Tufts Blogs

Organic Chemistry is notoriously known for its difficulty, whether it is understanding the different mechanisms that occur (meaning too many things to memorize) or being scared that the material won’t just “click.” I am amongst that group where I thought that Organic Chemistry would make or break me, and will be the deciding factor of whether or not I wanted to pursue something in Biochemistry. The class is a stepping stone for many other difficult classes and is a requirement for me to complete. Now taking Organic Chemistry II, I am quite surprised by how wrong I was to assume that this would be the most difficult course I have taken here at Tufts. But fear not as I will help you to understand the benefits of taking Organic Chemistry and how some may find it quite enjoyable. 

Not all memorization!

I think what trips people up about Organic Chemistry is that you will be required to memorize all these different reagents that seem to be randomized. This may be true in Organic Chemistry II in the slightest but the answer is not really. Some of my favorite things about the way they teach this class here is that it is more about developing critical thinking skills that are shaped around Organic Chemistry, rather than having you memorize everything that is being done. When I took this class, it took a flipped classroom style approach where you would watch some pre-lecture videos in your own time. This way, students can go at their own pace and revisit any of the material they may have been confused about. When coming into the lecture, it was all about problem solving. But it wouldn’t be your typical style to raise your hand or the professor just scribbling down notes. They actually emphasized working in small groups and rationalizing your answers. Rather than trying to choose the right answer, it was more of understanding both or all sides of the argument and choosing answers from there. It almost seemed like the class was sort of a seminar style class, except with 180 students! It may be surprising at first but in this way, students were able to take their own positions and voice their opinions. It may be an unconventional approach but it definitely did boost my understanding and confidence in terms of how I approach the class. 

Collaboration is strongly encouraged

Especially when thinking about this class, I was always under the impression that the learning you do here was individual, which meant that it was up to me to know whether or not I knew what was going on. I quickly realized that this wasn’t the case. In the classroom, hearing the opinions of other students and understanding their thinking is something that I continuously appreciate and value as it gets me to think about how I would be approaching different problems. “Why does one thing happen and not the other?” is something that I continuously asked myself every single time I was in lecture. Understanding the rationale with the help of my peers made me successful in the class and is something that will only benefit you!

Exams are just like in class/ problem sets

I think students think that professors will try to trick you and throw you into the deep end when it comes to problem-solving and synthesis problems. Especially for me, synthesis problems are complex and hard for me to approach because there are many different ways to solve them. But what I really appreciate from the Professor and teaching team is their understanding of how these types of problems may be challenging and give you the best tips and tricks to get to the product you are looking for. The step-by-step process of continuing to understand why one thing is preferred over another is clear and made to be digestible. In addition, something that I was surprised about was that the exams are exactly like problem sets and lecture problems. Professors really want to know if you are understanding the content in class so they don’t try to trick you, which is nice to see.

Ending Remarks

I hope that this blog made the idea of taking Organic Chemistry to be less scary and more approachable. It is definitely something that will take some time to get used to but I promise that once you realize that it is an approachable topic that your confidence will grow. I still remember the feeling of walking into my first day of class and being extremely terrified, but looking back, I knew that I was going to be fine, and the notion of it being the most difficult class quickly faded. After enjoying Organic Chemistry, I am expanding my knowledge by taking other classes such as Biochemistry that are supplemented by the things that are taught in Organic Chemistry!