If you’re spending hours studying organic chemistry and still not getting your A, this post is for you. Let me start with an example. Here is a fairly typical second-semester organic chemistry question: we start with benzyl alcohol and need to convert it into a carboxylic acid. The first thing I notice is that the…

Look, I get it. Organic chemistry has a reputation. Professors flex with surprise quiz questions, lectures feel like they’re written in hieroglyphs, and the whole class is branded the “weed-out course.” I hear the same line every semester: “I’m smart, but orgo terrifies me. I freeze on tests. One quiz feels like it could end…

Stay awhile, and listen! ~Deckard Cain The “Why” Part Are you taking organic chemistry this semester, or maybe next, and already dreading it because of all the horror stories? You’re not alone. After working with students for over 20 years, I can tell you: fear of orgo is almost universal. And that fear often becomes…

“I’m studying hard, doing all the mechanisms right, but when the exam asks ‘Why?’ or ‘Explain,’ I get completely stuck. What should I do?” Sound familiar? If it does, know this — you’re not alone. Many students hit this exact wall. Memorizing mechanisms and naming compounds feels like a good start, but when it comes…

“It’s a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Bilbo Baggins might have been talking about a grand adventure through Middle-earth, but the feeling he describes resonates just as powerfully with anyone staring at…

If you’re taking Organic Chemistry, you’ve probably heard the horror stories—brutal exams, endless reactions to memorize, and lectures that feel like they’re in another language. The truth? OChem is one of the most challenging college courses, but it’s not impossible. The key to success isn’t just working harder—it’s working smarter. And one of the smartest…

Summer organic chemistry classes are generally tougher than the regular fall or spring ones. A typical semester is 12 to 16 weeks long. However, you’ll be covering the same amount of material in 8-10 weeks in the summer. Additionally, some summer classes aim to jam the entire 2-semester sequence over the summer making it extremely…

Organic chemistry is an extremely interconnected science. As you have already seen in the first semester of your organic chemistry sequence, one topic connects to another in such a way, that mastering consequent topics is very hard without mastering previous ones. Before we go further, let’s look at the typical first semester organic chemistry topics….

Imagine yourself doing your homework or reading the textbook and something doesn’t make sense. What would you probably do in such a case? Correct—ask your teacher. Next day you go to school, go to your teacher’s office hours or visit with them after the class, you ask your question and… you get an answer… not…