There are not many other classes offerred on a college campus that scare and frustrate students more than organic chemistry. The goal of this class is not to force a bunch of chemical transformations in your head and have you feed them back to me. The goal of this class is to have you comfortable enough with the fundamentals of organic chemistry so that when you get out there in the real world you can recognize and better understand the chemical nature of any problem you encounter. You should also know enough that you can speak comfortably to chemist when a chemical problem needs resolution.
Memorization is required for some things.
Learning organic chemistry is alot like learning a new language, or the rules of a new game you wish to participate in. Flash cards for functional groups and organic transformations can help alot. Come to class. Just because alot of this is on the web, you should still drag yourself out of bed and get to the lecture. The most successful students are the ones with the best attendance.