Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,

I am a first-year international student who wants to enter the computer science program, art and science faculty. My student number is 20358708. I petition to drop the courses MATH110 and MATH120 after the deadline.

During the Fall 2022 semester, I took Stage A of these courses and I realized that these courses were difficult for me as a new international student in Canada even though I was studying English and trying to integrate into the English language environment, I still could not fully understand what was being taught. As a result, I have been studying these two subjects on my own for the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 semesters, which have been difficult for me. I know this is my fault, and I will do my best to master the language as soon as possible to help me in my studies. However, at the end of 2022, my grades in these two subjects hit me hard. At the same time, my family thousands of miles away and my lack of integration into the community both contributed to my increasingly depressed mood. I seemed to feel that I was always alone, and such a sense of loneliness was something I had never experienced before. In 2018, I was diagnosed with depression in my country, which I thought would not have an impact on my life now. But in early 2023, I realized that such a condition seemed to be gradually eating away at me. At that point, I felt desperate. I realized that such emotions were coming back, but for language and financial reasons, I did not go to the hospital for consultation and diagnosis in Canada. The continuous depression made me lose confidence in both courses, and the fear of not being able to enter the computer profession made me avoid it more and more. I was never able to commit to these two courses and entered an extreme, depressed, paranoid state of mind. During this period, I was in tears almost day and night, and I could not restrain myself, while at the same time, I had to bear the blame and sarcasm from my relatives and others due to my grades. In the past, I was always a good student and my grades never fell below A. This gap made me suffer even more. Due to my psychological problems, I couldn't continue to finish these two courses, even though it didn't seem important, but for me to continue these two courses would break me. I made a preliminary diagnosis in the psychiatric department of a reputable hospital in China this year. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and am currently taking sedatives to calm my emotions. But I will adjust before school starts, and will not delay any future courses.

Thus, in the end, I made this decision. I petitioned to drop MATH 110 and MATH 120 after the deadline, even if it meant an extra year of university study compared to other students. During the summer break in 2023, I'm taking online classes and returning to my home country for diagnostic and medication treatment. Also, I will attach the official diagnosis below. I will meet with a psychologist during the holidays to receive treatment and overcome my psychological problems. And will work harder during the summer to learn English and integrate into an English learning environment in the future. When I back to university on September 2023, I plan to retake and pass both courses and meet the academic standards to enter the computer science program in 2024. Thank you for reading and I am sorry that I had to petition due to my reasons.

Sincerely,

Zicun Zhao