Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am writing to request an appeal for my failures in ECON 280 (Fall 2014), COMM 251 (Fall 2014), ECON 351 (Winter 2015), and ECON 243 (Winter 2015).

As a result of my poor mental health, my academic performance had been significantly affected this year, and consequently led to multiple failures of courses that I wish to appeal. Depression and anxiety has unfortunately been something I have been dealing with for many years. Throughout the past four years at Queen¿¿s, I have found this year the most difficult to stay motivated and focused on my studies. Coming from a family where mental health and illnesses are not fully understood and often stigmatised, I have struggled to maintain a healthy lifestyle, physically, as well as, emotionally. Reaching out for help was something that I have only very recently been able to accept. Towards the end of my third year at Queen¿¿s, with the help from a friend, I sought help with a counsellor, and then continued therapy treatment with a psychologist at home throughout the entire summer of 2014. However, my personal issues experience highs and lows, and despite my optimistic start to the school year, my battle with depression had once again gained control over my daily routine. This resulted in isolating myself in my bedroom every day, adopting poor eating habits, and an increased dependence on anti-depressants (prescribed by my family doctor over the summer) and over-the-counter sleeping aids to help me sleep. Sleeping was my escape route, and my solution to forgetting all my problems. This also left me with little motivation and courage to return to the counsellor I had been seeing at Queen¿¿s last year. I felt embarrassed, defeated and afraid of having to discuss all the pain and confusion going on in my head.

Isolation and an unhealthy sleeping routine were the two major factors that affected my studies the most. I had very little interest in socializing as seeing people gave me anxiety, and stepping outside the house took a lot of effort, and as a result, I had missed a lot of important classes. I tried to make up for those missed classes by collecting notes from classmates and reading the textbook, but my overall focus was not there. Sleeping was the ultimate battle as I struggled to fall sleep at night, relying on antidepressant (Mirtazapine) or Melatonin to reduce the time it took for me to fall asleep. However the quality of my sleep was always lacking, and I rarely felt well-rested and energized, which consequently also affected my mood. When it came around to exam period, my stress and anxiety levels had reached its peak. I did not know what or how to approach my exam preparation, and I feared asking for help because I felt ashamed for not having the courage to leave my bedroom. I would cure all these overwhelming feelings with more sleep, and ultimately went through exam period with an I give up attitude, intending on giving everything up. My happiness and success didn't seem likely in the foreseeable future.