Regardless of where Organic Chemistry is taught, regardless of the genius and/or talent of the professor, and regardless of any variable that can be conceived, there is a percentage of students who will fail Organic Chemistry. The average midterm grade in Organic Chemistry ranges between 25-50%, hovering around 38% for classes having professors who challenge their students. Typically the first midterm includes concepts of acid-base chemistry, pKa, valence bond theory, Lewis structures, resonance, hybridization, alkane nomenclature, Newman projections and radical chain reactions. As the material is introduced, students of Organic Chemistry study in a manner identical to that which sufficed them since high school. Some periodically review their notes, and convince themselves they know the material. It’s not until 4 days prior to the first midterm that they begin working the problems.
