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Ortho/Meta/Para
Saturday, 31 July 2010 16:52So the first organic chemistry test was one of those exams where I come out feeling pretty good, I wasn't overly flustered by the questions and I had high hopes for getting a good grade. This despite the test being on a Friday morning after a full week of regular classes, one week after another big test (chemistry #2), and after having crammed vast amounts of material into nine weeks of classes, 3-4 times a week.
I got a 66.
Now I'm studying for the second exam, with the hopes that enough cramming and a better idea of what's expected of me will lead to an 80+ grade. Of all the exams I took this year, this was probably the most fair, and the lecturer and TAs went out of the way to leave us with excellent study aids.
I'm looking at my test paper (when I can decipher the notes, not easy) and rereading the lecturer's presentations, and I can't believe some of the mistakes I made. I might have lost as many as 10 points just because I didn't draw the resonative forms for each stage of the reaction, in one question. I forgot the transition state for one of the elimination reactions. I forgot the difference between activating/deactivating and resonative/inductive effects. I hate this post-exam feeling of "WAUGH HOW COULD I MAKE SUCH A FOOLISH MISTAKE". It is the one thing I dread most about exams, right now: that even if I come out feeling good about it, a couple of weeks later I will have this huge HEADDESK moment.
My genetics score ought to be showing up in my inbox sometime before Wednesday. Meaning, in addition to studying and catching up on all my enantiomers and such, I might have a very unpleasant surprise to deal with. A surprise with no digit 9 in it. :( In other subjects, an 80 might please me, but in genetics I'd end up dissatisfied with anything less than 90.
In other news, the weather has reached new heights of boiling. Today I didn't bother even opening the shutters, because I don't want to let the hot air in.
I got a 66.
Now I'm studying for the second exam, with the hopes that enough cramming and a better idea of what's expected of me will lead to an 80+ grade. Of all the exams I took this year, this was probably the most fair, and the lecturer and TAs went out of the way to leave us with excellent study aids.
I'm looking at my test paper (when I can decipher the notes, not easy) and rereading the lecturer's presentations, and I can't believe some of the mistakes I made. I might have lost as many as 10 points just because I didn't draw the resonative forms for each stage of the reaction, in one question. I forgot the transition state for one of the elimination reactions. I forgot the difference between activating/deactivating and resonative/inductive effects. I hate this post-exam feeling of "WAUGH HOW COULD I MAKE SUCH A FOOLISH MISTAKE". It is the one thing I dread most about exams, right now: that even if I come out feeling good about it, a couple of weeks later I will have this huge HEADDESK moment.
My genetics score ought to be showing up in my inbox sometime before Wednesday. Meaning, in addition to studying and catching up on all my enantiomers and such, I might have a very unpleasant surprise to deal with. A surprise with no digit 9 in it. :( In other subjects, an 80 might please me, but in genetics I'd end up dissatisfied with anything less than 90.
In other news, the weather has reached new heights of boiling. Today I didn't bother even opening the shutters, because I don't want to let the hot air in.
