Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 1208
Submitted: June 15, 2015 at 1:11:31 PM
First Name: Geeththana
Last Name: Sriharigalan
Student Number: 10016922
Email: 0gs26@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BCPH
Plan: CISC
Level of Study: 1
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for a minimum of three years
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: June 5, 2015
Associate Dean of Studies
Queen's University
Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am requesting to appeal the decision to withdraw from Queen's for three years and would like the opportunity to return to Queen's as a part-time student. As I was not able to keep up with the work load, I made the poor decision to not drop out of courses I was struggling with which impacted all of my courses.
In September 2014, my elder sister moved to Kingston in the hopes of completing all of courses that she required to attend college in January. Our family does not provide financial support and my hope was for her to be receiving OSAP in the Winter term. Consequently, I used my OSAP to support my sister and myself during the Fall semester. As I worked 10-15 hours a week during the Fall term, I was able to keep ourselves afloat while my sister looked for a part-time job. When she told me that she would not be going to college in the Winter term, I applied for the Queen's Bursary and hoped that it would give me enough funding for the Winter term. Unfortunately, I was denied funding and had to increase my hours to 25-30 hours a week to help with paying for rent, internet and house items as my sister's part-time job was not providing her with enough hours.
Prior to the academic drop date, I spoke with my professor to see what he recommended on if I should drop his course. He and I both agreed that if I put in more effort towards the course, I had a good chance in passing the course. I, genuinely, thought I would be able successfully complete the course. I spoke with Academic Advisors on the likelihood of me being to be removed off of probation and made plans accordingly. I have come to realize that supporting two people and attending school full-time is not an ideal situation and is too much for me to handle alone.
The other main reason as to why I rush things is because I wanted to complete school as soon as possible so that I can have my little sister back in my support. She is someone with a mental disability and her spending so much time in a group home facility makes me want to complete school successfully and rapidly. I am coming to terms with the fact that I can't do as fast as I would like and taking my time with completing the courses will give me the best opportunity to successfully graduate from Queen's.
Associate Dean of Studies
Queen's University
Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am requesting to appeal the decision to withdraw from Queen's for three years and would like the opportunity to return to Queen's as a part-time student. As I was not able to keep up with the work load, I made the poor decision to not drop out of courses I was struggling with which impacted all of my courses.
In September 2014, my elder sister moved to Kingston in the hopes of completing all of courses that she required to attend college in January. Our family does not provide financial support and my hope was for her to be receiving OSAP in the Winter term. Consequently, I used my OSAP to support my sister and myself during the Fall semester. As I worked 10-15 hours a week during the Fall term, I was able to keep ourselves afloat while my sister looked for a part-time job. When she told me that she would not be going to college in the Winter term, I applied for the Queen's Bursary and hoped that it would give me enough funding for the Winter term. Unfortunately, I was denied funding and had to increase my hours to 25-30 hours a week to help with paying for rent, internet and house items as my sister's part-time job was not providing her with enough hours.
Prior to the academic drop date, I spoke with my professor to see what he recommended on if I should drop his course. He and I both agreed that if I put in more effort towards the course, I had a good chance in passing the course. I, genuinely, thought I would be able successfully complete the course. I spoke with Academic Advisors on the likelihood of me being to be removed off of probation and made plans accordingly. I have come to realize that supporting two people and attending school full-time is not an ideal situation and is too much for me to handle alone.
The other main reason as to why I rush things is because I wanted to complete school as soon as possible so that I can have my little sister back in my support. She is someone with a mental disability and her spending so much time in a group home facility makes me want to complete school successfully and rapidly. I am coming to terms with the fact that I can't do as fast as I would like and taking my time with completing the courses will give me the best opportunity to successfully graduate from Queen's.
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Given my current circumstances and financial hardship, I would like to return to Queen's as a part-time student to show that I am capable of completing the courses I failed at previously. My plan includes retaking MATH 111, CISC 124 and CISC 223. As they are courses I failed this year, I would like to use them to bring my GPA above the academic probation threshold. I believe I struggled the most with these courses because they required time outside of class to comprehend the material and I did not use my time wisely to ensure that this happened. For this reason, if granted permission to attend Queen's, I will be reassessing my studying habits and time management skills by seeking the Learning Strategies available at Queen's.
My financial hardships will be taken care of as I would not have to spend as much money on tuition, work the same amount of hours and also have time to attend tutorials, homework help and meet with study groups. My sister will no longer be staying with me and I have decided to live with two other girls so that I don't feel anxious at home. Finally, I will book at least bi-monthly meetings with counsellors and the peer support centre as I've realized this is not something I can handle alone and the support Queen's resources give are exactly what I need. My goals for the 2015-2016 year are to come back to the level I should have completed this year and to be ready to cope with the workload of a full-time student for the 2016-2017 year. With the study aids and counselling, I am determined to be ready.
I greatly appreciate you reading this and I hope you will grant my appeal for these courses. With confidence, I know I will not take opportunity for granted and would tremendously appreciate one final chance with Queen's. Please contact me at 647 786 6255 if there are any questions you have in regards to my appeal. Thank you.
Yours truly,
Geeththana Sriharigalan
0gs26@queensu.ca
10016922
My financial hardships will be taken care of as I would not have to spend as much money on tuition, work the same amount of hours and also have time to attend tutorials, homework help and meet with study groups. My sister will no longer be staying with me and I have decided to live with two other girls so that I don't feel anxious at home. Finally, I will book at least bi-monthly meetings with counsellors and the peer support centre as I've realized this is not something I can handle alone and the support Queen's resources give are exactly what I need. My goals for the 2015-2016 year are to come back to the level I should have completed this year and to be ready to cope with the workload of a full-time student for the 2016-2017 year. With the study aids and counselling, I am determined to be ready.
I greatly appreciate you reading this and I hope you will grant my appeal for these courses. With confidence, I know I will not take opportunity for granted and would tremendously appreciate one final chance with Queen's. Please contact me at 647 786 6255 if there are any questions you have in regards to my appeal. Thank you.
Yours truly,
Geeththana Sriharigalan
0gs26@queensu.ca
10016922
Documentation
Professional Letter: Appeal 2015.docx
Professional Letter Detail: À lettre from counselling and my employer
Document: RE.pdf