[spice1510]

I'm in Orgo II and yet teaching/learning strategies still impress me, maybe because I've seen some great ones and others that were horrific.  I wanna know your stories....

I am a non-trad so I may have a different viewpoint but I'm just wondering what the consensus is in general...to study a new topic in organic, do you read ahead before class or wait until it's been presented, do you have a great teacher or not so great? 

What is your best study strategy for o-chem?

[Dan]

We had to read up beforehand, because topics in the classes did not parallel the lectures - so it was common that the ~24 hours of set work for the class(es) would be completely unknown material for us.

My study strategy was to read the chapter topic in two different general organic texts, making notes, and then start the set work. Then, as required, dip back into reading (often more advanced specialist texts this time) when things got difficult.

I think being forced to learn how to study independently was very good for me, and I think it's a skill everyone has to develop.

[408]

I just read and wrote out reactions and mechanisms.  But that worked for me.  first you must determine HOW you learn.  Visual, auditory, kinesthetic...?

[Jasim]

Think about chemistry everyday. Sometimes it's important to just mull over things. Learn reagents and learn to see where the electron density is and where it's going. I like the website masterorganicchemistry.com

[TheUnfocusedOne]

Reading the book is a real must for getting ahead. Reading more than one book will obviously give you a better understanding of the material (most of the time). I tried reading both before and after the lecture. It didn't really matter to me, since I was pretty good about retaining information for either the book or lecture. It personal preference really.

My biggest suggestion is to do more than just the assigned problems. Getting extra practice really helps you gain a firm understanding of the different topics, and will make tests much easier.

[408]

You also must determine how you are tested...is it heavy on elaborations from the lecture?  or will it be lecture problems regurgitated again?  If the former, studying many different sources will help.  if the latter, your lecture notes are all that matter.  Unfortunately the latter is increasingly more common and test preparation and learning are becoming more and more distinct.