Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear academic dean,

I am writing this letter to petition to drop the course BCHM218 after the academic deadline, based on personal and extenuating circumstances. The circumstances relating to my petition are centered around mental health. Mental health is an issue that many students face, which impacts their academics greatly. In my case, it has severely impacted my grades and performance. Being an individual who strives for success and consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic in order to reach my goals, I found this to be very difficult within the past year and a half. During the winter term of my first year at Queen??s in 2022, I began to experience many symptoms of depression, including a lack of motivation and suicidal thoughts. However, I did not find it necessary at the time to reach out for help, as mental health is something that is stigmatized in my south Asian culture. And so, I decided I would be able to handle it all by myself and push through. My family has dealt with many obstacles within the past few years. My older brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder II, which was hard on my family. Because of this, too, I decided I did not want to burden my family, and make sure that I was constantly making them proud for all they have been through. Although my grades by the end of first year were not where I wanted to be, I had hoped a good summer would let me relax before I bring my grades back up in second year. Not surprisingly, the second year started off just as bad. I had gotten out of a 5-year relationship, which caused my mental health to worsen even more. I spent most of my days in bed, unmotivated, with no motivation for the future. I was right back to where I was in the winter semester of 2022, except this time, heartbroken as well. The suicidal thoughts had gotten worse, I felt an immense responsibility to my family to not let them down, and overall, was lost. I did not know whether to choose my family and make them proud or get rid of everything by ending it once and for all. By the end of the fall term of 2022, I had managed to pass all my courses, however my grades were definitely not where I wanted them to be. I found myself unable to get out of bed most days, completing assignments minutes before the due date, unable to eat, sleep, etc. At this point in time, I knew that if not for myself, for my family, I had to do something about my mental health. I reached out to the Queen??s health and wellness center in January of 2023. Upon the appointment, I discussed my suicidal thoughts, my family problems, relationship issues, among other personal things. I was told to book an appointment with my family doctor and was directed to see a therapist. I visited my family doctor in February, where I was diagnosed with depression and given medications to help cope with it. I saw my therapist at the wellness center about once a week, where we discussed what was going on, and strategies to get better. Additionally, I was referred to a dietitian to manage my disordered eating, which is something I have been struggling with for a couple of years now. Although I was being provided strategies and ways to cope and become better, I found myself not wanting to. I found myself getting comfortable in my depression, as it is something I am familiar with. All these different factors have impacted my grades significantly, as I was impacting my sleep, eating habits, concentration, social interactions, completing physical tasks, etc. Although getting assignments done was very difficult, I would ensure I would get it done, even if at the very last minute. Exams, however, I found it difficult to concentrate and stay focused. I was constantly tired and found myself wide awake at 5 am. Also, when I had begun using antidepressants in February, I found my symptoms getting worse, which is something my doctor had warned me about. This significantly impacted my academic performance, among other areas of my life. This being around the time of midterms, did not help my academic situation. Over time, my symptoms started to get better, however, it is still a struggle for more days than not. Growing up, I had never imagined that this is what my life would come to. I never imagined my mental health to get in the way of my life as it has, and the immense pressure I feel toward my family problems, constantly having to battle between my own thoughts and actions, as well as feel responsible towards the mental health problems my family members face.

Overall, I am learning every day and coming up with ways to better myself and improve my performance in all areas of my life. As a result of this situation, I would appreciate your approval of my situation.

Thank you for your consideration,



Kavina Lava

Student number: 20290852