<p>Yeah it’s only the lucky few that get the #1 easily. Others have to work at it. I described how I look at it though. Like a puzzle. I forgot the problems where it is like here’s the beginning and here’s the end, what’s the middle? I like that way of thinking.</p>
<p>As far as stanford_dude, yeah I did well but not as well as I wanted to (made stupid mistakes on the final even though I got an A on every exam). It was the only grade I was disappointed in. Boo. :(</p>
<p>And yes the chem advisor does advise orgo as the only science class. Some can but as a chemE I couldn’t and had absolutely no padding at all. I also had Calc 3, Physics Electricity and Magnetism, Mass & Energy Balances (ChemE), and Acc Orgo Lab. It was a doozy of a semester to say the very least. It’s definitely do-able but it is a very easily get it or have to work a lot subject. I worked hard and luckily it came very easily to me. To most it doesn’t so I don’t know.</p>
<p>And norcalguy is right. I was just giving reasonable examples of problems you would see. There are others but those I gave are on the harder side. Many problems would be a step or two or given the starting material and reagents, draw the product with stereochemistry and regiochemistry. There are not many equations the only equation I remember using was G = H + TS to explain endothermic vs exothermic qualities. If you are serious about it and try, you will do decently (I know some kids that studied a lot and still couldn’t get it, but again it’s accelerated, but I’m not guaranteeing an A by studying really hard). It is more important that you understand it. It is easier if you learn in a certain way but if you don’t you only have to develop a system like I have to for my other subjects (math & physics) and I am doing relatively well in engineering so it is obviously possible to do well for anyone. I’m just stating that it is much more of a comign naturally to some and hard for others.</p>
<p>The biggest thing is just the completely different way of thinking from any of your other core subjects. It is many different things: memorization many different complex processes (many reactions, we had over 80), new concepts and things (different types of isomers [difference between enantiomers vs diastereomers or regiochemistry vs stereochemistry] and functional groups) on a large scale (we rapidly went through about every single functional group in less than one lecture), different way of thinking of chemistry than ever learned in high school (which focuses on the what rather than why and how [like for instance you will learn about calculating raising entropy and lowering energy in gen chem but in orgo you will find out that orbitals and bonding and different solvents will induce reactions to be more likely rather than just the example of lowering in energy with numbers]) or in previous classes. Anybody else have any more ideas? I didn’t really struggle with it, so anybody who did?</p>