Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Academic),

I am petitioning to appeal the Faculty’s decision that I must withdraw from studies at Queen’s for the duration of one year. I would also like to appeal to late-drop past failed courses from the Winter 2023 semester (CHEM282, MATH121, PHGY215, CISC151).

First year was a struggle for me as I was learning to deal with living away from home and adjusting to the differences of university, so some of my marks suffered and I was placed on probation. I understand that decision, and in the first term of second year (Fall 2022) I was working towards improvement and I passed all of my classes. However, I faced extenuating circumstances that affected my academic performance during the months of February-April of the Winter 2023 term. It started with a physical sickness around the end of February which was bad enough that I couldn’t attend in-person classes or concentrate on a computer screen for online classes/coursework. I didn’t think the illness was so serious that I needed to go see a doctor, but it lasted long enough that I began falling behind in my classes. Once I was recovered and well enough, I started trying to catch up and realized how much I’d missed in that time. I had already been having a tough time with my mental health for a few months before that, but when the stress started to set in from the missed deadlines, it got worse and became unmanageable. From March to mid-April, my mental health was so poor that I hardly left my house, I had no motivation, and although I knew I needed to improve my grades because of my probation, I couldn’t catch up or manage my workload. I didn’t get professional help, but I did get help in the form of talking to my parents and my roommates about it. I tried to cram and finish as many late/last-minute assignments as I could in April, but by the time the exam period came around, my efforts were not enough and I couldn’t achieve the passing grades I needed to get off probation.

If my appeal to waive the requirement to withdraw is successful, I will take any necessary steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again. I’ve learned that keeping things like this to myself is not the way to go about it, and that it always helps to ask for help. If the mental health issues persist or get worse, I would consider seeking professional help next time. As I mentioned above, I didn’t visit a doctor or counselor during the time of my extenuating circumstances. Because of this, I couldn’t submit any official documentation from healthcare professionals with this appeal, and I have instead attached a short letter from my parents, as they were my main source of help in that time, to show there is truth behind my story. I enjoy being a student at Queen’s University, I love the school, and I want to prove that I can achieve better grades without obstacles in my way. I hope you can consider giving me that opportunity to continue this Fall 2023 term.

Sincerely, Kennedy Moir