Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Willow Cox
20291528
Arts & Sciences
I am writing to request the requirement for me to withdraw for 3 years be waived.
A year ago, I submitted a petition to waive the requirement for me to withdraw for 1 year after failing to raise my GPA past the expectations that had been laid out to me. At the time of submitting my previous petition, I was newly on several medications that I believe I need to be able to do my best in university. After a few months of my first medication to manage my anxiety, it still was not mitigating my symptoms in a way I thought would be suitable for university. On July 25th, I spoke to my physician and we collectively decided to try an upped dosage. During the summer, this was suitable. Come September, after approximately a month of classes, I realized I would likely do better on another medication. Specifically, I was finding it incredibly difficult to attend tutorials.
I could not get ahold of my doctor to book another appointment until January 11th, by which time I had failed two classes from the fall semester. I did not anticipate my grade point before the add/drop date for the fall term, and by the end of the semester was too anxious and embarrassed to communicate my failings to my professors. I realize this was a mistake, and I sincerely regret not doing more proactively.
After my appointment on January 11th, I switched to an entirely different medication. I had an adverse reaction to this medication, which impeded my ability to attend and participate in classes properly. Specifically, I found it incredibly difficult to attend classes and tutorials in person and found myself panicking after simply leaving my apartment. On February 13th I contacted my physician again, begging to switch medication. I had an adverse reaction to the medication I had been changed to, resulting in an extreme depression. This became concerning to my physical safety, and on March 21st I contacted my doctor again. I switched to the medication I am on now, which is working much better for me. With this being said, by the time I was adjusted to this medication, it was functionally the end of winter term.
In my previous petition, I outlined what I would do if allowed back. This included speaking regularly with student success and academic services and booking myself to speak regularly with a mental health professional. I am in the process of finding a therapist who fits well for me, and I will make sure I have my medication situation sorted by September at the latest. I will be doing both of these things regardless of if my petition is granted. If allowed back in September, I will book myself in regularly with academic advising and student success, and create a hands-on and proactive approach to achieving academic success. Additionally, I will speak to the alternative learning specialist and see if she has any additional suggestions that may help me.
Lastly, in dropping to a part-time course load and focussing on courses I believe I can do well in, I firmly believe I can raise my GPA. To be more specific, I have found that I’m especially interested in Development Studies (specifically women in development-centered courses), and have found greater academic success in this area. I firmly believe that by learning how to efficiently utilize the resources available to me, creating a mental health treatment plan that is effective for me, actively communicating with my professors and centering my course load on subjects I am passionate about I can achieve academic success. This year has been a rockier one than I would have liked, and I did not handle it in a way that I am proud of. I would be thrilled to get another chance to prove myself academically, as I truly believe that with the right system in place, I can succeed. Thank you for your time,
Willow Cox