its only through pretty much a postgraduate level of study into the field do you get a better understanding of whats going
I'm trying to take a basic college entrance chemistry course, which is much easier than your classes, but I'm discouraged because I'm not very good at chemistry and need all the help I can get.
@@Magdalene777 you have to trust that you’ll get there! And find the resources that work for you! Do lots of practice questions and try and understand concepts that don’t make sense to you initially instead of just memorizing it! You’ll be great :)
Hey Clarie, am from India 16 year old kid,who’s preparing for JEE( one of the toughest exam of India), i have read a ton if books of organic chemistry, it’s one of my fav subject, btw can you make a video that how you got into UC Berkely?
Thanks luv. I just (last week) withdrew from Org. Chem, I was bombing every test, it was a nightmare plus I have A&P 1 😳 Yeah, taking Chem again next semester with Psychology, I think I'll do better. Thanks for this video, sweetheart 😁
Thank you so much this was very helpful!! I'm currently Berkeley and am taking Ochem 1 in the spring. I have Marsden as my professor and I was wondering what professor did you have? Just curious if we got the same professor!
Very informative video thank you 😊 Im currently a pre med as well. And did really well in Highschool (A's) but now in University i find myself struggling a bit in science classes. Do you have any advice for note taking / learning the material/ mutilple choice strategies (some questions had options A,B,C, all of the above, none of the above, 2 of the above etc..) on my last midterm i put so many hours studying but didn't get a good grade. Hence im trying to figure out how i can study more effectively and to do well.
Ugh those are truly the bane of my existence haha I think the way I got better at them over time was through practice questions but also through drawing relationships between different concepts before the test. Like grouping different topics together based on similarities and differences. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much!!! Very helpful. I just took ochem 1, and have loved my professor and textbook, and did pretty well in the class but horrible on the final because it was all ACS questions. Are you familiar with these types of questions and if so have any tips on how to approach them?
man, i did NOT know that you could just choose you professors. i wish i had that ability in college! my biggest hurdle was having very few college credits as an incoming freshman, having grown up in a very rural area.
It's definitely a huge benefit! Unfortunately sometimes only one professor will be available for a semester and you're stuck with a guy with a 1.2 RateMyProfessor rating... I just finished Physics I for summer I and organic chemistry II is coming up in a couple days, and although I lucked out with a great professor, I know I'll have to put in a great deal of effort, which isnt something I'm accustomed to. Ah well, can't be that bad!
I am an organic chem lectuerer and I dont know if im doing well 😢 its disppointing to me when i spent alot of time explaining and solving then having student not do well 🥲
Some students are just not sure of how to ask for help. Nobody WANTS to fail, thats not why we are taking the class! Try having more anonymous forums for students to ask questions they may feel too "stupid" to ask with their name attached. That seems to help a lot :)
Organic Chemistry as a Second Language really helped me understand Ochem! Really helped understanding where the electrons/charges go!
Best orgo textbook
I’m reading his text book and it’s really good so far.
UC Berkeley is world renowned for their chemistry program.
The mark of a true organic chemistry student is never looking at arrows the same ---> MECHANISMS, lol. You got me beat, Claire; I got an A-. Learning from upperclassmen about which professor is "easier" may be important, but also which teaching style you learn better from is also a factor (one of mine had a flipped classroom while the other had a normal lecture class). Also, model kits are vital in the first semester to visualize molecules. Thinking about the mechanisms in chunks (e.g., alcohol reductions) rather than memorizing products is crucial second semester to ace the course. Best of luck to everyone---may the Diels-Alder reaction be in your favor ;)
idk how to thank you , seriously i am really grateful. i subscribed and really like your video!!!!
Ahhh thank you!!! Glad it helped!
I actually just got a D In orgo 1 because my professors teaching method was very VERY flawed. Everyone in my class, not even exaggerating , was doing terrible our avg is a C/D right now. I’m now going to have to retake it next semester but I don’t feel as defeated anymore. Just disheartened. A lot of people have told me they had to retake orgo and that one retake won’t kill me. So I’m at peace with it now but I felt terrible before. The prof was great before but he screwed us all over and the grading policy was just terrible, no room for growth at all. Extremely flawed. Definitely going to be taking your tips for next semester
It’s SO important to know that some professors are just like that and to not equate that to your sense of intelligence!!! If you were in an environment where the teacher was more understanding and HELPFUL things could’ve gone wayyy differently. Make sure to keep your head up next time around because you got this!
i agree a professor is make or break for a class me and my friends took calc at the same time but diff professors n i was getting like 95+ each exam and their class was getting 20s on every exam with NO CURVE some professors just try to fail people and assign too much homework@@Itsclairejean
Same
This comment doesn’t give me any hope at all lol. Unfortunately, my chemistry department has never been solid and I’ve heard plenty of students complain about a few professors in the department. In my case, it’s been a while since I took my last chemistry course due to the coronavirus since I was unable to enroll for certain classes due to limited spaces during the lockdown. At this point I’m just going to go with what I have and do simply do my best to pass.
Next time ask can you change instructors in the middle of the semester it’s up to the new instructor to agree but it is possible. I did this with calculus and it was a huge difference. Turns out my original instructor was breaking rules anyway. So hopefully I saved everyone.
i start university in 6 months! im so exited to strt my journey to becoming a medical doctor
Looks like you are close now
i keep on studying and practicing organic chem, but in exams I fail then all the time, even my mids and finalsss.
i got a plain old A in the summer with marsden, no idea how because all my other premed classes graded are f'dddd
omg! i really love this. new follower here! hi from venezuela
@@diegoandresmendoza1156 omg! Thanks for joining the community 🫶🥰
Hi! Thank you for sharing your experiences and tips. I had a few questions I hope that you can address:
a) Since my OCHEM courses are structured in a way that is 1 long problem set and about 50 ungraded worksheets, how do you structure your study time when exam materials and timing run into each other (basically how do you balance previewing new lecture material, reviewing past material for upcoming exams, and reinforcing current material for next exams)?
b) Are there any specific tips on how second semester OCHEM is different from first semester and how to prepare for it? Thank you again!
I’m at UCSD and the UC strike had a huge impact on my o-Chem 1 experience. Zero campus resources, TA’s, and discussion sections etc. 😢I’m registered for o-Chem 2 this winter, but I am going to push it to spring to have all the resources I need to succeed.
I'm so sorry to hear that :( Yea good graduate students truly do make a difference in organic chemistry learning so good choice on postponing for the second round.
You're scaring me. I'm about to go to UCSD for Microbiology. Who do you think is the best prof so far?
Starting orgo Chem 2 a whole year later after orgo chem 1 and tbh, I’m already struggling 😟
damn why so later after?
gonna be taking orgchem soon and im really scared since i had a horrible time with it in high school even though i generally really love chem. i did well in both my general chem and analytical chem classes so i do wanna continue the streak of doing well in chem in my uni years.
Orgo is very different from other Chem classes. If you didn't do well in general Chem, that doesn't mean you won't be able to get Orgo. Maybe your brain will grasp reactions and mechanisms better. If you have free time, work on practice problems, as much as you can. Everyday. Even just a few a day, it helps to see this type of material frequently because it's a lot like solving puzzles. If you are stuck on a puzzle, it helps to walk away and come back, and working thru reactions is similar. Need to be exposed to it a lot, and it will become obvious eventually what to do.
studying for my organic final (I know I found this video very late I regret not watching this) MY THOUGHTs. I love my prof shes nice and sweet, but I am now finding out that the other organic professors all have a different grading system hers is a 90 is an A but all the others are 90 is an A but 86-89 is an A- which is way better than a whole B. I didn't know this until I was asking my friend in another class and she said that to me and I was shocked. Because she kept reasuring me Ive made all B's on the exam I should pass with an A, but was like no I need a 96 on the final to pass with an A (including our hw grade). SO TIP GO WITH THE PROFESSOR THATS GRADING SCALE IS BETTER. because 9/10 YOU WILL HAVE TO TEACH YOURSELF WITH TONSSS OF PRACTICE PROBLEMS
Practice problems, practice problems, practice problems. You will do great.
I'll try to follow your advice.❣
Anyone here right before an organic chem final? 😅
Oh my goodness, Your sharing was super cool, yeah, your tips can fetch A+ straightforwadly in organic chemistry, Yup, I can say that we can predict reaction products when it comes to organic chemistry instead it's not as much easy while pursuing inorganic chemistry, I don't know, I mean, How we are supposed to predict the reaction products when it comes to complex inorganic reactions, It's so frustrating to accept the trends, deviations and anamolies in inorganic stuff. I mean, is there any way to resolve the complicated stuff into super comprehensible things, because I think there must be an heuristic approach to predict inorganic reaction products as well.
Well, your videos are quite incredible and the coolest part is that we can realize the consequences practically in that context.❤
thermodynamics/kinetics explains a good fraction, but the problem with undergrad inorg is they are giving you the simplified understanding which works well for 90%+ of instances, but completely falls apart for the other 10% or so
its only through pretty much a postgraduate level of study into the field do you get a better understanding of whats going
I'm trying to take a basic college entrance chemistry course, which is much easier than your classes, but I'm discouraged because I'm not very good at chemistry and need all the help I can get.
@@Magdalene777 you have to trust that you’ll get there! And find the resources that work for you! Do lots of practice questions and try and understand concepts that don’t make sense to you initially instead of just memorizing it! You’ll be great :)
Hey Clarie, am from India 16 year old kid,who’s preparing for JEE( one of the toughest exam of India), i have read a ton if books of organic chemistry, it’s one of my fav subject, btw can you make a video that how you got into UC Berkely?
Are you 12th rn
@@Fairytale_x_1111 yup
Thanks luv. I just (last week) withdrew from Org. Chem, I was bombing every test, it was a nightmare plus I have A&P 1 😳
Yeah, taking Chem again next semester with Psychology, I think I'll do better. Thanks for this video, sweetheart 😁
Thank you so much this was very helpful!! I'm currently Berkeley and am taking Ochem 1 in the spring. I have Marsden as my professor and I was wondering what professor did you have? Just curious if we got the same professor!
Yes! I had him both semesters and LOVED his teaching style!
Very informative video thank you 😊
Im currently a pre med as well. And did really well in Highschool (A's) but now in University i find myself struggling a bit in science classes. Do you have any advice for note taking / learning the material/ mutilple choice strategies (some questions had options A,B,C, all of the above, none of the above, 2 of the above etc..) on my last midterm i put so many hours studying but didn't get a good grade. Hence im trying to figure out how i can study more effectively and to do well.
Ugh those are truly the bane of my existence haha I think the way I got better at them over time was through practice questions but also through drawing relationships between different concepts before the test. Like grouping different topics together based on similarities and differences. Hope that helps!
@@Itsclairejean hey, from where can we get practice questions
Amazing video! God bless❤
Thank you so much!!! Very helpful. I just took ochem 1, and have loved my professor and textbook, and did pretty well in the class but horrible on the final because it was all ACS questions. Are you familiar with these types of questions and if so have any tips on how to approach them?
This was a very helpful video so thank you!! I finished orgo 1 and will be taking orgo 2 next semester. Did you find one or the other more difficult?
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it! I think once I got through ochem 1, ochem 2 was a lot more doable since I knew what I was getting myself into haha
Do you need to wear glasses due to the intensive near work? 😭 When did you start wearing them and what's your prescription?
when did you first want to be a physician?
As a BME premed would you recommend doing Orgo 1 with thermodynamics?
Which orgo teachers did you have at cal?
Attending Berkeley next year as a Chemical Biology major. I also want to go pre-med. Do you have any advice for getting the prerequisite classes?
Pete Marsden is the orgo professor to have. Pretty universally regarded as the best.
I have him next Sem!
Lucky you! TBP has a bunch of his old exams for practice btw.
I am no where near taking organic chem..is there a such thing as studying to early😅
Nope. Studying before hand is recommended
Should I take orgo 1 in the summer? (5-6 weeks)
Thank you mam so much 😊😊
man, i did NOT know that you could just choose you professors. i wish i had that ability in college!
my biggest hurdle was having very few college credits as an incoming freshman, having grown up in a very rural area.
It's definitely a huge benefit! Unfortunately sometimes only one professor will be available for a semester and you're stuck with a guy with a 1.2 RateMyProfessor rating... I just finished Physics I for summer I and organic chemistry II is coming up in a couple days, and although I lucked out with a great professor, I know I'll have to put in a great deal of effort, which isnt something I'm accustomed to. Ah well, can't be that bad!
What textbook did you use for your Organic Chemistry class at Cal?
I had a good professor so I actually used his videos and practice worksheets 😅
@@Itsclairejean thanksss 😁
thank you for this very informative video :)
The magical thing about her (chemistry is magical too) that she is so calm and innocent... I love the aura and serene decor of her room so much... 🌈
did you take 3A or 12A?
You're really beautiful and so smart!
what was the point of this video
Awesome video!
Thanks!
Excellent❤🔥
I am an organic chem lectuerer and I dont know if im doing well 😢 its disppointing to me when i spent alot of time explaining and solving then having student not do well 🥲
Some students are just not sure of how to ask for help. Nobody WANTS to fail, thats not why we are taking the class! Try having more anonymous forums for students to ask questions they may feel too "stupid" to ask with their name attached. That seems to help a lot :)