Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

My name is Amber Huang and I’m petitioning to late drop PHYS 118 (Summer, 2023) and obtain a credit standing for CHEM 281 (Fall, 2023). Over the past year, I have struggled with mental illnesses and family issues, impacting my ability to concentrate, learn, and regulate my emotions at school. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in April 2023. During the 2023 summer term, I was taking an online summer course (PHYS 118), but many unforeseen family issues took place and my symptoms peaked. The event that affected me the most was finding out my mother was having an affair which led to my parents’ divorce. Not only did I suffer from increased depression, but I also had to support my mom with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation despite being very hurt by her. They would often sob throughout the night and disclose to me their suicidal thoughts. This made me afraid to go to sleep because I was worried she might harm herself. At the time I also had to take care of my grandparents who were unaware of the situation. This all had a profound negative effect on my lifestyle. My family life physically and emotionally drained me to the point where I relied on alcohol to fall asleep. I could not wake up on time and had difficulties maintaining the energy needed to attend tutorials, complete practice questions, and learn the material. I applied for academic consideration to defer my PHYS 118 exam in August, but the lack of energy and continuing family issues made it very difficult for me to focus and learn all the course material in time for the final exam. Due to my circumstances, keeping up with the demands of school became severely challenging and I failed PHYS 118.

Another major event that significantly impacted my mental well-being occurred in the Fall 2023 term. The death of my grandfather happened in October. Right before reading week, I flew back to say goodbye as he was in palliative care and he passed away on October 2nd. We formed a very special bond, so his death heavily impacted me. After I returned from reading week, I had to catch up on my courses, deferred assignments, and exams. In total, I had 8 midterms. I was extremely exhausted and still managing my depressive symptoms. The quantity and urgency of my academic responsibilities meant I had little time to grieve, and it was delayed until the end of my midterms. For the following two weeks (Week 11-12), I had trouble sleeping, eating, and focusing on school. There were days when I could not wake up in time for lectures. In my academic consideration application, I did not allow time for my grieving period and it significantly affected my academics. The duration of the impact was not something I could predict. All 5 courses were significantly affected by my circumstances, but the course I most heavily struggled with was CHEM 281, which resulted in a D+ final grade. The course was designed to have the midterm and final exams that weigh 70% of the final grade, both of which I failed to perform well on due to their proximity to the passing of my grandfather.

I had a lot of drastic changes in my life that added more responsibilities than I could handle with school and my mental well-being. I realized in August that I needed more support. With the help of Dialogue therapists, I started learning to prioritize my health in the summer. I learned a lot from the sessions, such as realizing that I needed to set boundaries with my parents and assign worry time in my schedule to cope with my anxiety. Dialogue was a great platform to start on as an individual who has never received mental health support and was covered by Queen’s Health and Dental plan; however, Dialogue constantly switched my therapists based on their workload and only allowed me to see my therapist bi-weekly, making it extremely difficult to receive long-term support. Because of this, I switched to BetterHelp in January 2024 and have been improving ever since. Even though my circumstances have not been resolved, seeking the help I needed and prioritizing my mental health improved the quality of my life. Fewer panic attacks and depressive episodes occurred, compared to the Summer and Fall terms meant I could focus on my academics. Another method that I started in January, recommended by my BetterHelp therapist, was journaling and I have seen improvements in my emotional regulation, communication of my thoughts, and expression of my suppressed feelings. This semester, my attendance at lectures and tutorials has also increased. I will continue to see my therapist weekly. I hope that these courses can be remedied as they reflect a difficult time in my life, not my capabilities. I will continue to work on improving my well-being, so my academic performance will be less affected over time. Thank you for your time and consideration.