Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Associate Dean (Studies),

My name is Allison McDougall and I have just completed my second year in Arts and Science here at Queens University. I am appealing to drop DRAM200 due to an array physical and mental illnesses that I went through during the 2015 winter academic period. These medical obstacles had a large impact on daily events including my sleep schedule. This ultimately made it very hard on me to put my best foot forward in my academic courses. I was able to stay afloat in some of my courses, but had great difficulties attending class and handing in assignments on time for Dram 200.

My academic problems began in January 2015, at the beginning of second semester, due to my struggle with anxiety, which lead to many physical illnesses and sleep deprivation. My mental and physical state had a large impact on my academics, as I was always very fatigued and unable to attend every class. I tried my very best to attend as many classes as possible, but when I did, it was very difficult for me to participate to my full potential and retain all the information that was being taught. I truly believed that what I was going through was just a phase and that I would be able to bounce back once I started to feel myself again, but this was not the case. After struggling for three months, I decided to go speak to the mental health nurse at LaSalle to discuss what had been going on. The nurse led me in the right direction and suggested that I should consult my Dram200 professor and other academic counselors to figure out an academic plan given my circumstances. As a result, we all came to the conclusion that it would be best for me to appeal to drop Dram200 and focus on succeeding in my other courses.

Dram200 is a required course for my concentration and I truly want to excel and to my best work in this course. My plan is to enroll in Dram200 this upcoming fall term. I will also be taking a reduced course load to ensure my personal health is acceptable and to be able to focus on my courses to achieve the grades I desire.

If you have any further questions regarding my request feel free to contact me via my Queens email at 12am178@queensu.ca.

Thank you for your time,
Allison McDougall