Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: May 19th, 2015

Klea Asllani ¿¿ 10150299
1722 ¿¿ 377 Ridelle Ave
Toronto, ON M6B1K2

To the Associate Dean (Studies):

I am appealing for a Credit Standing for the courses with a grade lower than a C, on the basis that there have been certain extenuating circumstances ¿¿ personal matters ¿¿ that have been beyond my control and have therefore affected my academic performance for the 2014 ¿¿ 2015 school year.
My parents and I were not on good terms when I decided to go to Queens, this caused a major strain on our relationship and on my financial assistance. I applied for OSAP and I was given enough assistance to pay at least of the fall fees that were due. However to pay the rest of the amount I had to take out money from my savings, which in turn left me with little extra assistance, especially for the winter fees. I began looking for a job in October of 2014 and continued to look for one until December hoping I could make enough money in case OSAP did not give me enough for my winter fees. I was unsuccessful. The stress of not being be able to pay my school fees for the next semester caused me to think more on how to obtain money rather than on my academics. I was afraid that I would be penalized by the school which would require more money and that I would probably be asked to be withdraw. I started to fall behind on school work, the stress of not having enough money and disappointing my parents caused a lot of stress to the point that I became physically sick.
In October I visited the local walk-in clinic for a check-up, and that¿¿s where I was told that my blood pressure was quite high and that due to my stress and anxiety my immune system was not well protected which they then explained was the cause of my many colds, symptoms that followed. October was a very hectic month, I had essays and biology labs that had to be completed, which I did, but I know that it was not my best work, I was not fully concentrated on the task in front of me. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and while I was able to afford them due to UHIP I still had to pay for the remaining amount and just seeing my bank account numbers decrease made me stress out even more. I was given antibiotics, however at the same time I was on a birth control pill. I was not aware that taking antibiotics and a birth control pill at the same time would put me at a greater risk for pregnancy. I missed my period and at first I thought it was because of my health but then I took a test that said I might be pregnant in November. I broke down and went to see a counselor at the LaSalle building. By the last week of November right before exams, I found I was pregnant. That¿¿s when I had my second break-down a few days before my Psychology exam on December 3rd.
The next day, I went to the Women¿¿s Clinic for an ultrasound and they confirmed my pregnancy. I had no idea what to do. I could not concentrate on studying for my Biology exam that coming Monday, December 8th. I went into the exam thinking solely about my financial and pregnancy situation. My next exam was on December 11th and it was History, I tried very hard to study however I had also found out that my grandma was very sick and my parents could not afford to send my siblings and I to see her. I went into all three of my exams with stress, extreme anxiety, fatigue and disappointment. I believed I would do better on my exams than I thought, however the opposite occurred. I went home for winter break and found out I had miscarried due to my health. The stress and anxiety was too much for the fetus to survive. I did not go to counselling, I went about my day and waited for my OSAP funding, thankfully with their amount and what was left of my savings I was able to pay the winter fees. The stress for paying off school was off my shoulders and I started to apply for work in Toronto for the summer from January and I now currently work one job and I am waiting for an interview for a second one. Nonetheless it seemed my stress and anxiety did not disappear as quickly as I hoped. My mid-term grades were horrible and I knew that I could not bring them up to the standards set by my parents and I. January was a blur, my grandma was not getting better, my parents were not speaking to me and I felt alone. Seeing my grades brought down my confidence, motivation and concentration. Then I received a call from my sister and she told she was diagnosed with severe ADHD and that my father was diagnosed a long time ago in Albania but never told us. She informed me that I needed to get a test done, so I did, I went to the Health and Counselling Service and got a booklet that I had to fill out and bring to the testing service in the Mackintosh ¿¿ Corry Hall. I went in for my screening/interview on January 9th. I waited for the results and I was told I needed to complete and extra booklet for more information but due to extenuating circumstances I was never able to complete the booklet, however I have included the results to my first screening.
February became the month to look for houses and I needed money to pay rent for April 2016, without it no landlord would sign a lease with my housemates and I. I began to look for a job and again I began to focus solely on my financial situation while trying to at the same time complete essays and labs that for everyone seemed very easy while for me they were extremely difficult. It took me a month to convince my parents to help me with at least one month¿¿s rent and we were finally able to lease a house. By the time March came around, my marks were not any better, neither was my concentration or confidence in myself and my abilities. I began to doubt myself and I had more than a few thoughts of just disappearing and never having to deal with so much. My parents were not speaking to me and I had no way of knowing how my grandma was doing. I went into my April exams with little confidence and hours and hours of studying but my grades quite clearly prove that I did not study as hard as I thought.
This is why I¿¿m applying for an academic appeal for a Credit Standing. I had a tough year and I know that I can do better, I currently have one job and hopefully soon I will have two. I hope that I can find a job in August in Kingston so I am able to work part time during the school year. I need a second chance to prove to myself and my parents that I can once again regain the confidence and motivation that I lost. I hope to be one of the top students at Queens and I know I can do it. My Academic Plan in the will prove it.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.





ACADEMIC PLAN

I understand that this year there have been a few extenuating circumstances that have held me back from achieving my goals and being in good academic standing. However, my academic plan will prove that I am on my way to a more successful 2015-2016 school year.
One of the reasons that I was not able to do well this past year was my due to my financial situation. I am currently working part-time (four to five times a week) as a cashier at minimum wage and I have sent out over 50 resumes for a second full-time job at minimum wage or higher. For this summer I will only be working, so that I can obtain the finances needed for rent for the upcoming year as well as utilities and internet. I will also be putting money aside for books and extra costs regarding school tuition fees. I will be meeting with bank advisors regarding a savings account that I may use in case of an emergency. Once I am back at school I will set up an appointment with the Students Awards Office in regards to them helping me with a budget plan. I will be taking only 3 courses per term for the upcoming school year as I hope to find a part-time job so that I am able to have extra finances in case of an emergency. I will once again be applying for OSAP for the upcoming year and with help from a financial advisor I hope to have a specific plan for my financial situation for the 2015-2016 year. I will set specific dates and deadlines so that I can stay organized and on top of my financial situation. I will be moving back to Kingston in August and begin my search for job as a Sales Associate, Barista or cashier. I, however, will also be applying for external (outside of Queens) scholarships, on websites like studentawards.com. I will apply for 3-4 new scholarships every month.
One of my goals this summer is to get back to finding myself. I have begun to train in the art of Muay Thai with the help of a family friend so that I am able to learn to concentrate and stay focused on the task in front of me. I am becoming a more active person, and by doing so I will be able to relieve my stress and anxiety so that it will not affect my academics. Once I get back to school, I will be setting up regular weekly meetings with a counselor at the Health, Counselling and Disability Services so that I am able to have an outlet for my problems. I hope to discuss whatever issues I have been facing for that week, the steps I took to overcome them and what steps I need or should take to overcome what obstacles I could not overcome. I am also currently looking into ADHD and how it can affect me and my day to day life as well as how to cope with it, in case the results I hope to obtain in September prove that I have ADHD. Once I get back to Kingston I will hand in the extra booklet that I was required to fill out and ask to see a psychologist regarding my results and solutions. In regards to extenuating circumstances such as my grandmother¿¿s health, she is not doing very well. Right now, my support is my family, we have gotten much closer and much more understanding of each other¿¿s problems because we sit down and talk when someone has an issue and discuss the problems without fighting and yelling. Once I¿¿m back at school, I will see a counselor and I will talk to them when my family is not around, I understand that if my grandmother¿¿s health gets worse it will become harder on me especially, if she passes away sometime next year. If this is the case, I will go to a counselor immediately and ask to speak to all of my instructors and professors. I will explain to them my situation as well as I will bring documentation in case I am required to leave the city/country and I have a project/essay/lab that is due. I will make sure to give them specific dates regarding when I would return and how much extra time I would require to finish the project etc.
This previous year the courses that I took were quite scattered. But while some material was interesting others were not and that¿¿s when my motivation as well as confidence declined. When I was interested I put more effort and time into my academics, however I always seemed to find myself getting distracted and unmotivated. I spoke to an Academic Advisor and I will be taking her advice. Once upon a time I thought that I would major in Biology and go to Medical school and just like that become a doctor. But now I don¿¿t think that¿¿s the case. I took BIOL102 and BIOL103 and I think part of the fact that I did not do as well as I had hoped was because I had other things clouding my mind. But, I will be booking an appointment with a career counselor and I will discuss with them what I would be able to do if I chose History as my major. First year students need to be accepted into a major by May 22, with my current GPA I will not be able to major in Biology, so I will declare a major in Geography for a Bachelor of Science with a pending plan in Bachelor of Arts - History. However, if my appeal is granted after May 22nd I will apply for a late change in a major and if possible switch back into Honours because I know I can do it especially if I reach out to all the resources that Queens has to offer to struggling students like myself. As of now, Medical school for me is not my top priority. I have had my reality check and realized that I can major in History and be a medical researcher if I choose. I will definitely be taking a 5th year, and I hope that next year I can take a mix of history and science courses as well as having monthly or bi-monthly meetings with a career counselor to discuss my interests and courses and to have a revised plan that matches those interests.
If I were to pick my courses right now for the upcoming school year I would re-take BIOL102/103 or if possible sign up for ANAT215/216 and take another first year history course and during open enrollment I would sign up for 200 Level History Lecture classes (Fall Term ¿¿ 3 units: HIST241 or HIST210, Winter Term ¿¿ 3 units: HIST243 or HIST294) and 6 ¿Core seminar¿¿ units at the 300 ¿¿ 329 Level (HIST306 F/W). I chose these courses by extensive research on the History Department webpage and what I need to major in History as well as I chose them based on my interests. At the end of next year (2016) I will apply for a major change and if I have the required marks and GPA I will switch to a double major in History-Biology. I will excel in this courses by planning regular weekly meetings with my professors and teacher¿¿s assistants during their office hours. By keeping in touch with my professors and T.As I will be able to ask questions about lectures, clarifying information and even add my own opinion on their take on a particular topic whether or not it was discussed in class. I would ask if they had time to quickly look over my essay and make sure I was on the right track as well as get their opinion about what sort of information I should include in an essay or project so I could achieve the highest grade possible. I would use the Writing Centre to my advantage, I would go there at least 2 weeks before an essay was due, with the outline, rough draft and questions regarding how I could make it better. I would try to do this for all major essays and projects, if possible. If I find out that I do in fact have ADHD I will set up bi-weekly appointments with a Learning Strategists to discuss ways I can focus and manage my time. I will do this even if the results show that I don¿¿t have ADHD. I need to become more focused, motivated and confident and I need support and help to get there. With a Learning Strategists I can create simple and realistic goals/steps to get me to my main goal without overwhelming myself and feeling like I am a disappointment.
I had no idea that Queen¿¿s offered this many programs to help struggling students, however since exams ended and I knew what my marks were I have been researching ways that I can become a better more successful student. I will be attending if not all, at least half of the workshops held at the Stauffer Library so that I can develop better learning strategies. I will try all the methods until I find the one best suited for me that can help me achieve my goals. I will attend weekly meetings with professors to discuss course work and general topics regarding the course and upcoming essays, I will attend weekly meetings with a counselor at the HCDS centre to discuss my obstacles for the week as well as my achievements. I will get evaluated by a physician or a counselor to determine whether or not I do have a learning disability and if I do I will meet with a counselor every week as well as a Learning Strategists to discuss my options, goals and achievements so I can have a successful academic year.
However, this year I have learned that a successful year is not only attributed to grades. I will become more physically active and get involved in extracurricular activities. I have already begun this journey by becoming the Co-executive Events Coordinator for Queen¿¿s Helping Haiti as well as the Executive Events Coordinator for The Canadian NeuGeneration Conference. I will be applying for a part-time job in Kingston for the school year as well as I will be training for a 10k run in 40 minutes. I believe that I can have a successful 2015-2016 school year, I made mistakes but I don¿¿t wish that I could go back and change them because they taught me a lesson. Those mistakes and extenuating circumstances have taught me to become an adult. That when something brings you down and you have no way of getting back up asking for help is the best and most important thing to do. Those mistakes have taught me to be more realistic about my goals and future. They have taught me that asking for help is not shameful and at times you need to swallow your pride and admit that you need to change your plan to best fit the situation. I did not do well but I am asking for a second chance because I know that I will do better. I know that this Academic Plan will help me get there. Queen¿¿s University is the place for me and I know I belong here, I just need help to get started. Getting an excellent education at one of the top universities in the country means the world to me, I have just hit a road bump and need some way to get up.
I would like to thank you in advance for considering my academic appeal. I know I belong at Queen¿¿s University and I would like a second chance to prove myself, education is the main reason my parent¿¿s left everything behind and moved to a country they barely spoke the language to. I want to prove to myself that I can do it and with a bit of help I can get there. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.