HOW TO STUDY ORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
Several stages of learning:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Remembering (memorization)
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating new ideas
Several stages of learning:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Remembering (memorization)
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating new ideas
Where are you in this list? Think about how you
think
• How you can progress to the next level
To advance through stages in O-Chem
• Learn to think logically about molecular
properties and behavior.
• Be able to explain course material to others
• Get well-organized, now.
• Stick to a fairly rigorous and time-demanding
study schedule.
• Explain material on examinations.
To advance through stages in O-Chem
• Learn to think logically about molecular
properties and behavior.
• Be able to explain course material to others
• Get well-organized, now.
• Stick to a fairly rigorous and time-demanding
study schedule.
• Explain material on examinations.
To advance through stages in O-Chem
• Learn to think logically about molecular
properties and behavior.
• Be able to explain course material to others
• Get well-organized, now.
• Stick to a fairly rigorous and time-demanding
study schedule.
• Explain material on examinations.
To advance through stages in O-Chem
• Learn to think logically about molecular
properties and behavior.
• Be able to explain course material to others
• Get well-organized, now.
• Stick to a fairly rigorous and time-demanding
study schedule.
• Explain material on examinations.
To advance through stages in O-Chem
• Learn to think logically about molecular
properties and behavior.
• Be able to explain course material to others
• Get well-organized, now.
• Stick to a fairly rigorous and time-demanding
study schedule.
• Explain material on examinations.
Allocate your time; set study goals in
advance.
• You will require no less than 10 hours of study
time each week, …
Allocate your time; set study goals in
advance.
• You will require no less than 10 hours of study
time each week, …
• …beginning in the first week of the semester,
and continuing the rest of the semester.
What to Start Doing
• Choose these times and places to minimize
interruption and distraction:
• this means no television and no loud music,
no cell phone, no FACEBOOK, Twitter,
YouTube, play calm music on your iPod.
• No Drop-by friends who want to chat about
“B.S.”.
WORK PROBLEMS; really work them
• Looking at the problem, then looking at the
answer in the Study Guide, then saying, "Yeah,
OK, I get it!"
• This is a passive approach and does no good,
it makes you overly optimistic about what you
know.
• List questions to clear up with the TA or
Instructor during office hours.
Practice daily!
• Multiple daily sessions isbetter results than
one cram session each week or right before
exam.
• Use larger blocks of time for large jobs, like
working problems
• Use smaller time slots for small jobs, like
refreshing with flash cards.
Study actively, with pencil or pen in
hand.
• Outline text material rather than highlighting
it.
• Highlighting is too passive. Because you don’t
have to think when you highlight.
Study plan should include review for
exams
• but does not include "all-nighters" or frantic
scrambling right up to the minute of the exam.
Schedule short breaks at regular
intervals during study.
• 10 min breaks each hour is a good proportion.
• If you plan ahead, major social events need
not become interfere with good grades.
Use all of the resources available to
you
• Many students don't.
• Your instructor. I am the most underutilized
resource available to you. Change that! Use
office hours and any other time the instructor
makes available. But arrive prepared!
• Vague questions like "Could you go over NMR
again?" imply that you have not done much
for yourself.
Use all of the resources available to
you
• Recitations. Go to them prepared. Seeing
confirmation of a solution you have arrived by
your own effort, or seeing an alternative
solution, is very valuable.
• Exam postmortems. A returned exam may be
painful, but it is an excellent learning aid.
Know exactly how you made each mistake,
and learn to avoid repeating it. Use the
answer keys.
Adopt a positive attitude about the
course
• Forget what you may have heard about the
difficulty of the course or the personality of
the instructor.
• The instructor's job is not to entertain you nor
build your self-esteem. It is to instruct you.