Hi, I’m an 18 year old freshman at Simon’s Rock College of Bard in MA. I’m currently engaged with the school in working out a math accomodation, but things have been moving rather slowly. (one of the perils of a small and laid back sort of operation.)
Anyway….I submitted a lot of documentation from my past regarding my math disability. I believe I have the visual-spatial form. Among many symptoms, I can’t learn to tie knots (took me three years to master that whole shoe-tying thing), I find it hard to differentiate from left and right, I’m very poorly coordinated and I walk into things on a near-constant basis. I also have difficulties in learning foreign languages.
I do qualify as a gifted student verbally (thus why I’m in the college.) I had perfect or near perfect verbal scores on both the SAT and ACT and have won writing awards and other stuff of that nature. Other then my Chinese language course (where I keep my head above water by working my butt off), I’m doing very well academically.
Also, due to transferal of college credits from back home, I am actually on track to graduate with my A.A a semester early (and I want to transfer out of here), which gives me extra motivation to get this worked out soon.
In any case, I have the documentation in and I’m willing to submit to any additional testing they might require of me.
Some options they are apparently bandying about are …
1. supply student tutoring - I don’t think this will work, because although I had excellent college-graduate tutors in high school, I still had an extremely hard time with math.
2. require the lowest level math course they offer with tutoring, and if we STILL fail it, let us take something else. (which the advisor I am working with opposes just as much as I do.)
I’m also having the tutor I worked with for over five years in high school call up the school and see if that helps.
QUESTION TWO - I’m looking into transferring into one of the UC schools…(I am a California resident.) They require at least one math course for transfer. Does anyone know if they accept documentation for learning disabilities or alternate courses? I’m going to call soon and find out from the horse’s mouth, of course…
In any case..do you have any advice or help for me? Just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with this kind of thing and might be able to offer some insight.
Re: Advice On Seeking Math Accomodation @ Private College
Hello CheBeret:
Not sure if you have gotten your situation figured out already. But I have a few questions which will help me in answering your issue but also help students in your situation or who may get into your situation.
Why did you select a small private out of state school?
Were you accepted into Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s early admissions program, where you earn your high school diploma and then seek a college degree?
When you were accepted at Bard did they allow for a special accommodation because of your mathematics disability or were you able to take the necessary required math courses in high school?
Are you still at Bard because you normally have to spend a year in state to be considered a resident? If you have been out of California for a year you would have to pay out of state tuition fees?
Not all of the courses that you took at Bard College may be transferable since it is an out of state private institution.
Private institutions are far more d*ckish on providing accommodations to LD students. They really only want to do the bare minimum that is required by state and federal law, so basically if Bard doesn’t want to give you a substitution, they don’t have to. I would suggest asking for a mathematics substitution by taking a critical thinking course or another critical thinking course if you have already taken one.
In California, once you have completed the necessary requirements at a community college you can then transfer to the University of California or California State University systems without having to provide SAT scores because they have transfer agreements with the university systems.
If you are interested in specific schools you would have to contact them separately to ask about what their transfer policies are especially with regards to private schools. If they deem that you do not have enough units, you may be required to submit SAT scores.
The UC and CSU systems do require mathematics to get in but you would then have to deal with them to see if they have a special admissions policy, which would allow you to take a substitution course in mathematics such as a critical thinking course. Cal State University Long Beach has a great disabled student services program.
[url]http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students2/dss/programs/Stephen_Benson_Program/special_admission/[/url]
In order to obtain the associates in arts degree at the community college level, I had to take a critical thinking course for the mathematics substitution and I also had to take another critical thinking course before CSULB would grant me the special admit. Once I was accepted to CSULB I had to take yet another critical thinking course at the university.
I would definitely suggest that you get into a UC if you can because of the long term benefits associated with a UC degree vs. a Cal State degree.
Hi Cheberet, and welcome to forum.
It seems that you have already identified that you have Visual-Spatial Dyscalculia.
Where I run a Forum for Dyscalculia.
It looks like you have already done quite a bit work to try and get it sorted out.
Though it might be easier if you go to my Forum and sign up. Then copy and paste your message on our Discussion Page. Where we can discuss different points that you have raised, and refer you directly to further information.
http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com/
Geoff,