Local Teacher Starts Business To Help Students Succeed in Chemistry

Julia Winter, owner/chemistry educator, at OChemPrep.com said she started the business in March of this year to help students studying chemistry in school.

"There are only a few high schools that teach organic chemistry and there are virtually no preparation courses for organic chemistry. Consequently, students enter organic chemistry unprepared for the visual nature of the course and struggle to keep up with the vast amount of material," she said.

Winter recently submitted information about the business to Patch. If you have a business and want to participate in Patch's Small Business Shout Out you can fill out the form here.

How did your business come to be?: There are only a few high schools that teach organic chemistry and there are virtually no preparation courses for organic chemistry. Consequently, students enter organic chemistry unprepared for the visual nature of the course and struggle to keep up with the vast amount of material. The fail rate in first semester organic can be upwards of 50%. (Reference on my website.) I knew I could devise an intense summer "boot camp" to meet the needs of students going into organic chemistry at a reasonable price.

What's a fact about your business that most customers probably don't know?: Through OChemPrep.com I intend to make use of the most cutting edge educational tools to help my students succeed. It is only in the last couple years that tablets and writing programs have evolved to the precision necessary to share drawings online. Understanding structures is an essential component to learning organic chemistry. I am always on the lookout for new apps and software products that will support classroom learning. We are planning to adapt the course to accommodate distance (online) learners through the use of FuzeBox meeting software.

What services does your business provide? Through teacher-driven, student-centered classes I will make sure my summer students understand how to use mechanisms to solve organic problems. Once they have achieved mastery of of this process (what my DCDS students call the epiphany) then organic chemistry becomes a series of puzzles, rather than a stack of reactions on notecards. My students will have access to an online forum which is intended to create a community of problem-solvers. They will continue to have access to this forum as they move into their college course. Also, podcasts of lessons will be available for review between class sessions.

What do you want your business to be best known for?: I intend to help my students not only survive, but thrive in organic chemistry. I can help them make chemistry 'click'!

What's your most popular product or service?: I have also been asked to provide a summer boot camp in MCAT chemistry. This course will combine organic with general chemistry and the topics of physical chemistry and biochemistry that are on the MCAT exam.

When was the business founded?: March 2013

Why did you choose to locate to West Bloomfield?: I have been teaching at Detroit Country Day School for almost 20 years. I know how to help students succeed in organic chemistry. The metro Detroit area has a wealth of both universities and health care providers. The organic chemistry course in college can be a huge wall that separates students from following their dream to being a health care professional. For all those reasons, metro Detroit is the perfect place for my very unique chemistry course. The Corners facility in West Bloomfield (on Walnut Lake and Inkster Roads) is a perfect site for my course.