Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am looking to drop this course from my transcript because of extenuating circumstances related to my mental health. I sought out medication for my anxiety and depression beginning in September 2022 with Roger Pilon at Student Wellness. We initially decided on a month of SSRIs but they had a negative effect. I became thoroughly depressed to the point of suicidal thought and tendencies. For the first month of school I was unable to perform because of the negative effects of the drug. This compounded into the rest of the semester because of the bad start and my inability to catch up. In October we began an SNRI which began to stabilize my mood however it was ineffective in December. I believe that I needed a higher dose but was unable to see Roger Pilon until January. I missed deadlines and the only reason I was able to pass my two other semester-long courses was because of the instructors grace. For my Holocaust course, my prof let me hand in the final essay in January. For my Renaissance & Reformation course I took the exam at a later date because I caught covid. In January my meds were adjusted to be a higher dose and I have been able to effectively work on school. The first semester of this year was very tough mentally because I knew that I could perform if I had the right help but was frustrated that I was still struggling. Getting off to a bad start and then having a rough semester while trying to find the right medication ultimately led me to have a higher level of anxiety which paralyzed me academically.