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I have heard nothing but misery from people who have had to take organic chemistry. And I am so glad I never took it and will never have to. I had a hard enough time with normal chemistry.

I have heard nothing but misery from people who have had to take organic chemistry. And I am so glad I never took it and will never have to. I had a hard enough time with normal chemistry.

yep, it's the worst thing ever

it doesn't help that it's even worse this year because of the aforementioned horrible professor who hasn't done a grading curve even though he's making the class HARDER than the previous o chem courses (which HAD curves)

we've had two quizzes in the class. the first one had a higher average than the second one. both were failing grades. the average is failing right now.

OChem wasn't sooo baaad. At least, semester 2 wasn't. The thing I found useful was to pay more attention to the exceptions because everything else makes at least some level of sense.

 

Oh, and the reason you have to take OChem as a bio major is because Biology runs on Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry is (to a degree) is just the chemistry of a bunch of OChem molecules working together, rather than the chemistry of the individual pieces. It'll also hopefully give you an appreciation for why carbon is the element for life and silicon isn't.

 

I had to take Biochem as well as OChem, and if you have to take that, too, at some point I give you this note of solace: a lot of people I know who had trouble in OChem found Biochem to be easier on their minds. I found OChem easier than Biochem, though, so take that with a grain of depressing salt. Of course, I also had a Biochem prof who purposefully didn't grade any homework until AFTER the deadline to drop the class so that she wouldn't have to grade as many papers >_>

OChem wasn't sooo baaad. At least, semester 2 wasn't. The thing I found useful was to pay more attention to the exceptions because everything else makes at least some level of sense.

 

Oh, and the reason you have to take OChem as a bio major is because Biology runs on Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry is (to a degree) is just the chemistry of a bunch of OChem molecules working together, rather than the chemistry of the individual pieces. It'll also hopefully give you an appreciation for why carbon is the element for life and silicon isn't.

 

I had to take Biochem as well as OChem, and if you have to take that, too, at some point I give you this note of solace: a lot of people I know who had trouble in OChem found Biochem to be easier on their minds. I found OChem easier than Biochem, though, so take that with a grain of depressing salt. Of course, I also had a Biochem prof who purposefully didn't grade any homework until AFTER the deadline to drop the class so that she wouldn't have to grade as many papers >_>

i don't need biochem at all. And it's really bad, because (like I said) the new professor is TERRIBLE.

i wouldn't hate the course half as much if i had the professor from last year (he was my gen chem teacher, so I knew what he was like at least). the new guy...no curve, obscenely difficult questions over stuff that isn't covered in class OR THE TEXTBOOK and he expects everyone to do well.

Yeah, I hate it when professors are like that. 

 

New guy? Alright, go take your next quiz or test to him after it is done. Tell him that he didn't teach you any of the stuff on it, and where in the book was this stuff?

 

If he's a good prof, he'll point you to the passages in the book that you missed. If he does, well and good. If he tries to give you some mealy-mouthed answer, point out that you're trying to do well in his class, but you can't do well if the answers to the test aren't in the book or his lecture.

 

If he continues to be a jerk, tell him that you are paying his salary right now and if he isn't teaching you what you need to know you will appeal his grades to the administration. If you have to do that, take the book, your lecture notes, and his test to make your case. 

 

But you probably won't have to go that far. Most profs, after getting the "you didn't teach me this" accusation once, quickly restructure their problems to be near to what's on the homework. Looks like this rookie hasn't been around that block yet, so you get that honor and privilege.

 

Good luck.