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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Many kids, especially premeds, try to memorize their way through organic chemistry by memorizing every single reaction.  That isn't a good strategy as there is too much to memorize.  Instead, you need to understand the reactions, why they are happening (the mechanisms), and be able to apply the mechanisms to new situations (i.e., problem solve). Most kids don't understand the reactions well enough to apply that understanding and thus do poorly on tests.  You need to study by pushing arrows and doing a million problems.

The kids who do well in organic chemistry tend to be analytical thinkers who are good at strategy (e.g., board games) and willing to keep going until they understand the content.

--organic chemistry PhD[/quote]

This is exactly right.

What I found is that you cannot use general categories of reactions to figure out what happens when you put X and Y together, because there are too many exceptions, and then you add in various catalysts, and it all goes to pot. Instead, what is required is being really good at stereochemistry, and having the ability to visualize objects in 3-D space. I was terrible at Organic Chem (my worst grade ever, and I have two Masters, one in molecular biology, another in bioinformatics), but had a good friend that was amazing at it. For him, it took no effort; he could visualize what the molecules looked like in 3-D space, how they fold, and what that meant for reactions. I could not, for the life of me. The vast majority of students either lack the ability like me, or have never had to think that way.[/quote]
Totally agree.  It's an overlapping skillset with visualizing rotating lines about an axis to make a 3D volume in Calc 3.  You have to be able to visualize what's happening.[/quote]

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