[asdff]

Not in undergraduate chemistry at least. Maybe chem majors had it different. Organic chemistry 1 was basically rote memorization of various reactions and catalysts and their required conditions. Exam questions would be some organic molecule start and some organic molecule end result and you'd have to draw out each and every intermediary step to get to that end result. Organic chemistry 2 was exactly the same just more reactions to memorize. Biochem was a little easier since the exams didn't ask for full pathways but still pretty much pure memorization.

I hated these sorts off classes, where if you had your notes with you, you'd ace the exam and be able to explain everything. Passing or failing depended not on understanding, but simply whether you cram all the specifics and covered edge cases all into your head at once, given the rest of your present courseload preventing you from actually digging in to the best you could. Wrong answers didn't come from not knowing how to solve something, but not remembering exactly how to solve something.

[compass_copium]

You had a poor organic course. Even orgo 1 should have you thinking about resonance + electron-rich or -deficient areas of molecules and how those lead to reactions.

[asdff]

Of course we talked about those. But if you went off only those you'd miss the edge cases and gotchas the prof laid for you in step 8 of the synthesis. Couldn't get around just doing worksheet after worksheet after worksheet of reactions to try and drive it into your head. Going to office hours to beg for more practice reactions. Everyone scheduled the rest of their major around when they would have to take ochem to make sure the rest of it was as light as possible. Uncurved class averages would be in the 50s.

[throwup238]

That sounds like Caltech. The ochem major is notorious for how hard it is.

[selimthegrim]

I took it there and I don't think it was supposed to be harder than at other schools. They have to get the premeds through.

[zem]

I was lucky enough to have Morrison and Boyd as my undergrad ochem textbook. they built the material up really well from first principles.

[whattheheckheck]

And people clutch their pearls at ai not really understanding anything when people describe university experiences and lessons like this...

[asdff]

You understand it well enough for the real world use cases where you can say simply look up what conditions a particular rarely used catalyst might run at. No issues confusing it with another catalyst in your head in the real world.