CHEM 2420

The midterms for this class are very easy. Easy enough that most people had a high A before the final. But, Frantz is relentless and is determined to make the average grade a B or B-. The final was ridiculous, unfair and no amount of studying would have prepared me for it. Other than that, my advice is to make sure that you get full points for attendance, homework and warm-up quizzes. If you can get full credit for everything and do above average on the midterms, you will do ok in this class. Don't expect an A unless you have an endless amount of hours to study for the final.

This course is pretty similar to Frantz's Orgo I. Same format (lots of practice problems in class + UAs helping out) and a mandatory discussion with more problems + opportunity for extra credit points. Again, test corrections for exams (not the final) to give back 1/2 points you missed. However, this semester was definitely more difficult for a couple of reasons. 1. More material than Orgo 1, which isn't that surprising since like half of Orgo I is mechanisms, resonance structures, stereochemistry, and hybridization. A lot more reactions, mechanisms, and reagents in Orgo II so keep a stack of notecards/list or whatever works. 2. The final exam count for 2% more, while this doesn't seem like a big deal, it can make the difference between grades if you are on the edge. 3. Grade cutoff for an A was 94 instead of 93, again, doesn't seem like a big deal but can trap a couple of students within that nasty 93-94 area. The midterm exam averages and overall final average was lower than Orgo I as a result of these things. I guess some tips would be to continuously study the reactions b/c each exam is cumulative. Do as many practice problems as possible and ask Frantz any questions you might have. Also, do not underestimate the final exam. It is in fact pretty tough and there's no curve or test corrections or anything. It builds on the whole year of Organic Chemistry, so do a quick review of stuff from Orgo I as well but focus on Orgo II. It's not impossible and if you've built yourself a nice cushion with midterms, homework, discussion, and extra credit, it won't be the thing to hold you back. I got B's on both the finals and ended up with A's in both b/c of all the extra stuff so take the midterms seriously b/c they are easier and as a whole count more than the final exam. Overall a tough course but not crazy and Frantz does a nice job. So relax. You got this

I had a high A for the entire semester and got bumped down to a B+ with that final. She is also unforgiving about rounding up. I like her teaching style, but very harsh with exams.

Frantz is a decent person and is very approachable. However the only true way to pass this class and do decent on exams is to read the book. Her class slides skip over soooo much detail that you need to know to understand the topics. She is honest about everything, however. I would say that the final is one of the hardest tests I’ve ever taken and it has the potential to take you down as far as grades go. Corrections are cool because you get your points back. Just try to do as best as you can on each midterm exam so that the final doesn’t hurt you severely at the end.

Dr. Frantz's grading scale is very forgiving. 45% of the grade is stuff like homework and clicker questions that should be easy points. The rewrites on the midterms help you understand the material better and study better for the next test. All of the three midterms are only worth 10% of your final grade each. Final was 25% of the grade and absolutely brutal, especially with no rewrites. You have to study consistently to know all of the different reactions, they cannot be memorized in one night. Study hard and you can do fairly well.

Dr. Frantz herself is a gem. She's an effective communicator who works hard to make sure the students are learning the materials. She's very approachable and friendly with students, especially when compared to the other chemistry faculty. If you have to take orgo, you can't do better than Dr. Frantz.

I took Frantz for both semesters, as the other options are pretty terrible, unless you are lucky and Prof. Burnett is teaching (great guy). Dr. Frantz is a good lecturer who does her best to engage as personally as she can with 300+ students in a lecture. But of course, she is teaching organic chemistry, which in my experience you either get or don't. A few things I really liked about the way she teaches and her as a person: 1. She herself is approachable, especially compared with most chemistry department faculty/ science faculty in general. Dr. Frantz will meet with you and not treat you like an idiot even if you ask some pretty stupid questions like I did. 2. She hasn't been out of school for that long. This means that she still remembers what it is like to be an undergrand and in orgo. Some things I don't like: 1. Corrections- While one might think that being able to get up to half of your missed points back on a midterm is wonderful, in retrospect, I see it as a curse. Your "high" midterm average will lull you into a false sense of security about your knowledge of the material, which is dangerous because...2. SHE KNOWS HOW TO WRITE A KILLER FINAL. There are, obviously, no corrections for the final. Also the whole thing about replacing your lowest midterm grade with the grade on the final would be nice if the final wasn't absolutely difficult. Both the finals for Orgo I and II were pretty difficult compared to the midterms. 3. Don't listen to the whole "Don't memorize things" speech. While, yes, one should do one's best to have an intuitive understanding of the topic, that really isn't possible unless you happen to be a grad student who has a complete chemical understanding of every possible reagent one could use in a reaction. Overall, in any orgo class, you have to have a COMPLETE understanding of everything presented, or you will not even come close to passing an exam, let alone the course. I think this is what sets orgo apart from may college courses in that you can't really piece anything together on the fly. If you don't explicitly know it, you are screwed.

Frantz is a decent teacher. She just reads off her slides (but then again, it's orgo). She has a lot of "in-class activities" where she wants you to try solving problems and then she'll go over them after a minute or two, meaning there's a lot of room for distraction during class. We had ULAs in class for her larger section and I thought some were good but some really don't know the material. There's a lot of free participation points (although I heard she's changing that next year). Her discussions are required and take like 1.5 hours. Look at the textbook for extra credit questions because the answer is probably in there. Her exams aren't bad (MAKE SURE YOU MEMORIZE ALL REACTANTS AND WHAT THEY DO-she loves those questions). But the final was TERRIBLE. I would've done so much better if it weren't for that final.

Of the remaining professors teaching right now, I would definitely recommend her if you want an "easier" route to learning orgo. If Professors Burnett or Sundberg are available, you should probably go with them cause you'll probably end up with a better grade. If you want to learn more than what Professor Frantz can teach you and can handle a more rigorous curriculum, then go with Professor Serbulea. Overall, Frantz's grading scale is very forgiving so if you screw up on an exam, you have numerous chances to raise your grade using test corrections. She also has a lot of other graded material (like IClickers based on participation and daily quizzes) that should boost your grade. I personally did not enjoy her teaching style just because the class is set up with the expectation that you read the book the night before and did your daily quiz. Most of the class was used as time to practice the lesson. This is ideal only if you read the book, but other than that, you would be lost all throughout class cause she zooms through the slides. She also doesn't post the class notes until after class so there is no way of knowing how the slides will be structured. Class average was an 86 this semester. With that info in hand, I want to wish you good luck with orgo 2!