Organic Chemistry I and II Tutor

Sarah C.

Hi, I'm Sarah! I am currently a Biology major at Boston College on the pre-medical track, where I have completed Organic Chemistry I and II, General Chemistry, and upper-level biology coursework (and all of the associated labs). I entered Organic Chemistry intimidated by the stigma and daunting structures and reagents that I was very unfamiliar with. To my own surprise, I fell in love with the language of Organic Chemistry and the way that reactions are simply a story with atoms and reagents as the characters – and we can predict how those characters behave and respond in different contexts!

Learning from an exceptional professor shaped how I understand and teach organic chemistry, and I now model that same clear, concept-first approach in my own tutoring. I focus on first developing a strong basic foundation. Organic chemistry is much more predictable when you know the "why." This leads to my next major emphasis, which is understanding the mechanisms. Mechanisms challenge us to actually understand why a certain product is forming rather than simply memorizing specific reactions. This way, my students are prepared to tackle problems they have never seen before on exams by working through the mechanism to predict the outcome.

I currently serve as a peer tutor at Boston College, where I work one-on-one with college students in Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry. I welcome students to come with resources for us to work through together, or I often come up with predict-the-product or synthesis problems to try. My tutoring style focuses on building true conceptual understanding rather than memorization and is tailored to each individual student. I encourage students to fall in love with narrative, build confidence, and feel excited to learn.

Please feel free to message me with any questions or to schedule a lesson. I look forward to helping you find success!!