Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),


I am appealing to drop ENGL 271 (Winter, 2015) as a result of depression that lasted approximately 8 weeks and inhibited my academic performance. Starting during Week 5 of the Winter 2015 term I stopped attending class regularly. I slowly began to close myself off to the world, and by the end of the semester I was not leaving my room altogether. I was sleeping 12-14 hours during the day and staying up all night. It was not until a friend visited me at the end March that remarked I was acting unusual. Everyday escaped by me, until a whole semester slipped past me. I fluctuated between bouts of crying and long periods of numbness and indifference. I had not told my parents of what I was dealing with until I came to visit them during the exam period. As a result of not attending classes, I fell behind and I would not hand in essays and assignments for my classes. ENGL 271 was the class that was the most deeply impacted, since three of my other classes were full year courses, at least I had some work completed for those classes.
I went and met with a counsellor at LaSalle and she came to the conclusion that I had symptoms of depression. Being so far into the end of the school year, we focused mostly how to tackle my classes in a way that would ensure I would not fail. She advised me to finish the school year by making arrangements with teachers and by dropping what I could not make up for. Finally as to my mental health, since I would not be staying in Kingston this summer, I should seek professional health from a psychiatrist or a therapist in my home town and to see if my depression was rooted in my stay at Queens or if it extends beyond my academics. This summer I am meeting with a doctor once a week to begin therapy.
As for my return to Queens I aim to begin meeting with the counsellors at LaSalle as soon as the Fall 2015 term commences so I can take on my academic workload and my mental health in a way that one does not come at the cost of the other. I also plan on reducing my course load to four classes pre term, as I have noticed a pattern of finding it difficult to balance a 5 class workload. I transferred to Queens this year because I was excited to study English at an institution that had engaging material and professors, and I hope that I will be able to return to that place of passion and excitement.

Thank you for your time,

Ghazal Baradari-Ghiami