CHEM 2420

As someone who had Frantz for Orgo I and switched to Samonina for Orgo II, I can say that, while Samonina's class is less intense overall, Frantz is a much better lecturer and you will learn more from her. I'm glad I had Frantz to set me up with a foundation in orgo, because otherwise I would've been completely lost this semester. Samonina's discussion sections are just a completion grade, so you don't actually have to put any effort into them, as the TAs give you all the answers. This is nice in theory, but it doesn't force you to learn in the same way that Frantz's discussions do. Frantz also splits up her readings better, as Samonina just tells you what chapter we'll be learning that week but not what specific sections to read before each class. I often did other assignments or read the chapter during lecture, as they weren't very organized. For the most part, everything I learned I taught myself from the textbook. Do your best to get as high a score as you can on the HWs, quizzes, and PLAs, as those will really help to boost your grade. Other than that, TAs are very helpful for understanding the material to do the best you can on the exams. You do get one drop, which was extremely helpful, plus a maximum of +7% to your final grade at the end of the course. #tCFS24

I had Frantz for Orgo 1 and Samonina for Orgo 2, so I can make a clear comparison. I ended with a Frantz with a B+ but super burnt out, dejected, absolutely dreading Orgo 2 with her. I got on the waitlist for Samonina, and by some miracle, got in. I have actually learned to love orgo because of Samonina. She is, by far, the most enthusiastic, caring, accommodating, and fun professor. There's a stigma around Orgo, that it is super cutthroat and difficult and overall a terrible time. Frantz embraced that too deeply. While being a good lecturer, I think I saw her crack a smile a few times the whole semester and her exams were just so absurd. You could prepare and prepare, but it was just meant for you to fail sometimes. The MOST important thing for orgo is to do a ton of practice--Frantz hardly provided you with practice problems outside of HW and PLAs, and instead recommended that you practice the textbook questions. The thing is, the answer key to the TB is a separate $15 purchase, and if you don't have that key (or find another edition for free online), you basically have no idea if what you're doing is right or how to approach a problem. Samonina, on the other hand, gave us discussion sets with 40-70 practice problems, practice exams from previous years, etc. (all with keys), all while cracking jokes and smiling and being a fun professor. Dr. S would recognize students are exhausted after a final and take it easy; she'd share creative ways to remember material (i.e., with your thumbs) and took fun pictures of the class for us and her mom. Frantz never did anything of the sort. I finished Orgo 2 with Dr. S not burnt out and actually really missing the course. While Frantz/Chruma have corrections on their exams, the averages for some of them were in the 50s, so getting a perfect on corrections really only brought you up to a 70-something. Samonina's averages are consistently higher, in the 70s/80s. I would not say Dr. S's exams are easier--if you don't know the material, you don't know it and it will be hard. Prepare enough and you'll be fine because unlike Frantz's exams that are out to trick the heck out of you, Dr. S's exams are straightforward if you know the material well. Dr. S also has a category for extra credit that can add up to 7% on your final grade, so that makes up for no test corrections.

To take notes in Dr. S's class: print out the slide files straight from the TB that she has prepared for you. So organized, so detailed, an absolute lifesaver. Taking your own notes is, IMO, harder to stay organized and keep track of compounds, mechanisms, text, etc. I didn't need to read the TB before going to class, as it was all gone over thoroughly in class with the most important points noted on the slide files. While she does record lectures and there is no participation grade, go to class. It is easy to fall behind, and sometimes the recordings can be forgotten or glitchy or confusing. Dr. S is a good lecturer too, like I said, as she makes most classes fun.

To prepare for Dr. S's exams: I mentioned that the discussion sets may have up to 70 problems. Most don't, but do them all. Don't be lazy. Without looking at the key, do all the discussion problems, all the practice cold exams she gives, go over the notes/midterm requirements sheet in full. Go to the TA review sessions too, as they will have the answers to cold exams (keys aren't given out). Start studying earlier--I started ~5-7 days ahead of time and this was the perfect amount of time to prep. This proved effective enough for me on the exams, as the exams looked very similar to her practice cold exams from previous years. The discussion problems were always harder than the questions you'd see on the exam, but it was good to make sure you really got the mechanisms/reagents. I ended the class quite well by doing the discussions, cold exams, and reviewing my notes. Go to her OH too! Super nice to talk to and always smiling with a pleasant greeting.

I know the waitlist for Dr. S is super long, but enroll yourself in it anyway. I had friends in the 30s on the waitlist that made it off, and it is well worth the chance. Dr. Samonina is lovely, fully recommend her over the other professors. Good luck!

#tCFspring2022

I took this course online during COVID so take that into account when reading my review. Dr. Samonina is a wonderful professor, she is friendly, always comes to class with a positive attitude, and truly cares about her students. My #1 suggestion is to DO THE EXTRA CREDIT (PLA and CHP) PROBLEMS EVERY WEEK. Even if you don't know the answer, GUESS! They help your grade significantly in the end. Make sure to do the textbook readings on time and work on ALL the discussion session questions and cold test practices she gives you before the exams, they're more similar to the questions she would give on an actual exam compared to those on wiley, but do those too. Try your best to get 100 or close to 100 on all the other categories (hw, ds, quizzes, etc) other than exams, so if you do poorly on them, you'll at least know your scores on the other parts can bring up your grade. Try not to procrastinate, because some of the topics were very difficult to understand, while others were fun to do. It was balance between the two for me. Never be afraid to ask her or the TAs questions, she always asks if anyone has anything to say after going through each individual section. Her exams were difficult, but I've heard they're way more straightforward than those given by Frantz. This is an organic chemistry course, so you should expect the exams to be challenging. I recommend never skipping class, because she does do graded clicker questions at times, which are nice easy points you can earn since they're graded based on completion, not accuracy (at least they were for us). Her course includes 3-4 midterm exams along with a cumulative final and she gives you a chance to submit regrade requests if you feel something was graded incorrectly, etc. You truly need to put in a lot of time and energy into this course, so keep that in mind when choosing other courses to take in the same semester as orgo. Good luck :)

Having had both Frantz and Samonina, I can confidently say I wish I had known to take Samonina first semester. The much smaller class make it easy to interact with the professor, and get help from TAs. Samonina focused on the broad sweeping concepts, while highlighting the most important information. Like others, I found this style more catered to a pre-health test vs a class for a Chemistry major. 10/10 would take her again, but thank god I'm done with orgo!!

I took both Frantz and Samonina-- both have their pros and cons however overall I felt like Samonina's class structure worked for me-- we had 4 exams versus Frantz where there were 3 (not including final) and less material was tested per test which made it more meaningful to understand the chapters and we had less to focus on per test. Samonina also caters her lectures more toward what most prehealth students may see on the MCAT (as that is a good amount of students who take this class). For me I had to self-study for both professors but I appreciated how Samonina took her time to explain concepts and we still covered everything Frantz's class did. Samonina had a smaller class size and I was able to have more one-on-one conversations with her during her office hours and had more of a catered learning experience. Along with that most of her TAs were amazing and again due to small class size compared to Frantz, I felt like it was more effective for me. I personally feel like as a prehealth student this class worked for me and can see how Frantz's class may work better for those who are chem majors-- so it is up to the style of lecture you are looking for.

After taking both the fall and spring semester, I would say that if you are chem engineer or major, maybe Frantz's more in depth (and difficult) teaching style will suit you more. Samonina's class still requires a lot of work and self-teaching, but fortunately she boosts everyones grades a lot. But I wouldn't say that I know the material that well.... just enough to get by....