December » 2009 » Study Shack

The Art and Advantages of Avoiding Complaining

I have found that when people complain about something they are usually seeking approval that their negative feelings/outlook is acceptable. In Organic Chemistry especially I heard it often. I realized complaining also made me dislike the material more by growing some symbiotic complaint-network between other students. This gave me great frustration and made it harder to focus on the material and have fun. To counter this I began Never Complaining.

It was hard at first. Oh yes. Anytime I felt I had been wronged or something bothered me, I kept it to myself. After about 2 weeks my outlook on classes changed and failures are now taken in stride. Even if a professor had gone way off and done something I thought was ridiculous, I never complained about it. I just accepted it and worked harder in the future. When others complain to me I respond with something positive or change the subject.

This is a simple thing to change and becomes natural quickly. It gives an overall more positive outlook on courses and life.

The Ideal Card

In addition to the card models, here are the characteristics of an ideal card:

Asks one fact. Multiple facts make the card harder to learn.
Short. Shorter the better.
Asks precisely the ‘gap’ in knowledge using Cloze Deletion.
Understanding before putting the card into the SRS .
Summarizes information rather than verbatim from the source .
Clear what the card is asking. There may be ‘layers’ of information like the Los Angeles location.

Organic Chemistry: IR/NMR

I revisited this topic when studying for the DAT. Chad’s videos listed in the Organic Chemistry Tools article will help a lot. SRS is handy here for memorizing the frequencies for IR and NMR, which is the really difficult part of the topic.

IR

SRS cards should be made for all of the relevant bonds for the course.

Front: C=O IR Frequency: […]

Back: C=O IR Frequency: 1700

Front: N-H IR Frequency: […]

Back: N-H IR Frequency: 3400

As a bonus it would be great to even include an example picture in the answer field. Especially useful for distinct bonds like a carboxylic –OH, aromatic waves around 2000, and carbonyl.

Instead of just throwing an IR spectrum into the question field and requiring an answer, try putting an IR spectrum in with an arrow (can be done in MS-paint) asking for the structure it is referring to. This follows the idea of breaking information up into smaller pieces.

I still advocate doing practice problems for IR. It is strange at first and becomes natural with time. Again, the hardest part is memorizing the frequencies.

NMR

Same idea as the IR to memorize all of the frequencies. Also include example problems.

Front:

               […#] C NMR Peaks

Back:

               4 C NMR Peaks

             Identical carbons

Front:

[…#] H NMR peaks

Back:

5 H NMR peaks

If it seems like it would take a long time to make these cards, the time is quickly made up given how fast the strong memory is made – and how easy it is to review. A small effort now gives back many times over with SRS. Also, making the cards is part of the learning process!

Putting NMR graph examples into the SRS may help. Maybe someone could try it out and post in the comments how it goes.

This covers IR/NMR. Have some more helpful tips? Leave a comment and let us know.

Organic Chemistry: Stereochemistry

Stereochemistry is different enough from normal organic chemistry to warrant its own article. The best approach I found to stereochemistry is utilizing the Organic Chemistry as a Second Language, Chad’s videos, and lots of practice problems. Information on these can be found in the Tools for Organic Chemistry article.

The first time I truly ‘got’ stereochemistry to the point it stuck was after watching Chad’s videos, taking notes, and putting the examples he draws on the board into the SRS. His explanations are extremely helpful and his examples are clever.

Memorizing examples in the SRS finally made stereochemistry ‘click’ for me. When taking the DAT my memory immediately shot back to the examples in the SRS and it became easy.

Basic Stereochemistry Fact

This model is similar to a regular basic fact.

Front: The highest priority group has the […] atomic number

Back: The highest priority group has the greatest atomic number

Front: SN2 reactions […] stereochemistry

Back: SN2 reactions invert stereochemistry

Front: […SN] reaction creates racemic mixture

Back: SN1 reaction creates racemic mixture

Front: […] mixture is a mixture of R- and S- stereoisomers

Back: Racemic mixture is a mixture of R- and S- stereoisomers

Front: Racemic mixture is a mixture of […]

Back: Racemic mixture is a mixture of R- and S- stereoisomers

There will likely be less basic facts than examples given the visual nature of stereochemistry.

Example Cards

The bulk of stereochemistry. Again, Chad’s videos have great examples and I recommend watching and pulling those.

Front:

[…]

Back:

Diastereomers

Front:

                 Which C is chiral?

Back:

                Which C is chiral?

                 4 different substituents

Note the use of an extra note. This helps sometimes to ensure the answer was reasoned correctly.

Front:

                […]-Configuration

Back:

                R-Configuration

           H in front inverts answer

This will handle stereoisomer information. I believe the practice problems and SRS together quickly build a strong understanding of stereochemistry. Also, Chad’s videos!

Organic Chemistry: Helpful Tools

In addition to the SRS there are many helpful tools to help get through Organic Chemistry. These are all tools I used while in Organic Chemistry or while studying for the DAT.

Organic Chemistry as a Second Language introduces concepts in a fair and understandable way. I found it essential and took the place of a tutor. Working through confusions instead of having it taught to me gave me a great understanding of the material.

Chad’s Organic Chemistry videos are made for MCAT/DAT review, and they are helpful for anyone currently in the course. They helped me a lot when I was studying for the DAT and I wish I had them for the MCAT and while I was in Organic Chemistry. If the video is having trouble playing try using VLC Video Player. Copy the things Chad writes on the board onto a piece of paper, then put the examples and facts into the SRS. (Note 8/23/10: Chad’s videos have recently become pay-to-access. I have been told they are updated and higher quality than before. The old videos were worth the asking price, so I imagine the updated ones contain as much or more value. If you have experience with it please post in the comments.)

Using printer paper instead of loose leaf paper. A stack of several hundred will cost a few dollars. The lines on loose leaf paper can be mentally constricting and get in the way of the material. I only realized how beneficial this after making the switch. A clever person shared this idea with me.

Practice problems from the book are usually good hints to what may come on an exam. Before I began using SRS to study I would do problems over and over again until I could barely think. Creatively putting them into the SRS using the Organic Chemistry models will save time and brain frying. If there is a solutions book to the textbook, I recommend that as well. Costs less than taking the class again!

Going to class

Some people like the rubber/plastic models. I used mine to make animal shapes. They may help when tackling stereochemistry.

A cool trick I found to quickly count carbons:

Since the carbon chain is “open”, having one terminal carbon “up” and the other “down”, we know it is an even number of carbons.

Each circled bar is two carbons. Four bars = 8 carbons.

Since the carbon chain is “closed” in that it begins and ends at the same side, we know there is an odd number of carbons.

Each circled “bar” is 2 carbons. Count the number of bars and add one. Five carbons!