CHEM 2410

Orgo is one of the hardest classes you will take but there are many ways to succeed. I think Frantz gets a bad rep, but she in my opinion prepares you more as the information actually sticks and will help with the MCAT. The grading and how she teaches the class are honestly set up for you to at leat pass the class. The grading in this class is split into points. So in total, all assignments are worth 1000 points. Clicker questions are 140 points, warmup quizzes are 65 points, homework is 145 points, discussion is 100 points, midterms are 300 points, and the final is 250 points. I will discuss each individually.

Warmup/Homework: These are mainly practice problems related to each reading. Before each lecture, there is a warmup that is based on completion. You have to get a certain amount right to get full credit. These are easy points so make sure you aren't waiting till the last minute to do them. Homework sets are 15 questions due every week except for the week with exams. This is based on correctness. You have three attempts for each question so use them wisely. I do recommend that you lean on others for some problems as I felt some were difficult. Also, even if you do miss some points, you can still get full credit in these categories.
Lecture: During the lectures, she has clicker questions. These are based on completion so as long as you answer you can get credit. She makes it so that you can miss at most two weeks' worth of clicker questions and still get full credit.
Discussion: This is an opportunity to practice so I recommend going even though your lowest two grades from discussion get dropped. It is also mandatory. You can ask TAs for help on the questions given.
Exams: There are three exams, all worth around 150 points each. The lowest of the three gets dropped. One thing I like about her is that she allowed for test corrections which gave you back 50% of the points lost. This was a lifesaver as it allowed for me to get a higher grade in the course. With the test corrections, I had a B average for exams. To study for her exams, I recommend going over discussion questions, Friday practice questions, and questions from the textbook. I also recommend finding the answer key for the textbook as it is really helpful for assignments and studying. I will say exams are the category I lost the most points on. In my opinion, her tests are hard but not impossible.
Final Exam: This is the hardest test you will encounter from her. I will be quite clear her final was mainly exam 2 and 3 content with a sprinkle of acid base. I'm not saying don't study stuff on exam 1, but you mainly want to focus on exams 2 and 3 things, specifically addition, substitution, and elimination reactions.

In all, you are very capable of getting an A in the class. I had an A- in the class until the final which bumped me down to a B+. If you have a perfect score or a higher grade in all the categories and at least a high c average in the exams, you are very capable of getting a good grade. I cannot stress this enough, you need to PRACTICE. Practice until it feels like repetition. It might feel tedious but in the end it will work in your favor #tCFF23

The class is very easy to get a passing grade in, provided you complete all of the Clicker questions, online Homeworks and online Warm-ups. Frantz uses PollEverywhere for the Clicker questions and Warm-ups/HW assignments are assigned through WileyPLUS. You have to do these assignments quite often, but if you have a study group that communicates often, you shouldn't miss any of them.

Your Discussion section TAs will answer every question you have and will check your work for you. As long as you engage them, it should be easy to get a good discussion grade overall.

The exams are the hardest part about Frantz's class. They are extremely difficult and require more application of advanced concepts than in anywhere else in the class. This makes it exceptionally difficult to ace them. Find an answer key for the textbook online, and run through all of the practice problems for each chapter that you're progressing through. If you do this, it will make your life much easier.

Thankfully, the lowest mid-term (of 3) is dropped, and you can get half points back through exam corrections after each mid-term. Even if you got a 50 on a midterm, you can still do exam corrections and end up with a 75.

Listen to Frantz, study every day, and try your best to understand the concepts. Memorization works until you get nervous, but understanding the concepts will assist your memory and will help you with those weird never-seen-before questions on the exam.

I would 100% recommend taking Orgo I with Frantz. Although this class is hard no matter what, she's an excellent professor who really knows her stuff. She makes homework and in-class clicker points a significant part of your grade, which is very helpful to balance out the exams. The corrections for half points back and the one dropped midterm are extremely useful and make the exams slightly less stressful since there's room for error. The best way to study for the exams is to really know the reagents, do the practice problems in the textbook, and memorize everything that she says to memorize (pKas, functional groups, solvents, etc). Orgo is a LOT, but you really bond with your classmates and discussion groupmates over getting through it. The TAs are incredibly helpful, especially when correcting exams. They really know their stuff and can often explain concepts in a more digestible manner in a one-on-one environment. Frantz goes FAST during lectures, and I almost always had to update my notes after class. The only way to make this teaching style work for you is to actually read the assigned sections and take detailed notes before class so that you can simply listen to her and add the few things she includes on her slides that you missed. This is not a class where you can come into lecture without taking notes beforehand. Orgo is one of the most difficult STEM classes, but it is 100% possible to be successful if you put in the effort and study/practice consistently. #tCFF23

Orgo is one of the hardest STEM classes, that is no lie. I got a B+ in this class and was at an A up until the final. It is true what everyone has said about Frantz's final, but I think people also give her too much hate. I'll start off with what I thought about her and then go into details about the class, plus some advice.
Frantz: I think she gets a lot of undeserved hate. This class is hard, and you know that coming in. She does tell you how to survive her class: do the readings, do many practice problems, do all the assigned work, ask her questions sooner rather than later, and focus on quality studying over quantity. That being said, you will put a lot of hours into this class. I took notes while I read and did many practice problems to study. Frantz's lectures go through content really fast because she expects you to have read/skimmed the reading. She will take the time to answer questions in class, and I felt she slowed down on more difficult topics. I loved how she took the time to get to know students who would introduce themselves to her, including myself. If you introduce yourself to her during office hours, she will remember your name. If you then ask/answer questions in class, she will call you by your name. It made the class feel more personal. Orgo will be hard no matter whom you take it with, but Frantz is more forgiving in points than others have made her out to be. There are a lot of opportunities for smaller points that you should do your best to get near perfect scores on.
Homework: There is a lot of homework, and a lot of studying. There is an assigned reading for each lecture, even right after exams. I recommend you take detailed notes while you read and add to them in lecture. There are many practice problems in the textbook. Get the Klein solution manual in some way. It is worth your money/web search to find a copy and get the practice answers. There is a warmup quiz every night before lecture. The number of questions will vary, as they are adaptive. The more you get right, the sooner you finish. At the end of each week, she has a weekly homework that is harder than the warmup quizzes. If you have the solutions manual, some of the answers are there if you know where to find the question in the textbook. But make sure you can do the homework problems without looking at the answer. I would only use the solutions manual to double check your work. Do not skimp on practice problems.
Discussion: Weekly, mandatory. Hope you get a good team. The TAs go over the answers to those problems, and as long as you have their answers, you're good to go. There is an extra credit opportunity each time. Try them, even if you aren't sure. Little points really add up in this class.
Lecture: She posts old recordings, but I always preferred going to in-person lecture. She has iClicker questions in class that are part of the participation grade. The questions she asks are super easy compared to literally any other orgo question you will encounter. Easy points, take advantage of them. She goes through content really fast on Mondays/Wednesdays. Fridays are practice.
Tests: Hard, but not unreasonable. Do many practice problems, and you should be able to apply it to the exam. Do integrated practice problems. Review the weekly homework and discussion problems because that is the closest you will get to her exam difficulty. Her exams can be challenging, but they aren't things you've never seen before in class. Like I said, she's more forgiving in points than others made her out to be. Out of three midterms, she drops the lowest exam score. She also gives the opportunity for half points back on each exam with test corrections. With her grading policy, she and the TAs give points where they can on the test. If you have perfect scores in the minor categories and average C's or higher on her midterms, you could get an A in this class. Her exams are cumulative in the sense that what you learn in
September will still apply later in the semester, though exam 1 content is not part of the focus in exam 2/3.
Office hours: I found them helpful. Ask her early when you get confused, as opposed to later. Everything builds on previous concepts in this class.
Final: Her final dropped my letter grade from an A/A- to a B+. However, it is the same style of questions as her midterms. There's nothing unreasonable, it's just a lot more questions that span the entire course content. Expect to do around the same/slightly worse than you averaged on your midterms before test corrections. It's a challenging final, but again, if you average C's or higher on the midterms and bring them up to B's/A's you could get an A.
Tips: Do a lot of practice. Study functional groups/pKas, anything she says to memorize. Create a reaction journal and add to it for every mechanism you learn. Know reagents and what they do to a compound. This is a hard class, but you can do it. (#tCFfall22)

RUN. I literally cannot emphasize how important it is that you turn around, pick literally any other professor and run away. If you are taking orgo you're either a) pre-med and taking it against your will or b) you are a chem major and should be placed on a watchlist. Whatever the reason, Frantz is not your girl I promise you that. Orgo is obviously a very hard class that covers very very hard concepts that will have you questioning your will to live on just about a daily basis. You do not need to take it with professor who enjoys torturing her students in order to meet her own satisfaction levels of understanding of complex (beyond intro level) concepts. I could quite literally write 5 more pages why this woman has single handedly put me into therapy, but I will just say do not let the retests fool you. You are much better off taking this course with any of the professors who do not spend their free time plotting how to make their students hate themselves. BFFR and do yourself a favor. #tCFfall22

Frantz gets a really bad rep, and I came into this class absolutely terrified. I did not do super well in my general chemistry classes, and was thinking I would do significantly worse in orgo because of it. However, I realized from the beginning that it takes a significant amount of work and dedication, and you'll be pretty much fine. She's a tough lecturer, but very straightforward in her explanations which works for me. Keeping up with weekly readings, doing homework with the intent of learning and practicing, attending all the lectures, going to her in person office hours, focusing during discussions, were all things that ended up making a difference as I studied for my midterms. I maintained a 95 overall throughout the semester, and was super proud of myself even though that was not my final grade! I did my absolute best while maintaining a balance with my life, and though I was extremely disappointed with the turnout, I know I did the best I could with what I had.
Even the final was not as bad as I anticipated. If I had gotten just a few more points in each category, I would have ended up with a 90. Unfortunately Frantz does not curve. So if you're me next year, do that one extra practice problem, do that one extra credit problem during discussion, give it your all, and it could end up being the difference between a B+ and an A-.

I am not going to lie, I cried a lot during this course lmfao.

This is what I wish I knew going in: This class really taught me how to study. Please start reading the chapters during syllabus week. I waited, and definitely was cramming for honestly the rest of the semester. Do the in-chapter problems WHILE reading to get a better understanding of the chapter, and do this before lecture (I was not perfect at this, and was stressed later-hence crying). Try to also do the practice problems just in general so that you are studying a little bit everyday. I wish I had done that this sem and will be attempting this better in Orgo 2 as I know I'd be less stressed if I had spaced out things a bit more. There is SO much content that you cannot just cram (or you will and not do super well).

The first test is (arguably) the easiest, so please try your best to score as high as you can on it, as for me it was the thing that really held my grade over, as the other exams tend to have a lower trend as they progress (bc they get harder). Try and anki everything she says to memorize, and review content often. Orgo is really a marathon of a class if you are going for the A.

Reviewing old tests, integrated problems, office hours, going over practices in class and discussion questions are very good (and all needed) ways to study to succeed. Try not to cram for this class please, I regret my exam 2 very much because I was not keeping up with content and crammed near the end. This being said!! I obviously was not perfect with my studying and had harder dips with my exams, but I still ended up with an A in the class, so perfection is not needed, just conscious effort. This class did end up messing with my mental health this semester, and I will say with her 50% back corrections and cushion grades a B+/A- is very very do-able even if you are scoring B/Cs on her exams. The final is the big one as it has no corrections, and that can make or break your grade.

Honestly, doing practice problems AND understanding the conceptual elements of this class is the what you need to succeed. You do not have to be perfect in every exam or in studying or whatever, as there are many ways for the grades to be cushioned, but studying every day will decrease your stress by so. so. much, rather than cramming (like I did).

Me and my friends had actual nightmares about the final afterwards though hahahhahaa.
#tCFfall22

TLDR: It's organic chemistry so of course it's hard. But you will survive! I did! (barely).

Okay, let me start off by clarifying that chemistry is most definitely NOT my strong-suit. I came into this class very doubtful in my own abilities to succeed in this course, especially due to the reputation that surrounds it. I see some other reviews provided a nice breakdown of the course, so I'll skip that part. I ended this course with a B-, close to a flat out B, which I was honestly fine with. On the midterms, my grades got worse over time. I got a B on the first one with corrections, but that slowly dropped with each exam. My biggest bone to pick with this course is the drastic difference between the problems we are given to practice on, and the exams. All of the warm-up quizzes, homework, and even textbook practice problems don't really come close to the open-ended problems on the exams. The only ones that get sort of close are in Friday practices and discussions. I do think that Dr. Frantz is a good lecturer, and attending those often helped to clarify confusing topics. Many people have less appealing opinions of her teaching style, but to be honest I didn't really mind her. My advice would be to get 100's in all the other categories (homework, discussions, warm-up quizzes...) because it does offer a nice cushion. The final is nasty. The other reviews don't lie. However, it is not impossible. I spent many, many, many hours studying for it (probably like 30 hours total) because I needed to do well relatively well in order to not drop a letter grade. I succeeded in my goal, and kept my B. While taking the final, I did not feel completely helpless, but it was definitely very difficult due to the immense amount of material it covered. I do feel like if you have to take orgo 2 with Franz, you'll be better off having taken it with her first semester. It would be a culture shock to come into her class from another professor. Good luck! Orgo is just hard in general so just do your best.

I got an A in this course and I wanted to share some helpful information for those going into it. I just want to start by saying don't panic. It will all work out. I broke up the review into the course and the instructor.

The Course:
Grade breakdown:
- Clicker Questions (15%), Warmup Quizzes (5%), Homework Questions (15%), and Discussion (10%)
- 3 Midterms (30%) and Final (25%)

My advice:
- I would definitely agree that if you follow her advice that she gives you at the beginning of the semester you will do well.
- Midterms: Practice explaining why (there was typically always a question that required you to explain), do the questions at the end of the chapter, and re-do discussion questions and understand them
- Final: The final is comprehensive and covers almost every chapter from the course. I was really afraid for this final, but it turned out okay.

The Instructor:
The big question... should you take Orgo 1 with Frantz? I would say yes for Orgo 1 specifically.
She's not perfect and has flaws like every professor, but she also has a lot of buffer grades that helps you get at least a C+/B-. The warmup quizzes are graded on completion, the clicker questions are only graded on attendance, you have drops on attendance and warmup quizzes, and they give us the answers at the end of the discussion. Also, you take 3 midterms and get 1 drop. She is a bit intimidating as a professor, but she's intelligent. Orgo 1 is the foundational course for Orgo 2 and in case you can't get Samonina in the Spring it helps to start with Frantz.

Frantz is genuinely not a nice professor at all. Most of us are taking it because we want to put in the work and understand how difficult it will be, yet she still manages to make every student in her class feel like they are unprepared and cannot obtain a good grade in the class.

Readings Monday and Wednesday are bearable, and there's quizzes due every Sunday night, Tuesday night, and Thursday night which are also pretty easy. My advice is get FULL points on every homework (due every sunday, 25 questions), every discussion, and every quiz. Really throughout the semester you must keep up on every reading and assignment or you will fall majorly behind. Another lovely thing about Frantz? Even if you have an 89.9, you get a B+. The three midterms are super challenging, but doable and the corrections allow you to get half percent back. With a drop, corrections, and 100% in all other areas, you will probably have an A before the final and feel super proud. That's what I had and was overjoyed since my twelve works of extremely hard work paid off.

Well, buckle in. The final exam will drop you at least a letter. I worked for two weeks and perfected every single topic. I did every problem in the textbook, redid every exam discussion and friday practice, and went in feeling great. Came out of it feeling mediocre but confident that I would pass with at least a 65% to obtain a B+. Received my final grade for the course and? It dropped 10%. Over one final exam (which has an incredibly low average and no corrections). Devastating because after 12 weeks of nonstop effort and good grades, one exam changes it all.

If you have to take Orgo with Frantz, you will be fine. I remember seeing messages about her before enrolling in her class and being terrified. It's doable, but prepare yourself for massive disappointment. She is not encouraging, and will constantly make you question if you should even be pre-med (or whatever STEM major you are). Her lectures are insanely fast so make sure you have notes to add to before class rather than just taking them for the first time in class. Just buckle in and prepare to work HARD. She is kind of the worst ever and patronizes every kid in her class. Don't let this class demoralize you...

This class is hard, but doable if you put in A LOT of effort. There are readings twice a week and make sure you do them and ideally also do the practice problems within each chapter. Frantz BLITZES through content so doing the readings ensures that you actually know whats going on when shes moving at mach 5 through the slides. For the exams, the biggest things to study imo are the discussion problems (which are very similar to exam questions), the practice problems at the end of each chapter (especially the integrated problems), and the in class clicker/practice questions. Exams are TRICKY. There are some questions on exams that I am sure that not even 10% of the class got right. She does not go easy on you. But at the same time, the exams are fair for the most part. Theyre difficult, but most of the material is stuff that she has gone over in class and done practice with. The hardest questions usually make you have to take concepts youve learned and apply them in different situations, so make sure you understand why stuff is happening the way its happening. Also there is a good bit of memorization, but its completely doable if you spend a little time with it.

Frantz is a good teacher when it comes to teaching content, but she makes some questionable decisions imo. Like we'll have an exam that ends at 8:30 PM and then have a reading due at 11:59 which no one does bc why would you do a reading thats not on the exam?? Its just more information than youll need to know, and then after the exam you only have a few hours to do the reading. Understandably no one does that reading, and then she gets upset in class that nobody did it. Like ?? But other than some stuff like that shes good.

A lot of the points that go to the final grade are gimme points, but the real make or break points are the exams. You can drop the lowest midterm which is nice, but make sure you try hard on every midterm so you have a good buffer for the final. The final is a BEAST. Its completely doable, but it combines a lot of topics from the entire semester so you really gotta know everything. The key to this class is Study Study Study. This is not a class where you can study the night before the exam and get away with it. But if you do commit to studying, you can definitely pull off a good grade. As hard as this class is, youll get through it. And you may even enjoy parts of it!

#tCFfall22

For my fellow mentally ill students:
I’m not trying to scare you or stop you from taking this class. I just want you to be as prepared as possible. I don’t care if your anxiety hasn’t been a big issue in the past. I don’t care if your previous professors have understood that sometimes you’ll miss class because you’re depressed. Frantz DOES. NOT. CARE. Get SDAC accommodations ASAP before taking this course because she’d rather watch you burn and beg for help in front of her. The only thing stopping her from completely letting her students drown is SDAC. Use those accommodations. And if you can take another professor, PLEASE take the other professor.

Pros:
- good textbook
- Frantz gives up to 50% back of missed points on test corrections
- one test is dropped
- lots of practice in class

Cons:
- 15% of your grade is iclicker/attendance
- lectures not recorded
- least accommodating professor. Frantz doesn’t care if your mom is in the hospital, you’re dealing with medication withdrawal, or you got in a car crash and are in the hospital (all real scenarios from ppl I know!)
- no test makeups (better hope you never get sick)
- insane amount of weekly assignments
- very memorization-based

Tips for success:
- download the student manual to Organic Chemistry by David Klein
- do integrated practice problems from the textbook
- if you ever need accommodations, get official documentation asap from SDAC or your academic dean
- do regular flashcards on things you need to memorize, like pka values
- DONT TAKE THIS TOO SERIOUSLY. Your health, happiness, etc are all more important than this class. Don’t go nuts

And the final? Aha… ha… ha

Yes, you have to study your butt off for Orgo. NO ONE is kidding. If you fall behind even a little bit, it will be very hard for you to catch up. But I am here to talk about Frantz. I think she is really rude. She laughed at people a couple times in class- someone asked "Will we be expected to know these values on the exam?" and she laughed. She really wants you to learn the most you can out of orgo, so she makes it really difficult so you remember the most. At this level, that is not manageable with the amount of info that is being pumped out to us. You will be SO much better trying Samonina or Chruma, which don't make you memorize as much on exams. Frantz's final was absolutely ridiculous, that I didn't even feel bad about myself after I left because it was that hard. I think Frantz caters more to E school kids and and the rest of us regulars can't keep up- but she doesn't care who you are or what your strengths are- everyone is expected to do the same.

You have to study for Orgo A LOT in general, but I think you will have better luck with literally anyone else other than Frantz.

Dr. Frantz knows her stuff and is willing and able to explain it-- she is somewhat intimidating from afar, but when you talk to her one-on-one, I found her to be extremely kind and patient.

This class definitely has a lot of work involved-- she recommends on the first day of class to read the textbook (which is a great resource!) and take handwritten notes prior to the lecture that covers those sections. In addition to notetaking, there is also a short warm-up quiz due the night before each lecture and a weekly homework that can take anywhere from 1-3 hours (albeit I go at a slower pace, YMMV). This is altogether a lot of work and assignments to keep track of, but really taking the time to learn from these will help in the course. Her lectures can help to clarify concepts/certain aspects that she may test on, but I found I got a lot more out of lecture (i.e. the in-class practice problems) when I came prepared with pre-written notes. I would not suggest solely relying on lecture for understanding the content.

As for discussions, mine typically went for an hour and a half on average, but it really depends on how much time the TA's give for the small groups to work on the problems and how long they take to review them. Discussions are mandatory, but essentially solely participation-based. It can be worth it to stay longer to work on the challenge problems with your group, but they are closed-note and the difficulty varies. Still, you potentially get extra points back on exams (?) at the end of the semester.

Finally, the tests-- I personally found the midterms to be a lot fairer than I was expecting going into them. If you understand the content well enough to explain it to classmates, you should be in good shape. I found that the best resources to prepare were study groups, her recommended problems, reading through notes, and looking over discussion/in-class/homework questions. They're generally free-response, so make sure you know your stuff versus relying on recognition. If she says that you should know something (e.g. pKa values), make sure you know them! Test corrections are life-saving and worth doing! The final was a lot more challenging than anticipated, relies on concepts learned throughout the semester that you may not have used in a while, and there are no test corrections/curves. #tCFfall2021

All of the other reviews about this class are pretty accurate. Expect to have to do a ton of work if you want to do well. The readings before class are not optional. You need to do them every time to succeed. It is difficult to get an A in this class but very easy to pass. The test corrections are clutch, and they basically ensure that you won't fail the class if you put in effort. I really liked Frantz, and I learned a lot in this class. This class is probably harder to get an A in than the other orgo professors, but you are going to learn more. I would still recommend taking Frantz since orgo 2 is much harder than orgo 1, and you'll get a better foundation from Frantz than the other professors. 45% of the grade is an easy 100%, and 30% are from the midterms (which have test corrections). The final was very challenging, but I still ended up getting an A in the class. My biggest piece of advice would be to do every single extra recommended problem in the back of the book and to BUY THE ANSWER KEY! Once I did this, my grades and understanding improved a ton. Hard work will pay off in this class!

I'm going to preface this by saying that I have never written a course forum review before, but I felt it necessary given that most of the current reviews on this page are not the most accurate representation of the class. The class is structured with 3 midterms (each 10%, corrections to get half points back), clicker and homework questions (45%, easy to get full points), and the final (25%, no corrections). I think our class averages for the midterms were 73, 65, and 53 (before corrections) and the final was probably around a 50. My advice is to do all the assigned readings for the week on the weekend prior to going to class. This will give you a better understanding and allow you to remember the information better. I studied for about an hour each day before lecture as if we were getting quizzed on the info (which worked for me but might not be necessary for everyone). My goal was to be comfortable with the information before seeing it in lecture. However, you should be studying daily just because of the sheer amount of information. There is a lot of memorization, but try to understand why things happen because it makes it easier to remember. Pay special attention to problems during discussion (similar level of difficulty to exam). To prepare for exams I would do all the recommended textbook problems she assigns and do ALL the integrated problems. There is usually a problem or two on each exam that is pulled straight from the integrated problems. I would study the new information daily and start studying for exams 1-2 weeks in advance by doing a ton of practice problems. The reviews on this page make the final out to be impossible. This gave me so much stress and anxiety leading up to the exam. It is very long and tedious, but the problems are no harder than the problems you have been doing all year (still around the difficulty as integrated problems). My mistake was taking other course reviews to heart and thinking that this is an impossible class. It is not. You have to be willing to put in a lot of work, but I promise the constant studying and hard work pays off in the end. A lot of people would procrastinate and wait until the last minute to study which I do not recommend. I was a little discouraged with my midterm grades (without corrections a 82, 73, and 80) as I didn't think they reflected how much I worked/how much I knew. However, being able to learn from your mistakes with test corrections is really helpful. I was able to score around a 88 on the final so succeeding in this class is definitely possible.

On to Frantz. I think she gets a lot of unnecessary hate. Her exams are tough but fair. Her class is super interesting but can be overwhelming if you do not prepare. My big complaint is that she introduces new content (for the next exam) on exam week, which I found a little inconsiderate. However, I firmly believe she gives you all the tools necessary to succeed. Other reviews make it seem like she is never available for help. That is not true, I would say she is very available. She holds office hours, and says that we can always email her to schedule time for help or to just talk about life/things in general.

Succeeding in orgo is about you. Everyone will have a different experience, and different study techniques work better for different people. My main piece of advice is to keep a positive mindset. I have always been someone that has to work twice as hard as others to keep up, so this class gave me a lot of anxiety and imposter syndrome. I wish I enjoyed the class a little more and didn't worry as much. Keep working hard, learn from your mistakes and adjust study habits if necessary, and try to enjoy the information and I promise everything will work out in the end!

Take everything said about Frantz with a grain of salt. People like to complain about stuff and organic chemistry is a very hard class, which makes it easy to complain about. Orgo 1 is considered a walk in the park compared to Orgo 2, so it is best to get a really good teacher who will prepare you for Orgo 2. If you can't get Samonina, I would highly recommend Frantz. I think she is a good professor and going to give you a very fair shot at getting a good grade in this challenging course.
First off, I enjoyed the structure of her class (Mon./Wed. are lectures, Fri. is practice problems) because she gives you a lot of chances to practice the material. She gives a lot of "easy" points. There are daily quizzes before class and weekly HW and you can basically get 100s on all of them. It seems like a lot of assignments at first, but they are super helpful in terms of understanding the material and you get used to it. You also get a lot of discussion and iClicker points that help your grade a ton so make sure you do those. The 3 midterms are very reasonable. You get 1/2 points back on the midterms through corrections which is a great grade boost. Even if you bomb one, your grade can still be okay in the end. The final gets a lot of hate but I thought that it was relatively reasonable. Obviously it was hard, but if you genuinely understood the material throughout the course and studied a lot you will do fine.
For this semester, our class average was an 84%. Overall I got an A-. I am not a chem genius, but I did put a whole lot of work into this class. Here is some of my advice:
1. My biggest piece of advice is to study throughout the course, Frantz tells you this on the first day. She is not joking. Make sure you are constantly reviewing topics. I had flashcards with me at all times and tried to study the material a bit every day.
2. Put in 100% effort through out the course because, in the end, every point matters and could be the difference between a 89.5% and a 90.0%. I know too many people who did well on the first exam, started slacking because they thought they could get away with it and ended up being super unhappy with their final grade. Do the EC discussion points, they can make a difference in the end.
3. Before coming to class make sure that you have done the readings. Her lectures are very beneficial if you have already been exposed to the material. I did all of the reading for the upcoming week on the weekend so I had the whole week to really understand the info. This made such a difference and, although it was kind of exhausting, I would HIGHLY recommend this strategy.
4. The integrated problems at the back of the book, the HW, discussion problems, and the Friday practice problems are super similar to the exam questions. Some of our exam problems even seemed to be based on these questions. Do them to study.
5. If possible, do not take other challenging courses while taking this course. I know for some people's schedules that is not possible, but it is easiest to succeed in orgo if you are just focusing on orgo.
At the end of the day, this class is emotionally exhausting. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the material and thought it was super interesting, but it was still super stressful. This is not a fault of the professor, it is just the truth of a medical school weed out course.

Honestly I think that a lot of people just like to complain about this class. While it was by no means easy, I would say that Frantz was a good and respectable teacher and did her best to cover the wide range of material that we needed to know within the constraints of class time. There are three main pieces of advice that I would give to anyone who needs to take this class: 1. When Frantz says to review every day, she absolutely means it. I did this pretty consistently throughout the semester and it makes everything much less stressful when test time rolls around. 2. Aim for 100's on the midterms. Not kidding. I know this isn't necessarily a realistic goal, but the point of me saying it is to emphasize how important it is to keep your grade as high as possible. Which brings me to 3. The final exam will be one of the most difficult tests that you take in your undergraduate career. There's no sugar coating it. I spent an entire week studying for around 8 hours a day and still struggled. This is probably the one bone I have to pick with Frantz, but I also understand that she has to make her class difficult in some way, and she does provide test corrections on midterms and lots of participation points throughout the semester to help offset it.
While this certainly wouldn't be a course I would take by choice, I definitely learned a lot and think that Frantz was not nearly as bad as many like to say. Go to office hours, do the practice problems in the book, and go to class and you will make it through.

This class is very much a weed out class. Frantz is a pretty nice person but her lecture style with clicker might not be for everyone as she goes pretty in depth, and expects memorization of lots of charts, graphs, and values the other classes are given on exams. There are people who succeed with Frantz but if you are unsure of your major or procrastinate a lot I wouldn't recommend because it will not be a fun experience. The homework clicker and discussion points make up almost half of your grade so try to get all of those points because exams are sometimes brutal. There are 3 exams for a total of (30%). The exam before the final had an average of a 50 or 60 so try to do well on the first two to set yourself up well for the final. That said the final was pretty rough and makes up almost the same amount as the exams but without corrections like the others(25%). The class is hard and stressful and I would have definitely preferred another instructor like Chruma, but if you do get Frantz it's not the absolute end of the world.

Professor Frantz tells you day one what you need to do in order to do well in this class. DO IT. She is not kidding when she says it requires studying basically every single day. If you do exactly what she tells you, you will do well. It just requires more work than your average class. Here's what worked for me: Read the text book BEFORE class! Use lectures to add to those notes. After lectures, go over the notes and fill in anything blank / reorganize. Do the suggested in chapter practice problems for that day. A week before exams, start hard core studying. The more practice the better. Do the end of chapter suggested practice problems, specifically the integrated and challenge problems. This class seems daunting and don't get me wrong its a lot of work. But there isn't any reason to be scared of it, as long as you are willing to put in the work

Focus on understanding the concepts that are delivered. Constantly review SQ3R style and you should have success. The three midterm exams get corrections, so they are pretty low impact (10% each, w/ corrections making them effectively 5%). The final is more consequential at 25% w/o corrections. The rest of the class is participation, where if you consistently do your homework and attend class, you get full points (45%). This is not a class to skip, so make sure you have a class before this one to create accountability. Also ask the stupid questions when Frantz walks around as she is quite helpful at explaining things. Her office hours are also nice to attend if you don't have class. Otherwise, good luck and hopefully the final didn't go too poorly :)

I am telling you right now you need to run. Frantz is the worst professor you could possibly have. Honestly, I think the upperclassmen lied to us 2nd years, so they could get the GOOD professor Samonina. They claim Frantz prepares you better for the MCAT...that's a lie. A complete lie. This woman will destroy your will, she finds joy in the class not understanding her and is not helpful. She's the kind of professor that simply REFUSES to answer your question, no matter how confused you are. Instead, she'll beat around the bush and waste your time.

Once, she casually mentioned that we'd have to memorize a bunch of carbonyls after a student asked a random question. None of us were aware and she said it at the very last minute. Her response to our shock? "I hope none of you want to go to medical school". Her exam averages are a complete disaster, if it weren't for her having exam corrections, this woman would be out of a job.

She needs to be fired. Immediately. As I write this I am preparing for her final which is known to be absolutely horrible and a gpa destroyer. Our latest exam average was 53%. by the way :) Please if you have any love for yourself, take Chruma or try to get Samonina. Unfortunately, she's hard to get if you arent a 3rd or 4th year because of enrollment priority, but please just avoid this woman. Chruma is better than her. Anyone is better. I hope after what I'm sure are very desperate course evaluations, UVA will at the very least increase Samoninas's class size.

Took this online (will be different if in person). Dr. Frantz expects students to work every day on ochem or at the very minimum at least 7 hours per week. This class requires a decent amount of practice but as long as you do the work that she gives, you should be fine. Her final is cumulative so make sure you keep reviewing previous chapters and you should be good to go! Best of luck. If you have any issues, feel free to contact her as she provides countless opportunities to do so.

I came into this class with the normal fear of organic chemistry, but it turned out okay! I took Welch 1st semester of gen chem and then Lisa the second semester. I think Lisa helped me prepare a bit more for this class. Frantz structures the class with three exams (10% each), homework/ discussion points (45%), and a final exam (25%). She does test corrections on each of the three-semester tests which allows you to gain up to 50% of the points you missed back. She build in that you will miss points on homework and discussions so that 45% should be a 100%. Then if you can manage to be around the 70% range before test corrections you will end with an 85% avg on the three tests. Then comes the daunting final (which if you prepare is really not as bad as people make it out to be. Because it normally is hard though expect to do around how you did on the third test before test corrections (in all the final normally seems to bring people down from an A -> A- , B -> B- etc.) My highschool chemistry was not great, but with hard work and Frantz's great teaching (and want for her students to succeed) I pulled off an A-. Therefore, it is definitely doable if you are willing to put in the effort. No matter what, organic chemistry is just a hard class. #tCF2020

#tCF2020
I thought the class was okay until the final where everyone’s grade blew up in their face. She offered test corrections for the first three exams, but the final will drop your grade a couple of letters. Take with caution

HARD. WORK. PAYS. OFF.
Do not procrasinate! This class is great if you understand the material and enjoy chemistry! Professor Frantz cares about your understanding beyond the textbook, make sure to go to her or TAS office hours! The exams reflect concepts on the discussions and Klein. Do not think you are not capable of suceeding based on horror stories of ORGO in general. You can do it. Just practice and MARK what you get wrong in practice problems, it will help you so much. I got an A both semesters and will gladly give tips to anyone who asks me because I really think this class is based one engagement and effort and I think anyone can suceed, regardless if you took Chem in highschool or at UVA.
#tCF2020

While organic chem is obviously quite hard, I think Professor Frantz gives you the best shot at a good understanding of orgo as well as a decent grade. There are plenty of points padded into your grade to boost it, and the mid-semester exams are only worth 10% each. The exams are hard but fair, and although Frantz is kind of a savage, she makes herself very available in office hours or whenever you need extra help.

This is an extremely difficult course. Reading the textbook BEFORE class is essential because Frantz goes through the class material very quickly. Frantz does clicker questions, but she only grades for participation, which is very helpful. Frantz does test corrections (after you take the exam, you get to redo all the problems you missed and get up to 50% credit back for the problems you missed), which makes the exams more manageable. However, the final is INSANELY difficult. There is nowhere near enough time to complete a final of the difficulty Frantz gives. The best thing about this class are the TAs. My TA, Vik, was phenomenal! He would quiz us in class to test our understanding, and he was SUPER helpful in office hours and very understanding. I 100% would have failed this course if it weren't for him. I recommend scheduling a one-on-one meeting with Frantz early in the semester even if you are doing well in the course. The exams get successively difficult, and if you don't meet with her/get her advice in the beginning of the semester, she won't help in the end. All that to say, Frantz is a very knowledgeable professor and she knows orgo material very well. You will need to spend a lot of time on this course if you want an A in the class.

Dr. Frantz tells you on the first day of class each semester what you need to do to succeed. She is not exaggerating the amount of work necessary to do well in her class. Organic Chemistry at all colleges is difficult, and this class is no exception. That being said, if you read and take notes on the textbook before class, pay attention and engage yourself during class, and review after class, you will do well. The most important of these is READING THE TEXTBOOK BEFORE CLASS; she often zooms through the concepts presented in the textbook during the lecture, so if you don't have anything written down already, you can't engage during the practice questions because there isn't enough time to write everything down in class. Get all of the points you can on the things that are not tests (homework, warm-up quizzes, clicker questions, discussion). The three midterms are manageable but focus on the example questions you do in class because one of them generally is on the test in some sort or another. I would also recommend doing all of the recommended practice problems she puts on Collab before the tests as well as doing ALL INTEGRATED PROBLEMS for each chapter covered on the test. The final is unlike anything you will have ever seen before and is extremely hard; it is definitely used to separate the A's from A-'s from the B+'s ... . TLDR: Do all the work she tells you to, and you will do well.

Do yourself a favor and take the class with anyone else. Samonina for example. Honestly, this class is made far harder than it ever needs to be. I understand organic chemistry is a hard subject but you are pretty much lulled into a false sense of hope in this class with the test corrections and then demolished by the final, which is and always will be the hardest exam I have ever taken. Frantz is nice as a person and her lectures are decent but I wouldn’t call her “student friendly”. I took Frantz thinking that the difficulty of her exams and final would be offset by the fact that she’s a good lecturer but I was sorely mistaken. The most frustrating part of this class is you can study until the cows come home and you still will find questions pulled out of left field that aren’t indicative of what is taught in class. Bottom line, take orgo with another professor if you want a chance at getting a decent grade.

Do yourself a favor and take the class with Samonina. I have friends who went from a C+ in orgo 1 with Frants to an A+ in orgo 2 with Samonina. If someone tells you that Frantz prepares you better for the MCAT don't listen to them.

I thought that this was a HUGE jump from the introductory chemistry classes. You need to be prepared to stay on top of every unit when youre learning it, and not procrastinate in any way. I got really sick for a month, and because of that my grade really suffered. The first three exams arent terrible but the final is baaaaad. I would do lots and lots of practice problems

I have kept a record over the past two semesters of how many times she has said "Quiet Please" in lecture. I realized one week in that it was going to be an absurd amount. Keep in mind that this total is based on only classes I was present for, so a margin of error does exist and this is most likely a low estimate. Without further ado, here are the results:
Fall semester QP's - 45 over 10 days (4.5 avg per day) estimated 149 over entire semester
Spring semester QP's- 126 over 33 days (3.8 avg per day) with 2 silent stares and 1 "I'll wait"
Total QP's - 171
Estimated Total QP's - 275

Please, just be quiet.

Frantz has favorites in the class and these are the good reviews that you see on here. I think she makes the tests unfair by pulling information that we have not discussed in class from the Klein textbook (we were not told to purchase this, I only have it because tophat sucks). Once you're in the spring semester, she puts questions on the exam from the fall, even though many students did not take the class with her during the fall semester. She can be unreasonable with any technical problems with the class. For example, when tophat isn't working and you are unable to answer in class questions, she won't give you credit for them even if you are there. She says that its not her problem, its tophats! She is not very understanding in terms of exam conflicts. Good news is her exam corrections are awesome. dont take orgo if you don't have to. In my opinion, lecture is optional (as long as you're answering the tophat questions from home.... and the app is working).

I feel like a lot of people give Frantz a hard time, but this is one of the most difficult classes at UVA and I think she does her best to make it clear and enjoyable. The TopHat readings are kinda of stupid and have a lot of typos and information you don't need to know. I found it more helpful to go to class and take notes, and then read the sections about what was covered in class afterwards. The key to doing well on exams is doing sooo many practice problems. If you can get access to the Klien Orgo textbook, use those chapters/problems for practice. I always found the Klien chapters more clear and those problems more relevant than the tophat ones. I don't think it is Frantz's fault this class is so miserable; she does the best she can to teach the material and is super nice in office hours. I think taking this with Frantz is the way to go. ALSO: When you take this class, please appreciate it and don't take it for granted because Orgo II is a million times worse.

Professor Frantz is by far the most skilled lecturer I've has at this University. She is excellent and makes what I thought would be a hard class one of my easiest ones. Do the readings and it will be hard for you to get less than an B+ in this class.

Some people really liked Frantz.... some people really dislike her. I am on the latter side. Tophat is absolutely riddled with bugs, and I personally believe I did not learn anything in Frantz lectures. I did not go to the last 9 lectures, and I skipped a few throughout the rest of the semester, yet, I received an A in this class - if that tells you anything about how much you learn in lecture. If you want to succeed but not be overbearingly stressed out by Frantz Tophat reading and lectures, just read the Klein textbook and do all the Klein recommended practice problems.

This class is very practice-based - there are many practice problems in class and discussion is almost entirely group practice for bonus points. Exams are fairly difficult with no multiple choice but you can get up to half your missed points back with exam corrections. Frantz herself is very helpful in office hours and her lectures are fantastic. My one complaint: Top Hat is a huge pain to use, as the textbook is riddled with poorly explained sections, typos make it unintelligible in parts, and the mobile app is nearly useless for clicker questions.

This class had a lot of outside work. Daily quizzes, weekly homeworks and reading, a mandatory discussion section that always lasts like an hour a half. That being said, there were a lot of variables to bring your grade up so take advantage of them. The exams were fair and the test corrections were always appreciated. Try not to forget anything as you move along because everything builds on itself. Don't expect any curves or anything because to be honest, there really aren't any needed at the end of the course. Personally, I feel like there's a lot of hysteria around organic chemistry, but Frantz does a great job at grounding it as just another subject for a student to learn. This is how it is and everyone can learn as long as you do plenty of practice problems. Try not to be intimidated, but approach it with a hardworking attitude and an A is most definitely possible.

Professor Frantz is a wonderful orgo Professor! She’s definitely the best professor Uva has had in a really long time. She really wants her students to learn and understands that lecturing at students for 3 hours a week isn’t effective. Instead she spends a lot of class time doing practice problems so that way you can actually see what you do and don’t understand. I would definitely sit closer to the front bc in the back it’s very easy to get distracted. Even though Frantz is a good professor that doesn’t make orgo easy, be prepared to be confused and have to study a lot for the tests, but at least the class is geared to help you in anyway it can. She had tests corrections, drops your lowest grade, and there is a lot of participation points.

Take orgo with Professor Frantz!! She is an awesome lecturer and explains concepts well.

Prof Frantz is incredible, definitely worthwhile class where you will learn a lot and have a good time.