Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of Arts and Science,

My name is Paige Lowman, and I am currently in my 4th year of studies at Queen’s in 3rd year standing. I am writing this petition to receive permission to drop my BIOL 339 course after the drop deadline. I’m sure by looking at my transcript of my time at Queen’s you will be able to see some of the struggles I have faced, including a couple of failed courses and one other course dropped after the deadline also due to mental illness struggles. Depression and anxiety have been a major part of my life, significantly impeding my ability to perform in courses as well as I would like to. This semester, I have experienced considerable difficulty in managing my mental health and ADHD, and consequently, my symptoms have persisted and intensified over time. As a result, I experienced consistent difficulty concentrating, retaining information, and meeting deadlines for assignments and exams as most days it is hard to get out of bed, let alone keep up with my studies.

The compounding effect of missed coursework due to my struggles with depression and anxiety in addition to ADHD has created an overwhelming sense of difficulty in catching up. The weight of incomplete assignments and unattended coursework has steadily mounted, making it increasingly daunting to even approach my laptop to begin the catch-up process. This mounting pile of tasks has, unfortunately, contributed to a cycle where the anxiety of having so much undone work exacerbates my depression, creating a paralyzing effect that makes it incredibly challenging to find the motivation to initiate or complete the backlog. This vicious cycle perpetuates the negative impact on my mental health, making it challenging to re-engage with missed coursework despite my earnest desire to do so.

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