Hey everyone



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Hey everyone!

Welcome to second year! Later this year, you’ll finally get to start some real medical classes. You’ll also get to write a 40+ page paper! And work during the summer! Without further ado, here’s your guide to your fall term, which contains advice on bio-organic chemistry, genetics, and biostatistics.

|Topic |Pages |

|Bio-Organic Chemistry |2 |

|How to Study for Bio-Organic Chemistry | |

|Quizzes and Exams for Bio-Organic Chemistry | |

|Textbooks for Bio-Organic Chemistry | |

|Genetics |6 |

|Additional Advice from Upper Years | |

|Biostatistics |9 |

|Additional Advice from Upper Years | |

How to Survive: 2nd Year, Fall Term

Moury Sultana (Class of 2009)

Olivia Necola (Class of 2012)

Kyrollis Attalla (Class of 2012)

Tatyana Nektalova (Class of 2012)

Daryl Bosompem (Class of 2012)

BIO-ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

HOW TO STUDY FOR BIO-ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Organic chemistry is like no other course that we’ve experienced before in terms of studying. The course is all about mastering the concepts, rather than memorizing. Sheer memorization may carry you through the first few exams, but when it comes time for mechanisms in the third exam, memorization will prove just too overwhelming. Understanding the material involves knowing why certain things happen. Like, instead of memorizing that methyl shifts occur in this case or that case, understand why they occur. By doing that, you’ll be able to recognize and figure out when something happens, instead of having to memorize every single instance when something occurs. This method of understanding doesn’t work as well when you start learning straight up reactions and reagents, and you may need to just memorize it.

For starters, try to read the chapters and/or slides before each lecture (we always say it, but it really helps for this course to know what you’re looking at before you’re taught it). When you’re at home, take the day’s lecture and reactions taught, and practice writing them over and over again. This way, things will start sinking in. This gets progressively important as each exam approaches, especially so for the third and fourth exam. Repetition cannot be stressed enough! Use flash cards with compounds and reactions, keep writing them over and over again, do anything it takes to understand what is going on in each reaction until it becomes second nature to you.

Do each of the recommended practice problems, and more, from the Wade textbook. Our suggestion is that you buy the Solution’s Manual for the textbook so that you can check your answers after you’ve thoroughly attempted each problem. This is the best way to learn the material. I learned that lesson the hard way and late, and it helped me marginally on the third exam because I did not start doing it early enough, so don’t make the same mistake I did! A lot of people also use an organic chemistry textbook by Mcmurry to get an extra set of problems in. Many questions, especially part IIs, may end up coming from this book, so it’s a good idea to take a look at it throughout the semester. Keep in mind that the Chemistry office has copies of all these books, so you don’t necessarily have to buy them for your own self.

The LRC has a program on their computers called RxnDriller. It basically offers a barrage of organic chemistry reactions that you can do as a means of learning different reactions. It is particularly helpful because it offers subtle variations on certain reaction mechanisms that all may lead to the same end product, which his particularly useful for exams when you need to think of creative ways to solve a problem.

Many students ask about model kits for the course. A new model kit costs about $50, but it’s not totally necessary. If you have trouble visualizing models in 3D, something you may have learned in calculus, physics, or drafting, then using a model kit for stereochemistry and reaction mechanisms may help. If you’re unsure if you need it, you can use the model kit in the Chemistry office, and test it out there. After using the models a few times, you may find that you can rotate the models in your head, which will make stereochemistry a whole lot easier. No need to memorize the rules, you can just flip stuff around in your mind and make life much less stressful.

Another useful methord is writing the reactions you need to know on paper and putting it on your wall, and looking at it from time to time. You may find them easier to memorize that way, especially the loads of reactions nearer to the end of the course. You have to learn amino acids in this course too, something we didn’t do until Molecules to Cells. Definitely learn them well, because you will need to know them when Molecules to Cells starts, and I’m not sure if they’ll review them for you. is an excellent site that breaks down each orgo subject and explains the topic very well.  It helped me! That’s about all we can say in terms of advice, so just keep on top of the material, and good luck!

QUIZZES AND EXAMS

As in general chemistry, the homework questions are a good practice for the quizzes. I know you hear this again and again, but do the homework questions on your own, with as little assistance as possible. That way, you can maximize how well you learn the concepts. Start studying for each quiz and exam well in advance because saving the material for the weekend before an exam is setting up for ultimate failure. As we said earlier, each chapter builds on material from the previous chapter, especially as you get to the third test (mechanisms). It’s crucial that you practice, practice, and practice each mechanism, each reaction, again and again until you understand what it is that’s going on.

ADDITIONAL ADVICE FROM UPPER YEARS ON BIO-ORGANIC CHEM

Advice from Kyrollis Attalla

Organic chemistry may be one of the most challenging classes you may encounter throughout Sophie, but there are many ways to ensure that you get through the material and pass the course. Firstly, it is important that you stay on top of your reading. From experience, falling behind on readings is one of the major causes for students performing poorly in the course. Lectures will seem foreign and unfamiliar if you don’t keep up with the readings, so make sure to do so. Also, cramming is not a useful technique for this course. Be sure to complete all readings and give yourself a few days to a week before an exam to do many practice problems; in this course, practice really does make perfect.

Advice from Olivia Necola

Congrats on getting through general chemistry. Now as you start Organic chemistry you’ll see how different it is from general chem and how it goes at a much faster pace. The most important thing that I can not possibly stress enough is to stay on top of the readings from the book. We had the biggest problem with that for our third exam and most of the class found themselves almost 8 chapters behind or so and it was very difficult to catch up. You also have to know how to read the right way, in other words, not every word in the chapter is important and Dr. Kashfi focuses most of the time on what is discussed in lecture so make sure you master that information. A lot of times we would ask him if we needed to know mechanisms for reactions and he would answer either yes or no, but overtime I found that understanding mechanisms helped with remembering products, so I got in the habit of looking at the mechanisms anyway. You have to find an efficient method to study for this course and if what you did for the first exam doesn’t work out, change things around. Do not stick to the same methods thinking your grade will change next time. Be attentive in lectures and ask questions because you have no idea how many people will have the same question no matter how easy it may be. Make sure you do a lot of problems and don’t just try to get the answers, rather master the actual concept and with that you can solve any problem that comes your way because you would have the foundation. Go to recitation sessions and ask questions about things that you found unclear during lecture. Use Dr. Kashfi’s office hours. He is very helpful when you go talk to him. Make sure you put in the effort in the class, this course needs a 140%. It’s challenging but it really, if nothing else, will teach you how to study for the rest of your time at Sophie. Good luck!!! You can all do this.

Advice from Tatyana Nektalova

Having Professor Kashfi for General Chemistry should have introduced you to the high level of work ethic that is needed for succeeding in a challenging class. Nonetheless, you will need to devote more time and do even more hard work for Bio-Organic Chemistry. This class is all about time management and keeping up with the extensive amount of material.

For those of you who are accustomed to making outlines, I would suggest that you abandon this habit for Bio-Organic Chemistry. Though outlines are helpful for highlighting important points and condensing large amounts of material (when properly constructed), they require time that you simply don’t have. Furthermore, many people develop a false sense of security after making an outline and regret to understand that its creation is only a means of preparing to study for an exam. Instead, I would suggest reading the chapter before each lecture and taking any notes (in class or from the textbook) directly on the lectures slides. Reviewing the lecture material for at least one hour when you get home is also helpful because it reiterates relevant information.

In terms of the reaction mechanisms however, I found it helpful to make a color coded study sheet that illustrated the movement of electrons with arrows. In addition to diligently studying the mechanisms, it is important to do many practice problems. Use the practice problems given by Dr. Kashfi as a guide but make sure to do other problems that are at the end of the chapter. Keep the answer key closed when doing the problems and check your mistakes when you have completely finished. Finally, when studying for an exam go back to the questions you initially got wrong and see if you really learned the concept well enough to get the questions right the second time around. The best piece of advice I could give you is to stay on pace because having to catch up is not only difficult but it will interfere with your success in other classes.

Note: This advice has been deduced from the outcomes of my personal experiences. Each student should develop a plan that works best for him or her.

Advice from Daryl Bosompem

Wow, I would say entering into the fall semester, already having experienced Dr. Kashfi’s style and pace of teaching should prepare you for the work associated with Organic Chemistry. Similar to General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry requires time and patience to master. I found it helpful to read the chapters for lecture before AND after class to make sure that I had a solid grip on what was being taught. I found that additional study aides such as review books that covered most of the topics in lecture were also an instrumental part of my study habits. Although some people liked to do outlines (which I also did), if I was pressed for time, I made overview of each chapter covered in class just to get a gist of the chapter. When preparing for a quiz, make sure you review lecture notes and your slides because questions are bound to turn up. For tests, review all quizzes, previous tests, and lecture slides because they will all play a key role in understanding the material. Remember to complete homework on time and take quizzes seriously. This course requires a lot of work, so make use of recitation sessions, reviews, and study groups and set aside the extra time needed in order to fully grasp the material.

TEXTBOOKS FOR BIO-ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

|Textbook Name |Description |ISBN |

|Organic Chemistry (Wade, 6th |The basic organic chemistry textbook. Use this to read concepts, but also do the |0131478710 |

|ed) |recommended problems, as well as more. | |

|Solutions Manual – Organic |We highly recommend that you get the solutions manual along with the Wade textbook |0131478826 |

|Chemistry (Wade, 6th ed) |because it does a good job of solidifying concepts that you learn from the text after| |

| |you do the problems. Checking your answers against this guide is the only way to | |

| |make sure you truly understand the material. | |

|Organic Chemistry (Mcmurry, 4th|Some quiz and exam questions may end up coming from this textbook, especially part |0534238327 |

|ed) |IIs, so it’s a good idea to do practice problems from this book, too. The text | |

| |should also help clarify certain concepts you may be having trouble with. | |

GENETICS

Second year is starkly different from first year because you’ve finally settled down, and you’re no longer the fresh fish in the sea. You made it past your first BIOMED course, and are wiser for it. That doesn’t mean you should let your guard down; anything but, you should be kicking it up another notch. You’ve just finished reading all the advice we have to offer for orgo, but the other courses this fall semester can be just as demanding at times, so don’t take them lightly.

First up is genetics. This is one course that you will totally regret not going to recitation for. In fact, in many ways, the recitations for genetics are more important than the lectures. But you still have to go to lectures, you’ll hear things there that won’t be discussed anywhere else, and that will definitely end up on the exam. Trust us, we speak from experience. Homework is usually collected during recitation, so you have to be there. The homework for genetics is really the only way to learn how to solve the problems on exams. The teaching assistants are really helpful, and really want you to learn how to solve the problems in the homework, so don’t be afraid to ask them for help when you need it. If you don’t understand how to do any of the problems, or finishing them completely, don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone.

It was normal not to fully understand as many as 6 or 7 problems on the homework of 8 questions. Exam grades in the fifties were considered amazing (for our year, the professor “adjusted the grades” well, in her words, so you have nothing to worry about getting a 50). We cannot stress enough that getting a low numerical grade throughout the semester should not be cause for alarm; you probably will not get above an 85 on any of the exams, but you still could get an A for the course. That’s just the way it works, so stay on top of your grades, and try to talk to your teaching assistant and professor to make sure you are where you should be. Don’t fall behind. Do the homework and understand them each week. Try to read or skim through the assigned readings before each lecture to pick up things she won’t discuss in class. The key to genetics is understanding the homework problems.

A trick that a lot of us used, which we wish we had used before the final exam, is to see how the professor came up with the homework questions from the material given. Try to work backwards; after you’ve gotten the solution, see if you can reconstruct the question with the information given. Take out some information, add some other stuff, and twist the question around. Make variations of it. This is more or less how the exams are made. You’ll see that a lot of the exam questions echo homework questions you’ve done already, but with some major twists. The strategy you used for the homework may help somewhat, but it’ll only get you so far. Twist the homework questions around to make them harder while you’re studying. Write down your strategy until you have it down cold, and it’ll be a good start when tackling exam questions. Again, and we can’t stress this enough: GO TO RECITATION!

ADDITIONAL ADVICE FROM UPPER YEARS ON GENETICS

Advice from Kyrollis Attalla

Genetics doesn’t contain an excessive amount of reading as most other courses, however you do need to make sure you understand the material thoroughly. The material may at times seem confusing, but read the chapter carefully (they’re not too long) and be sure to answer supplementary questions and attend and complete recitation questions, as many of them appear on exams. Also, use recitation as a time to ask any questions you may have, and be active; recitation is an easy way to add twenty or so points to your grade.

Advice from Olivia Necola

For genetics, we learned overtime that to get a good grade on exams we needed to just do exactly what the TA’s were looking for. Memorization was key in this class. I personally used the exam review sheet and the slides hand in hand with the book to study for exams. I learned that our professor mainly asks questions about experiments. Our exams were difficult only in the sense that they were so vague and a lot of the vocabulary fill-in’s could’ve had more than one answer. However, when it came time for the long answer questions they were basic memorization of experiments and sometimes they were direct homework questions or questions from those in the book. To study for this course make sure you read the book and know it well, memorize key vocabulary words and understand all the experiments discussed. He usually gave us a review sheet for exams and that was our guide for studying for exams. A quick tip for studying experiments know this basic outline: Aim, Design/Methodology, Result and conclusion.

Advice from Tatyana Nektalova

Although Genetics is a City College course and many people wrongfully assume that it will be “easy”, it requires a respectable amount of study time. Despite the fact that the work load is smaller in comparison to Bio-Organic Chemistry, you have to develop a solid understanding of the concepts to apply your knowledge to different types of questions.

Professor Venkatesh gave organized lectures which served as a relatively reliable guide for the four exams. Moreover, he usually posted a review sheet on Blackboard before each exam which reinforced key test topics. Go over your exams before the final because the previous concepts are retested. Try to do your best on all of the exams even though one is dropped because they are all fair and present a decent opportunity to get a good grade.

Make an effort to attend every class because Dr. Venkatesh clearly and thoroughly answers questions about confusing experiments. Furthermore, go over recitation homework when studying for exams because some of these questions are reused. Going to recitation is not only a requirement but the teaching assistants clarify unclear topics and are usually very helpful.

Advice from Daryl Bosompem

Depending on the instructor you may have for this course may make things easier or harder for you. In any case, attending genetic recitation and completing the homework was an essential part of understanding concepts. Of course attending class was helpful too, but it was hard to ask questions or sometimes stay on the same pace with the teacher due to the large class size. Make sure that you read the chapter for lecture in advance and take notes from the textbook directly onto lecture slides. I found it pointless to make additional outlines for genetics because the lecture slides and specific notes from the textbook was all I needed to know for the class. The course is not the most demanding, but the material taught can become difficult to grasp if you do not take some time to comprehend it. In practicing for tests, make sure that you redo homework assigned in class, reread the lecture notes and do practice problems. Time is always an issue for this class, especially when taking tests (which are not multiple choice), so when going into the examination room be sure of the information and make sure you pace yourself with time. You will get most points on a test by doing the most out of all the questions you put an effort to on the test, not by answering every question. Don’t spend too much time on one question because, you will risk missing out on getting points to other questions that you may know more information to.

BIOSTATISTICS

Your other required course the fall semester is Biostatistics. Professor Jorgenson is really a great, kind man. He wants us to succeed in every way possible, and understands that we have other courses. He is very accommodating, and is democratic, most of the time. Before we get started on his coursework, the most important thing with him is professionalism. Don’t be late to class. Ever. That sounds harsh, but it’s true. He’ll let it slide the first few times, but after a few sessions, he won’t let you in if you’re more than five minutes late. He will take it out on the class if a lot of you are constantly late, which will translate to less leniency on his tests, and harder tests. Don’t even be five minutes late.

Don’t talk in class. I know this sounds childish, but if you act professional and respectful to him, he will help the class out. He liked our class, and offered us out of class review sessions for each exam, during which he outlined exactly which types of questions he will be asking, in which order, and how to solve them. The questions were more or less the same on the exam. He even took out a question we didn’t like! He is a very reasonable man, and wants everyone to get an A. The only way you won’t is if you screw yourselves and don’t take advantage of the fact that he basically gives you the answers. As for the material, you’ll need to buy his two required textbooks, but a supplemental that he basically uses to teach is Schaum’s Biostatistics Outline. It has lots of practice problems and really makes learning statistical tests easy. Get it, and read it often.

There is also a computer lab component to the course where you learn how to use a statistical program called SPSS. This happens once a week, and it is really important that you go. While he won’t test how to use SPSS on each exam, there is a big project at the end of the semester that has about ten problems that will take you at least a few days to completely in its entirety. You’ll want to make sure you know how to use SPSS for those tests before finals week rolls around and you’re scrambling studying for orgo, genetics, the biostatistics exam, and this project. Save the handouts you get during the lab time because they teach you how to conduct each test, and that’s what the final project is basically asking you to do.

Those are the keys to biostatistics. Pay attention in class. Be respectful and on time. Go to his review sessions. Ask questions. Go to lab, pay attention, and save those sheets. If Professor Jorgenson likes your class, he’ll be your best friend and your key to doing well because he wants us to do well in school and life.

ADDITIONAL ADVICE FROM UPPER YEARS ON BIOSTATISTICS

Advice from Kyrollis Attalla

The key to getting a good grade in biostatistics is paying close attention in lectures. Professor Jorgenson doesn’t try to trick you in the exams, and exam questions almost exactly mirror his lectures. Read the chapters he assigns (they are very short), do practice questions, and every student has the opportunity to get a perfect score on his exams. Also, don’t be afraid to ask professor Jorgenson any questions; he is extremely helpful and wants all his students to perform well in the course.

Advice from Olivia Necola

You may start out thinking ok this course is just math, but let me tell you that this is different than any mathematical course you’ve ever taken before. Biostat was more about memorizing formulas and learning how to apply them. Prof. Jorgenson is a great professor and he is very helpful and understanding when you talk to him. He truly cares that the students do well but you have to do your part. He gives more than one chance to do well by giving 3 exams and calculating grades a variety of different ways and taking your best average. You have to make sure you do a lot of problems for exams because I found that it was the best way to prepare. He clearly outlines the format of the test for you so that all that’s left is for you to memorize the formulas and do a lot of practice. The biggest assignment we had was our final paper which came out to approximately 45 pages per student. That was the only downer to the class only because it took everyone such a long time to finish and it was really tedious. I advise you to start early and you’ll be fine. Enjoy this class, it’s not bad if you do what you’re supposed to.

Advice from Tatyana Nektalova

Professor Jorgenson does everything possible to ensure the accomplishment of every student in his Biostatistics class. He clearly outlines his professional and academic expectations and holds every student accountable to them. This means that he expects a significant proportion of his class to excel and provides all of the resources to make this possible.

Dr. Jorgenson gives an outline for each exam which clearly defines the types of questions that he will ask. Though this outline is not exactly like the test, it is a reliable source of information that should be focused on. Together the lecture notes and the Schaumn’s Outlines: Beginning Statistics should serve as your prime sources for exam information. Despite being rather lengthy, I felt that the Biostatistics exams were generally fair and tested your knowledge of the material that was taught in class. Even the extra credit question at the end of each exam was directly from class notes. Professor Jorgenson’s exams are not meant to trick you and the questions are generally straight forward.

Classroom etiquette is just as important as doing well on exams and SPSS homework. Dr. Jorgenson does not tolerate it when people are late to class or when people talk during a lecture. He expects every student to attend each lecture and math lab/SPSS session. Attending the SPSS sessions is especially important because the skills learned there will be necessary for completing the end of the year paper.

All in all, being mindful of Professor Jorgenson’s expectations should ensure your progress in Biostatistics.

This concludes the Fall 2nd year Survival Guide. We hope that it helps you guys and girls out a lot. You’ve made it past the first year, and there’s only four more left. Doing well this semester will set you up for an excellent spring. If you did well in the first year, don’t be complacent this year. If you didn’t do too well first year, use this as a chance to start off well. If you have any questions, feel free to find an upper year and don’t be afraid to ask. If you feel like there should be more information included in this guide, please tell a Student Government Executive Board member or someone on the Survival Guide Committee so that we can help next year’s second years, too. Feel free to contact us at sophiegovt@ccny.cuny.edu. Good luck!

-----------------------

HOW TO SURVIVE

2nd Year, Fall Term

[pic]

Image taken from:

FALL

2009

Co-Founders of SD Survival Guides: Samuel Anandan (Class of 2008), Akeem Marsh (Class of 2007)

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download