Learning problem

[CareRx]

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I am posting this for a friend of mine.
She thinks she has learning disability or something like that.
She studies really hard, using all possible techniques: colors, cards, etc.
She was not able to get a high score on chem. She is really scared that she would not succeed on other pre-med science subjects .

Other subjects seem to be fine: A-, B+

Any suggestions to find out if she really has learning problem? Thanks

 

[uffda]

most universities have a counseling office that can help arrange for professional testing and evaluation

 

[Adcadet]

perhaps she's just really bad at chemistry. Did she have any high school chem?

Best to go see a college counselor on this one.

 

[Nanon]

I have a learning disability, in math. I got as far as trig not even knowing. I just knew that it was damned near impossible for me to get anything better than a C in any kind of math class, and I thought I was just plain old stupid. Looking back on it, I just shake my head at myself. I was still getting mostly A in the rest of my classes.

But my first chemistry classes were a disaster. Between the fact that I'd never taken a science class in my life before then, and my difficulties with math, I worked harder for my C's in gen chem 1 and 2 than I did for CALCULUS.

Here's what I'd tell your friend. First, don't automatically assume that chemistry will forcast how well she'll do in any other class. For instance, I did very, very well in every other pre-med class. Mostly A's, a few B's.

Second, most campus's have a student disability department. She should find out whether they have one. After that, many campus's have learning disability testing, and she should go through it. It takes a long time. For me, I was tested on several different days for hours at a time.

If it's found that she does have a learning disability, then she may be eligable for a variety of services that can help her do better in the classes she's having a hard time in. Usually, these services are extra time on tests, taking tests in a distraction free environment, free tutoring in some classes, having notes taken for you, special paper (believe it or not) provided to you by the school (to help you line up numbers - that was one of my major difficulties), and classes to help with study strategy. At a bare minimum, she should take the classes. They were a life saver for me.

Now, all of those services I've listed are really contraversial for those who don't have a learning disability, so if she does have one, and she takes advantage of these services, I advise that she keep her mouth shut about it, except to her professor. It sucks to have to deal with the hostility of your class-mates, on top of having to take the damned class anyway.

I hope this helps,

Nanon

 

[cather]

I have a learning disability too and I highly recommend going to the educational/counseling services at her school.
Like Nanon said, the educational services can arrange all sorts of accomodations to fit her learning needs, whether it's extra time on exams or private rooms for severe test anxiety, note taking service for writing/hard of hearing, tutoring...you name it.
Your friend should not tell anyone other than professors of her learning needs. It's hard to predict what your friends will do or say if you tell them you have a learning need and need certain accomodations and if you tell one friend about it, they may tell others and pretty soon, word gets around and it can become a nightmare.

There is no stigma attached to getting help and it is better to get help than to not.

 

[CareRx]

Thank you all for very favorable replies.
I will definitely encourage my friend to go to the school's counseling/educational service.
She is a very hard-working student and very good at taking notes, but she may really needs some extra time on tests.
However, this was asked on another forum, and it seems to be a concern:
In the event she *does* find out that she has an LD, then the question must be asked whether she can do well in medical school given the LD that she may have.

Please give us your thoughts!