Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I'm writing to politely appeal your decision to deny my request to drop my Summer 2024 courses (ENGL 215 and HIST 260) and Winter 2024 courses (EMPR 200, SOCY 227, and SOCY 276), past the academic deadline. I respect your careful evaluation of my request and the time you invested in reviewing my supporting documentation, which helped me better understand the type of documentation required for a successful petition. Although I am aware of the rules and guidelines pertaining to academic petitions, I would like to provide more information about the seriousness of my health issues and to better clarify the sequence of events that affected my capacity to meet the deadlines. I am still dedicated to my academic path and am looking for any chance to be reassessed in light of these exceptional circumstances.

As you pointed out in your response, it's critical to present proof that details the academic implications around the winter term drop deadline. Unfortunately, my mental health issues started before the Fall 2023 term, but I was able to regulate them with the help of student wellness programs in the Fall of 2023. As I stated in my petition, I was able to complete the Fall term successfully, with the help of my instructors and student wellness; but, during the Winter term, my symptoms were much worse despite my best attempts to control them. I suffered from increased burnout, intense stress and depressed episodes throughout this time, which gradually made it harder for me to participate in my studies. I'm currently working to get a formal diagnosis from a licensed psychiatrist, which should provide me with more background information and validate how these difficulties have affected my academic achievement. Additionally, I want to emphasize that I am aware that it is the student's obligation to assess their own ability and discontinue classes as necessary. I was still passing these classes at the time of the Winter drop deadline, though, and I had high hopes for finishing the term. I was only unable to finish my final assignments when my health worsened, which is what eventually led to my poor marks.

I'm currently working to get a formal diagnosis from a qualified psychiatrist, which will confirm how these challenges affected my academic achievement and offer further insight into my mental health.

I enrolled in HIST 260 and ENGL 215 over the summer term in an effort to raise my GPA. My plans, however, were abruptly interrupted by a severe viral infection that led to many hospitalizations. The decision letter mentioned that my illness