Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Board of Studies.

I would like to drop ENGL 215, a May-July summer school course.

I understand that it is past the date to drop the course, but I am under the requirement to withdraw for a year from studies effective May 1st 2023. To be able to continue next summer term in May, I would have to drop this course rather than begin in September. I am currently doing well in the course, and would only like to drop it to be able to continue my studies as early as possible next year, as this was the only summer school course I enrolled in this summer.

I was unsure whether to drop the course, because I petitioned against the requirement to withdraw for one year, and the decision that my petition was denied came in on June 26th, and the drop date for this course was June 21st. If my petition had gotten accepted, I would not have dropped the course. I did not want to enroll in multiple courses and not do well in them, so I only enrolled in one. I did not want to take on more than I may be capable of at this time after this past year. After completing the course and seeing how I did, I planned to enroll in more for the July and August. If I had enrolled in 5 courses before being denied access, I could have ended up not succeeding, as this summer school course only began two weeks after returning from school in April 2023. If I cannot drop this course, I will finish it in July and be allowed to enroll in September, which is longer than a 12 month period. I work full-time at a Montessori school working in class with children ages 4-5, and have been enrolled in this summer school course and frequently utilize student resources like the writing centre and my parents' work. We have thoroughly discussed and debated many times over what the best course of action here on out could be, which has taken time. We do not think it is worth it to sacrifice one course over being able to strengthen my skills utilizing the Queen's resources as well taking the time to grow throughout this coming year, and tackling a semester's worth of courses after that. Below, I have attached the letter requiring me to withdraw, as well as the letter informing me that my petition against the decision was denied with the date provided.

I completely respect and understand the decision to have me withdrawn from the school for a year to take the time I need to strengthen myself, and my skills in order for me to return to school with a positive mindset ready to succeed. The letter informing me of the decision to withdraw me stated that this decision was not meant to be punitive, but an opportunity to take some time to return as strongly as possible to complete my degree. The dropping of this course could very well make or break whether I finish in ConEd/Arts which is my ultimate goal and what I wish for greatly.

I hope that we can discuss what it might take to drop this course, so that this year can lead to a truly fresh start for me and my potential to succeed knowing all that I know now, and what I have yet to learn this coming year.


Thank you kindly,

Christina