Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: April 27 2015

Dear Associate Dean,
I am appealing for AG for two of my full year courses, General Chemistry (CHEM112) and Linear Algebra (MATH111) as well as a late drop in Computer Science (CISC124). Throughout the fall semester and the beginning of winter semester I was fully involved with my studies but unfortunately I had a crisis that stemmed from my personal life causing a decline in my academic performance. I sincerely hope that with your understanding my grades will reflect my true abilities as a student.
My personal problems began in winter of 2012 when my Father came home one day and announced he was leaving. He was gone within two days with furniture and all. My grandfather, who raised me, was diagnosed with cancer and a few short years before I lost my grandmother, who also raised me, to a sudden death. Moving away from Toronto was an attempt to focus on myself, aside from all the chaos. Just over a month after arriving at Queens in September 2013 my family life, which I could not leave behind, destroyed me from the inside out and I was forced to leave university. I did not return to any pleasantry, both my brother and grandfather had taken a turn for the worse. It was truly upsetting to watch my grandfather loose the enjoyment he had for everything he had in his life and see how alone my brother really was. In November of 2013 I began to see a counsellor at CAMH for anxiety, depression and psychosis prevention. I was recommended to take Ciplralex at the end of my treatment as my continuing care in May 2014 and after a few days I felt as though I had acquired a handful of mental illnesses such as OCD, bipolar and extreme mania. My counsellor was astonished at my reaction to this nearly over the counter drug, I was immediately taken off the medication and referred to a special branch of CAMH for anxiety disorders. Unfortunately I was not able to be seen there until December 2014.
Just prior to trying Cipralex, I was beginning to feel better so I took calculus (MATH121) online over the summer. Completing this course with good marks gave me enough confidence to fully return to my studies at Queens for the fall semester of 2014. Being away from my broken family and a full academic schedule in a completely new environment took a toll on me. In December 2014 I finally saw a specialist from CAMH and was given a diagnosis of General Anxiety Disorder and a prescription for Sertraline which I started promptly in the new year. Initially there were no startling side effects but slowly I lost drive to do anything at all and became constantly exhausted. Realizing how the medications were affecting me, my anxiety began to peak and I was unable to go to classes, thus falling extremely behind in school. Trying to decrease my anxiety for catching up on my course load, I dropped an online biology (BIO103) course in February 2015 and stopped taking the medication at the end of February. Discontinuing the medication also had its side effects, my drive and energy did not return and I was thrown into a dark depression and I could not do anything, paralyzed with anxiety.
Unfortunately these events have brought out a student in me that I'm not proud of. Normally I want to learn because I am curious about the world around me and I crave to understand how everything works. Moving forward I plan to spend the summer in Toronto with my family and apply to be a visiting student at The University of Toronto. In this way I will be able to re-establish my foundation. In addition I will be able to have regular visits with my counsellor, being in the same city, have appropriate medical support from my family doctor and CAMH if necessary. These adjustments will help me regain balance in my life and in the longer term help to achieve my academic goals.
Thank you for your understanding,
Ami Sangster.