Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 10565
Submitted: May 24, 2023 at 4:38:44 PM
First Name: Josh
Last Name: Keys
Pronoun: He/Him
Preferred Name: Josh
Student Number: 20293459
Email: 21jsak@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: ECON
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Petitions Office,
I am writing to request a waiver of the requirement to withdraw from Queens for one year. I have several reasons for submitting this request, and I would like to begin by explaining why my academic performance this year has been poor. During my first year at Queens, I experienced various challenges in my personal life, which caused my ADHD, SAD (seasonal affective disorder), and sleep issues to reach an all-time high. This resulted in a lack of motivation, persistent brain fog, and low energy. These factors made it extremely difficult for me to initiate and complete assignments effectively. Initially, during the fall term, I was able to manage these difficulties to some extent. However, by the end of the winter term, my academic performance had become unacceptable. Despite my efforts to seek assistance, the processes were slow, and I was unable to rectify the situation promptly.
More recently, I have successfully addressed many of these personal issues, ensuring they will not hinder my academic progress in the future. Evidence of this is my current performance in the summer term courses I am enrolled in. Currently, my overall average in this summer term is a 4.0 GPA. Although these marks are quite preliminary, I feel it shows the effort I am putting in. Even before learning about the one-year withdrawal requirement, I had developed an academic plan, and I had also established various support outlets to address any personal challenges that may arise. I sought assistance from an occupational therapist through Queens, and I received documentation highlighting some of the issues I faced. Although this documentation was prepared before my withdrawal request and was used for my dropping of MATH 111, I believe it still effectively outlines some of the difficulties I encountered during the fall and winter terms.
In regard to the letter I received about the one year withdrawal requirement, it stated that I was being requested to withdraw due to having a cumulative GPA of less than 0.70. However, upon reviewing my transcript, I noticed that my current GPA from the fall and winter terms is 0.75. Additionally, I have not completed 18 units of courses since my admission to Queens, as I was able to drop MATH 111. Though it may be possible that the assessment was done because I have 21 units of transfer credits. I'm not sure if this information is relevant to my situation or not, but I felt I should include it.
My future goals at Queens are to: Switch from a Bachelor of Arts with an ECON plan to a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) Degree with the Mathematics and Analytics Specialization or participate in a Bachelor of Arts degree with a joint major in statistics and economics, maintain good mental and physical health throughout the rest of my academic career, and to graduate with at least a 3.7 cumulative GPA before the end of 2026.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my request and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to enroll in this upcoming fall term.
Sincerely,
Josh
I am writing to request a waiver of the requirement to withdraw from Queens for one year. I have several reasons for submitting this request, and I would like to begin by explaining why my academic performance this year has been poor. During my first year at Queens, I experienced various challenges in my personal life, which caused my ADHD, SAD (seasonal affective disorder), and sleep issues to reach an all-time high. This resulted in a lack of motivation, persistent brain fog, and low energy. These factors made it extremely difficult for me to initiate and complete assignments effectively. Initially, during the fall term, I was able to manage these difficulties to some extent. However, by the end of the winter term, my academic performance had become unacceptable. Despite my efforts to seek assistance, the processes were slow, and I was unable to rectify the situation promptly.
More recently, I have successfully addressed many of these personal issues, ensuring they will not hinder my academic progress in the future. Evidence of this is my current performance in the summer term courses I am enrolled in. Currently, my overall average in this summer term is a 4.0 GPA. Although these marks are quite preliminary, I feel it shows the effort I am putting in. Even before learning about the one-year withdrawal requirement, I had developed an academic plan, and I had also established various support outlets to address any personal challenges that may arise. I sought assistance from an occupational therapist through Queens, and I received documentation highlighting some of the issues I faced. Although this documentation was prepared before my withdrawal request and was used for my dropping of MATH 111, I believe it still effectively outlines some of the difficulties I encountered during the fall and winter terms.
In regard to the letter I received about the one year withdrawal requirement, it stated that I was being requested to withdraw due to having a cumulative GPA of less than 0.70. However, upon reviewing my transcript, I noticed that my current GPA from the fall and winter terms is 0.75. Additionally, I have not completed 18 units of courses since my admission to Queens, as I was able to drop MATH 111. Though it may be possible that the assessment was done because I have 21 units of transfer credits. I'm not sure if this information is relevant to my situation or not, but I felt I should include it.
My future goals at Queens are to: Switch from a Bachelor of Arts with an ECON plan to a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) Degree with the Mathematics and Analytics Specialization or participate in a Bachelor of Arts degree with a joint major in statistics and economics, maintain good mental and physical health throughout the rest of my academic career, and to graduate with at least a 3.7 cumulative GPA before the end of 2026.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my request and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to enroll in this upcoming fall term.
Sincerely,
Josh
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Academic Plan part 1:
Step 1: Improve Sleep Quality:
ensure proper nutrition (including supplementing with vitamins D, B12, B6, A, and E),
maintain electrolyte balances,
exercise regularly,
use melatonin or GABA supplements if necessary,
regulate caffeine intake,
follow a consistent sleep schedule,
stay hydrated.
Step 2: Improve and maintain Mental Health:
get regular sunlight exposure (15-30 minutes daily),
maintain communication with a doctor or therapist,
practice meditation,
engage in regular exercise,
take breaks when needed to help maintain balance in life.
Step 3: Manage focus:
consume 200-250mg of caffeine 60-90 minutes after waking up (with breaks to prevent tolerance build up),
stay hydrated throughout the day,
practice meditation,
journal regularly,
exercise consistently.
These steps have proven effective in managing my SAD(seasonal affective disorder), ADHD, and sleep issues and I believe they will continue to do so.
Academic plan part 2:
My future goals at queens and how I will take actionable steps to achieve them.
Goal 1, Switch from a Bachelor of Arts with an ECON plan to a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) Degree with the Mathematics and Analytics Specialization or participate in a Bachelor of Arts degree with a joint major in statistics and economics.
Steps to achieve this goal:
complete the following courses by fall 2024: CISC 121, CISC 124, CISC 102, MATH 111, MATH 123, MATH 124, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.7 to increase my chances of acceptance into these programs.
Goal 2, graduate by the end of 2026:
Sample course plan:
(Note: That I have enough transfer credits to not take a full course load each semester.)
Summer term 2023:
CISC 102,
CISC 121,
COGS 100,
COMM 221,
ECON 212.
Fall term 2023:
CISC 124,
MATH 111,
CISC 203,
STAT 351.
Winter term 2024:
MATH 124,
MATH 111,
ECON 112,
CISC 204.
Fall term 2024:
MATH 211,
MATH 221,
CISC 223,
CISC 235,
COGS 201.
Winter term 2025:
STAT 269,
ECON 351,
CISC 221,
CISC 271,
CISC 360.
Fall term 2025:
MATH 311,
CISC 365,
CISC 324,
CISC 497,
CISC 322.
Winter term 2026:
STAT 463,
CICS 466,
CISC 473,
CISC 372,
CISC 499.
Goal 3, Graduate with at least a 3.7 cumulative GPA.
Steps to achieve this goal:
dedicate adequate time and effort to studying and use methods such as time boxing to help with time management,
utilise available resources such as course office hours or meeting with a learning strategist, and
use study methods such a the pomodoro technique to help optimise study efficacy.
Academic Plan Part 3:
Final note:
Computer science is a fascinating topic that I have recently taken an interest in. The opportunity to actually develop software, or to do deep data analysis, would be extremely motivating. Though if I were to not get into the Bachelor of Computing (Honours) program, I still do have a deep interest in economics and statistics, and would be happy to complete a degree plan involving that. To conclude, I believe that with this motivation and my academic plan, I can achieve my academic goals.
Thank you for taking the time to read this academic plan.
Best regards,
Josh
Step 1: Improve Sleep Quality:
ensure proper nutrition (including supplementing with vitamins D, B12, B6, A, and E),
maintain electrolyte balances,
exercise regularly,
use melatonin or GABA supplements if necessary,
regulate caffeine intake,
follow a consistent sleep schedule,
stay hydrated.
Step 2: Improve and maintain Mental Health:
get regular sunlight exposure (15-30 minutes daily),
maintain communication with a doctor or therapist,
practice meditation,
engage in regular exercise,
take breaks when needed to help maintain balance in life.
Step 3: Manage focus:
consume 200-250mg of caffeine 60-90 minutes after waking up (with breaks to prevent tolerance build up),
stay hydrated throughout the day,
practice meditation,
journal regularly,
exercise consistently.
These steps have proven effective in managing my SAD(seasonal affective disorder), ADHD, and sleep issues and I believe they will continue to do so.
Academic plan part 2:
My future goals at queens and how I will take actionable steps to achieve them.
Goal 1, Switch from a Bachelor of Arts with an ECON plan to a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) Degree with the Mathematics and Analytics Specialization or participate in a Bachelor of Arts degree with a joint major in statistics and economics.
Steps to achieve this goal:
complete the following courses by fall 2024: CISC 121, CISC 124, CISC 102, MATH 111, MATH 123, MATH 124, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.7 to increase my chances of acceptance into these programs.
Goal 2, graduate by the end of 2026:
Sample course plan:
(Note: That I have enough transfer credits to not take a full course load each semester.)
Summer term 2023:
CISC 102,
CISC 121,
COGS 100,
COMM 221,
ECON 212.
Fall term 2023:
CISC 124,
MATH 111,
CISC 203,
STAT 351.
Winter term 2024:
MATH 124,
MATH 111,
ECON 112,
CISC 204.
Fall term 2024:
MATH 211,
MATH 221,
CISC 223,
CISC 235,
COGS 201.
Winter term 2025:
STAT 269,
ECON 351,
CISC 221,
CISC 271,
CISC 360.
Fall term 2025:
MATH 311,
CISC 365,
CISC 324,
CISC 497,
CISC 322.
Winter term 2026:
STAT 463,
CICS 466,
CISC 473,
CISC 372,
CISC 499.
Goal 3, Graduate with at least a 3.7 cumulative GPA.
Steps to achieve this goal:
dedicate adequate time and effort to studying and use methods such as time boxing to help with time management,
utilise available resources such as course office hours or meeting with a learning strategist, and
use study methods such a the pomodoro technique to help optimise study efficacy.
Academic Plan Part 3:
Final note:
Computer science is a fascinating topic that I have recently taken an interest in. The opportunity to actually develop software, or to do deep data analysis, would be extremely motivating. Though if I were to not get into the Bachelor of Computing (Honours) program, I still do have a deep interest in economics and statistics, and would be happy to complete a degree plan involving that. To conclude, I believe that with this motivation and my academic plan, I can achieve my academic goals.
Thank you for taking the time to read this academic plan.
Best regards,
Josh
Documentation
Professional Letter: Letter JK May 2023.pdf