I’m a Communication major and I went to an Organic Chemistry lecture

I remember the first time I carried an Orgo textbook.

I was full of hopes and dreams, floating around in my humanities major bubble, oblivious to the challenges of pre-med life. I was walking to Olin with my friend on a brisk fall day, and she complained about her heavy backpack.

When I said that I couldn’t relate, she dared me to try to carry her bag. It held a couple of light folders, a pencil or two, and the anxiety-evoking object known as the Organic Chemistry textbook. I agreed to her challenge and grabbed the backpack. Or, I tried to. My arms instantly dropped to the ground.

From this, I learned two things: (1) I should really start lifting, and (2) Wow, there is a lot of information in these textbooks. Every time I see an Orgo textbook, I’m astonished by its size. Does the textbook hold the answer to the meaning of life? If I were to read it, would I become the wisest woman on Earth? Will I look at the first page and become instantly overwhelmed by all of the scary, science-y terms? Probably.

I’m accustomed to the atmosphere of a typical communication lecture – athletes, rows of sorority girls, writing-intensive assignments, and people-focused topics.  But I’ve always wondered, what is life like on the other side? Well, I went to my very first Orgo lecture to find out. Here’s a play-by-play.

10:09AM – I arrive at Baker right before the class starts. Immediately, I worry all of the students in attendance can smell “Communication major” on me. I head to the back of the lecture hall and squeeze into a row, ready to learn some science.

10:12AM – Okay, here we go. The professor is drawing some sort of structure on the board. If my ears were plugged, I’d guess we’re about to play a riveting game of Hangman.

10:14AM – Or I’d guess I’m in an art class. Damn, this guy’s lines are impeccable.

10:15AM – In the majority of my classes, I’m used to looking up and seeing dozens of Mac laptops with text conversations open. This, however, is a pen-and-paper kind of class. Kind of refreshing.

10:18AM – I swear the professor keeps saying “porcupine.” Or “Pokemon.” Or he’s talking about two different things – Pokemon and porcupine. The structures are attacking each other now, so maybe it is Pokemon.

10:20AM – Wow, everything is attacking each other! All of the structures are going at it! I love this class. It’s like watching a wrestling match.

10:22AM – We’ve moved on from Pokemon and are now discussing…glycos?

10:25am – This class has a “molecules of the day” segment! That’s so cute. I would definitely subscribe to that newsletter.

10:26AM – Oh good, another drawing! I feel like this professor could make millions in the professional stick-figure-making business.

10:28AM – I’m kind of scared now. We’ve started talking about a “pretty dangerous structure.” The professor warns, “One breath and you’re dead.” I wish I could understand what the dangerous compound is that he’s talking about right now so that I could protect myself, but I can’t really make out any of the terms he’s using.

10:29AM – OK but honestly, I’m really impressed at this guy’s line-making abilities. I feel like pre-meds could also become successful artists if they wanted to.

10:33AM –Real talk. Pre-med and science major friends, are you actually expected to know how to spell these terms? Trimethalamine Oxide – did I get that right?

10:43AM – “I think this is kind of intuitively obvious, but I just wanted to remind you,” says the professor after his explanation of a particular compound. He’s pretty confident we all understand this material, and he is erasing everything off of the board. I would tell you which compound he was talking about, but I’m not sure if anything that just came out of his mouth was English.

10:46AM – “I have a few minutes left, so I want to catch us up to where the other class is.” Yes! Please! Catch me up.

10:52AM – OK, so I think I actually understand this. The neighboring group effect. Apparently, it’s an important concept. It’s kind of similar to certain media effects that I’ve learned in Comm. So you might have a functional group in some molecule, as in a group that is not directly part of the action but is near it. And then this group somehow influences the action despite being distant. Was that right? If that was right, can I write that on my résumé?

10:55AM – Class is ending a few minutes early, leaving me with plenty of time to start studying for my MCAT! Or, get a coffee from Libe.

All in all, I feel very enlightened by this experience. I also feel confused, scared, and a little stressed out for the upcoming Orgo prelim. My pre-med and science major friends, you have my utmost respect.

I’m going to go work on my social media marketing assignment now.