@Catchdanielle: Thanks for sharing. Very interesting thread.
I think you got some really good advice. I would like to offer a thought (just a thought, not an authoritative opinion):
My wife (also not a "fan" of water and some (since sort of overcome) history of panic when the water was deeper than what she could stand in) may dare to try an OW class someday - or not - for her to determine. For snorkeling she at this point is only comfortable if I basically hold her hand. Which means in essence that she is not comfortable at all.
You seem to be way beyond that, but yet not really comfortable in the water. Nevertheless, what I am telling my wife is that she should only consider taking the OW class (she seems to want to) if and when she can fathom to do all these "diving things" some day in a self reliant way and if therefore she is aspiring to work her level of capability and comfort towards that. No need to be self reliant when starting out. Nothing wrong with buddy diving forever. Nothing wrong at all with needing to trust a buddy or an instructor to get underwater either when starting out. I very well understand that we all come from a different place on the "water-tolerant/comfort - scale). When done right getting into diving can be a good way to improve all that. When done wrong it can be a very disastrous way. So, in my opinion, if the expectancy is to INITIALLY wanting / needing to trust someone to be there for if and when something goes undesirably any whichever way and to then use the learning process and successive diving towards eliminating that for the own comfort necessary "need" for that other person to be there and to replace it in time with the competence and understanding gained and reinforced by practice, then starting out with some trepidation may turn into a very good thing. Kudos for trying.
But if the discomfort is so large that becoming self reliant is not even thinkable, yet not large enough to give up, then, in my opinion, this could lead to dangerous and habitual levels of relying on others too much. And then I would agree with those that say diving is not for everyone. That said, I don't see that in what I read about you. There is nothing wrong with wanting or needing to start in better conditions, go slower or in a more nurturing instructor - student relationship ... nothing wrong with going at the pace necessary to be truly comfortable with the previous step before moving on to the next step. That may not be possible at all within the (time frame & budget) scope of a OW-diver in a one weekend group lesson. But it certainly is possible and you got advise to that effect. So, get comfortable with every step along the way - and then move on.
Try to be specific about whichever issue you experience as it may aid your instructor in helping you to "debug" your situation. (.e.g. Are you heavily uncomfortable with water in your nose (can be dealt with) - or are you actually breathing through your nose (don't do that)? )
All the best to you!
And whichever way it turns out for you, after all that wise-cracking above, I would much appreciate if you'd tell us about it - what helped, what didn't help in your case ... because I will learn from it and adjust my thinking accordingly - not only but also because I hope to help my wife to do what's right for her (or at least not be in her way of that).