Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Monday June 19, 2023
Petition to the Associate Dean (Academic)

I am petitioning to drop (DR) PSYC 100A-001 and COGS 100-00, as well as receive credit only (CR) on my transcript for MUSC 171, SOCY 122A/B and HLTH 101-001.

As a student who has dealt with a learning disability as well as ADHD, I have had to work extra hard to succeed in my studies. In high school, I persevered for my grades by finding and learning approaches that worked in my favor and using the accommodations when needed. Ultimately, I succeeded in obtaining grades that allowed me to be accepted into multiple universities. Once I began my university classes, the new learning environment and the heavier workflow had new and unforeseen impacts on my academic performance. My first term courses consisted of Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, Social Determinants of Health, and Music.

In high school, I had multiple supports outside and in school that enabled me to manage my workload and stay mentally healthy. I also had different part-time jobs that allowed me to focus on things that I enjoyed and develop friendships outside of my school. They also gave me a break from the student lifestyle. When the pandemic hit and school became remote, the sudden isolation had a major impact on my mental health. I developed an eating disorder, which added significant mental stress and further interfered with my ability to focus on academics. I sought out and received the help I needed, often meeting with my therapist, and surrounding myself with a healthy social group. In the end, I was still able to succeed and optimistically head to Queens.

In addition to my learning challenges, I also experienced a high degree of social anxiety when starting out at Queens; far more than I had whilst in high school. Along with being in a new environment and not knowing anyone, living in residence was very difficult for me. The stress of leaving my room to do simple things became overwhelming and led me to isolate myself. Despite meeting with my therapist and discussing methods that would help me cope, I still had difficulty dealing with my anxiety. It was early October that I began to realize the random shifts in my mood and decided to bring it up with my doctor but it was not until the end of the month that I began to experience constant and unexplainable periods of low energy and mood. It was also the time of year when exams were coming up, so I associated my low moods and lack of energy with the stress from exams. This also led to inconsistent sleep and a lack of appetite. While November fourth was the deadline for dropping a course, I did not drop a course because I did not think my grades would be so strongly affected by the state of my mental health.

Prior to the December exams, I had met with a QSAS advisor to set up my accommodations. I went into my first exam, PSYC100, expecting to have extra time. When the exam was almost finished, I learnt that, for some unknown reason, I was not granted the extra time I needed. After the PSYC exam, I reached out to Alan Jeans at QSAS with the hope that something could be done to address the unallocated time. I was told that this error was irreversible but accommodations were put in place for my remaining exams. I passed one of those exams and did not do well on the other so shortly after my exams I decided to meet with my doctor again. During this appointment I realized that my low moods and energy were not just caused by the stress and anxiety from school.

After returning to school from the winter break, I received an email about my GPA being too low. This led me to set up a meeting with an academic coach, Gail Eaton-Smith from SASS to discuss study methods and ways to better organize my school life. Throughout the month of January, I continued to experience low moods and low energy. I met with my doctor again at the end of the month and was diagnosed with depression. Soon after the diagnosis, I began taking antidepressants. By mid-February I had found a dosage that seemed to make a difference. In addition to the medication and regularly meeting with my therapist, I spoke with another QSAS advisor about dropping a winter term course, GNDS 125-001. My goal was to lessen my workload so I could have more time to focus on my remaining courses. Dropping the course was a very difficult decision and even though it was the right decision, I felt like I was giving up and taking the easy way out. Dropping additional courses would have been even more difficult and I truly believed that I would be able to do well on my exams with a lessened workload and the support I had in place. As well, I planned to major in psychology and I needed PSYC100 as a prerequisite.

I continued to work hard to keep up with my courses and I felt more in control since dropping the course and starting the medication. I received a very high grade on a written assignment for SOCY122, which gave me the confidence to keep persevering with my courses. Unfortunately, my other midterm grades were not as strong as I expected. The combined stress from dealing with depression, managing my learning needs and my low grades, was beyond anything I had experienced before and my mental health continued to suffer. This all led me to meet with my doctor again to discuss options. While the medication did improve my mood and dropping the course meant I had a slightly lesser workload, my efforts did not work to my advantage.

As the new school year approaches, I have been thinking a lot about the different strategies that will allow me to achieve academically and support my mental health. My priority is to stay in Ottawa, as I think my home environment is the best choice for me at this time. I plan to look into a reduced course load for the 2023/2024 academic year and taking some courses virtually through Queens, and possibly in-person at the University of Ottawa on a Letter of Permission, if granted. I plan to stay connected with QSAS to ensure my accommodations are set up at the beginning of the school year. I also plan to seek support from the services within SASS as the year begins to ensure that I am starting off on the right foot; this would include working on improving my study methods and working on my time management. I will continue to meet with my therapist as well as reach out to my close friends and family when I am overwhelmed.