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.