Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean,

Firstly, I would like to preface by thanking you for taking the time out of your day to read my letter and for your understanding. I am writing this petition letter to formally request your permission to drop the course LAW 204 for the current semester due to extenuating circumstances that have significantly impacted my ability to perform academically.

As a student, I have always taken my academics seriously and take pride in my work. I choose to be involved and engaged and make the most out of the valuable opportunities presented to me in my school environment. I have specific goals for my academic future and my career, therefore I would never take my education for granted. That is why I am here at Queen’s University and plan to represent the school with pride.

Throughout this term, I have faced a series of personal challenges that were unforeseen and beyond my control. Specifically, at the beginning of the year, I was experiencing problems with harming myself which greatly impacted my family dynamic. This has had a profound impact on my emotional well-being. It took up a lot of my time and attention trying to navigate how to deal with the family problems that would arise, especially with me being away from home. Learning how to manage my emotions towards my new family dynamic, and how to cope with what I was feeling as well as my family members affected, was a major challenge for me this semester. The emotional strain resulting from this event, coupled with ongoing mental health issues, has made it exceptionally challenging for me to focus on my academic responsibilities. I felt very overwhelmed and confused, which led me to go into a freeze mode where I would procrastinate my assignments. Due to this, I fell behind which led me to become even more stressed and overwhelmed, leading to a downward spiral.

The effects of these circumstances manifested in my academic performance, as I struggled to meet the demands of coursework and maintain the level of engagement required for success in LAW 204. I was forced to focus on the courses required for my plan: POLS 250, POLS 243, and POLS 211. Due to that, I had to make LAW 204 my last priority. The combination of emotional distress and mental health challenges has been an ongoing struggle throughout the entire term, affecting my ability to concentrate, meet deadlines, and produce quality work. Additionally, having the course online was a new concept to me, and not being able to connect with my professor and TA in person hindered my ability to engage or seek help in the course. All of these factors combined contributed to me being inactive in the class, and producing low-quality work. My participation and results in the class are not an accurate representation of me as a student, and I strongly believe that I can do a better job in the class once I can manage my mental health and academics.

To provide you with a clearer understanding of the timeline and duration of these challenges, my mental health issues were something I dealt with last year too and was a part of QSAS. I struggled with self-harming practices at the beginning of the year. I have been seeking professional support for years by regularly attending therapy sessions to address my mental health concerns and coping mechanisms. However, my sessions ended in October, and I have been trying to use the tools and knowledge I learned throughout those years to better myself without therapy. I have realized that I still need help, and have made an effort to contact academic advising at Queens to deduct a plan for improving my academic situation as my academics have always been important to me and something I am passionate about.

To mitigate the impact of these extenuating circumstances, I have taken proactive steps to manage my situation. This includes contacting the Queen’s counselling services and setting up an appointment to meet with a therapist. I am committed to addressing and resolving the challenges I am currently facing and actively working towards restoring my emotional well-being. It would be of great help if I was permitted to drop the class as it would provide me with a chance to rectify my academic situation which has unfortunately been negatively impacted by extenuating circumstances.

I understand the importance of completing all academic requirements and appreciate the value of the knowledge gained in LAW 204. However, I believe that it is in my best interest to request permission to drop LAW 204. Thank you for your understanding and consideration of my situation. I am more than willing to discuss this matter further or provide any additional information that may aid in your decision-making process.