Thanks for the tips, guys. I’m going to do a walk- in appointment next week, I think. Maybe I will get some questions answered then! I’ve heard of Dyscalculia, but I haven’t looked in- depth at it. Might be worth checking out, though, since it’s giving me THIS much trouble. I would gladly take something else- anything else- instead of math.
Update: My counselor altogether denies the existence of dyscalculia, so his only advice was to just “take the classes as many times as it takes to pass” (which is ridiculous on at least three levels: a) the longer I fail math, the more years I tack onto my projected transfer date, b) you’re only allowed to take a class 3 times before they decide you’re done, and c) FAFSA stops after 3 years, finished or not.). Why would I subject myself to that stupidity?
But my high school grades are absolute crap (I asked to take a fifth year back when I was a junior; I begged for it, actually. Five of my family members died, I was sexually assaulted, forced out of my childhood home because of finances, became estranged from my father, and was physically assaulted by my scout leader for acting like “a bratty teenager” (oh, and the BSA didn’t punish her at all). Yeah, I actually didn’t speak throughout most of the year, and I often got physically ill because I was dealing with some really severe symptoms of anxiety (I was diagnosed with anxiety, but never proper PTSD, though that’s very similar to what the symptoms were). And I had almost died from Pneumonia a few months before. Umm… naturally, I bombed every class I took that year. I think most people figured I was just lazy, as there’s not a lot of room to talk about that sort of thing on apps for public universities (the CSU system doesn’t have any kind of essay or personal statement).
So… I definitely can’t rely on my high school grades to get into school. But when someone sees the 0.67 gpa from junior year, next to the 4.0 gpa and the denotation that I’m on the dean’s list, I hope it shows through that I am not an idiot, a screwup, or lazy. I hope it says something about the kind of person I truly am. I dealt with what was in front of me, with the only coping mechanisms I knew at age 16, and I nearly took my life three times that year, but I’m still here! More to the point (about the kind of person I am) I’M still here. None of that stuff owns me or dictates what I do with my life.
This got long, sorry. I’ve been working on novel stuff, so the words are flowing!
First thing to do: Change counselors. It’s perfectly OK, allowed, and free. Yours is clearly incompetent.
(imagine someone telling a person in a wheelchair they’ll have to retake the track and field unit until they can run… That’s how cruel, ignorant, and offensive what your counselor said was.)
Second, is there a resource center on campus for disabilities, a support center, an office…? That’s where you should go ask about dyscalculia.
At some colleges u can use a Logic or Critical Thinking class (both usually offered by the philosophy department) to fulfill math requirements.
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Have you actually been diagnosed with dyscalcula or only run it by the GC? I think it might take more than two weeks to get an annotated diagnosis.
No, as I’m not sure HOW to get diagnosed. 
The learning support center at your community college can handle the assessment. Here’s a link to the page explaining services available (including assessment) at DeAnza, a community college in Northern California.
https://www.deanza.edu/edc/ldsummary.html
Getting an assessment may be covered under your health insurance. Get your parents involved here. You or they should call your insurer to find out if there are psychologists in network who will do an evaluation. You will need to see a psychologist who specializes in educational testing for disabilities. Sounds to me like you have legitimate reasons to want an independent assessment (and possibly accommodation as a result). And I agree that your GC is incompetent.
Get that assessment ASAP.
Interesting thread! I really hope OP finds a solid college. If she has a current 4.0 and near-perfect non-math SAT score (which I think I saw earlier in the thread), I’m confident about her ability to get in and pay for college.
To contribute some, I found an awesome mental floss article about dyscalculia which seems to imply that, as was the case with dyslexia twenty years ago, your counselor’s opinion is widespread and simply false.
Here:http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=62436
Good luck!
^ That is one reason a diagnosis is required. A GC is not going to just take a student’s word that they have a LD.
My colleges disabled student services doesn’t seem to mention anything about evaluations. I need to figure out my new health plan and see where the psych part is and how to get an appointment/ eval. I know it’s highly unlikely for someone to just take my word, but again, I have absolutely no idea how to get a solid diagnosis.
In answer to another person, I’d love to go to USC or Chapman (mostly USC because it’s got sailing and I used to be a sea scout), but on top of the math thing, I’m not really all that competitive since I only average 6 or so units per semester (I was in the absolute LAST registration group for the past 1.5 years, so I’ve been having trouble getting the classes I need; there simply aren’t enough sections. This is at Chabot College, if anybody wondered or I haven’t already mentioned that).
Thanks everybody for your help! I’m going to see about psychologists.
Is it possible for you to take any of the currently certified CSU GE area B4 courses at Chabot College?
http://www.assist.org/web-assist/report.do?agreement=tca&reportPath=REPORT_2&reportScript=Rep2.pl&event=24&ia=CHABOT&ay=15-16&arc=N&dora=B4
E.g. Math 41 or 43 or Psychology 5.
Perhaps another way to get math help:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/human_guinea_pig/2006/11/the_math_moron.html
@ucbalumnus I can’t take ANY of the courses that count for quantitative reasoning, without first passing Algebra II. I cannot pass that class. I have attempted and failed (hard) 3 separate times, and that was with tutoring, books, dvd’s, etc. I could do math for liberal arts or something, and I am confident I would be able to pass. However, I cannot GET to those classes until I finish Algebra II.
I met with my high school registrar today to pick up my 504 plan which was on record for my ADHD and Anxiety, and then with my current school’s disability center, where they told me the only way to get assessed for math learning disabilities is by taking a class (which is next available during summer) and the class will assess me for and place me in “math support class”, which is basically a concurrent class with a math course (Algebra II). In other words, ABSOLUTELY ZERO help there, because that class will only bog down my schedule and further prevent me from transferring, and there is still no way to get around this one stupid class which I have ALREADY failed 3 times (even with every assistance I could have possibly had). So, I still have to take it until I pass it; there’s no way to get around that, diagnosed disability or not. Isn’t that the DEFINITION of “insanity”???
It’s just frustrating that my school is going to just make me take the same prerequisite class over and over until I pass. It really is like forcing someone in a wheelchair to run the mile until they make a decent time. Like…??? How does this make sense? This is going to kill my GPA and my chances for transfer to a good university; it’s a shame that there are no options. I’m a very intelligent person! It’s beyond frustrating.
Is there any other community college you could commute to?
Stop trying to take math till you have a diagnosis. If there’s no assessment on campus, ask a Disability where you can go in town to get assessed. It may cost you money, but staying enrolled in CC for several semesters because of math is even more costly!
We did that today too, and prices were around $4,000 for the full assessment I would need. And even then, the school doesn’t offer much of anything even to people that have a diagnosis.
I am not trying to take math, but I do want to transfer (well, need to transfer) in fall 2017. My family is basing life plans around that date, and if I’m not transferred already, they’re moving without me because I’ve been out of high school since 2013 and my transfer date was pushed back again and again. So, I’m not actively taking any math courses, but I do need to get my requirement done so I can leave and move on.
What about moving with them earlier? Other colleges, other states don’t necessarily have the same strict requirements as CA publics do. In addition, the private colleges don’t. The issue with private universities is money.
What about USC? have you checked out applying without any math?
Even USC requires “strong grades in at least three years of high school math, including Algebra II” for minimum admission requirements. http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/docs/TransferPlanningWorksheet.pdf
Sometimes you can find less expensive testing at Universities with graduate psychology programs. If you are near Chabot, give Alliant International University in SF. They have a school in Fresno that only charges $300.00 for full testing. It is done by doctoral students for a reduced rate but is signed off by a licensed supervisor. I would give Alliant a call and ask them about low fee testing and if they offer it.