Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 1286
Submitted: July 11, 2015 at 6:24:04 PM
First Name: Makenzie
Last Name: MacKay
Student Number: 10086015
Email: 12mm117@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: GPHY/ENSC
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: The Request:
I am appealing the policy that upper year studies can only take 6.0 credits at a different university on a Letter of Permission. I would like to take 15.0 credits at the University of Alberta in the Winter 2016 term.
Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances:
The past year I struggled with finding happiness at Queen¿¿s. I would have periods of depression in which I would talk to someone at Health, Counselling and Disability Services. I spoke to three different counsellors over the course of the year about struggling being in Kingston. It got to the point in winter term where I couldn¿¿t handle being in the city any longer and flew back to Saskatchewan for a long weekend. I nearly didn¿¿t come back to write my exams after Easter because I struggle so much being on main campus. I looked into transferring but when it became clear that I would have to take at least one additional year to complete my degree at another school I decided to stay at Queen¿¿s. I still want to get a good education from a reputable institution and finish in a timely manner.
While I have strong grades coming out of the past two years I know that being in an environment where I feel free to be myself would only add to my academic success. I feel more comfortable being on the prairies, where my family and friends are, and where the field I want to pursue is. Being able to spend just a term at the U of A is enough to help me enjoy the next two years more, and being a more mentally healthy person to thrive in classes.
As I want to graduate from a reputable university in 2017 I decided to complete my undergrad at Queen¿¿s. I believe that having one semester closer to home, where I can explore career opportunities, will be rejuvenating. It will give me something to look forward to in the fall term and will be a nice change before I complete my final year.
Future Plan:
I have support from my undergraduate chairs and a letter from Queen¿¿s Health, Counselling and Disability Services supporting my appeal to attend the U of A for a year. The academic plan I have prepared demonstrates that it is possible for me to spend a term away from main campus and still graduate in 2017. I will plan my schedule for the next two years with the guidance of my undergraduate chairs to ensure I graduate on time with the required courses. I have the study that are essential to achieve at the university level and will maintain contact with Queen¿¿s during my time away to ensure I am meeting the high standards our university has for students.
I am appealing the policy that upper year studies can only take 6.0 credits at a different university on a Letter of Permission. I would like to take 15.0 credits at the University of Alberta in the Winter 2016 term.
Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances:
The past year I struggled with finding happiness at Queen¿¿s. I would have periods of depression in which I would talk to someone at Health, Counselling and Disability Services. I spoke to three different counsellors over the course of the year about struggling being in Kingston. It got to the point in winter term where I couldn¿¿t handle being in the city any longer and flew back to Saskatchewan for a long weekend. I nearly didn¿¿t come back to write my exams after Easter because I struggle so much being on main campus. I looked into transferring but when it became clear that I would have to take at least one additional year to complete my degree at another school I decided to stay at Queen¿¿s. I still want to get a good education from a reputable institution and finish in a timely manner.
While I have strong grades coming out of the past two years I know that being in an environment where I feel free to be myself would only add to my academic success. I feel more comfortable being on the prairies, where my family and friends are, and where the field I want to pursue is. Being able to spend just a term at the U of A is enough to help me enjoy the next two years more, and being a more mentally healthy person to thrive in classes.
As I want to graduate from a reputable university in 2017 I decided to complete my undergrad at Queen¿¿s. I believe that having one semester closer to home, where I can explore career opportunities, will be rejuvenating. It will give me something to look forward to in the fall term and will be a nice change before I complete my final year.
Future Plan:
I have support from my undergraduate chairs and a letter from Queen¿¿s Health, Counselling and Disability Services supporting my appeal to attend the U of A for a year. The academic plan I have prepared demonstrates that it is possible for me to spend a term away from main campus and still graduate in 2017. I will plan my schedule for the next two years with the guidance of my undergraduate chairs to ensure I graduate on time with the required courses. I have the study that are essential to achieve at the university level and will maintain contact with Queen¿¿s during my time away to ensure I am meeting the high standards our university has for students.
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: I am in a Bachelor of Arts honors program pursuing a medial in Geography and Environmental Studies. I am going into my third year intending on taking 15.0 credits (GPHY 243, GPHY 229, GPHY 318, GPHY 351 and ENSC 310) in the fall term that all contribute directly to my degree.
I completed last semester with a 3.12 GPA and an overall GPA of 3.06 despite struggling with mental health issues experienced by being in Kingston. I saw Queen¿¿s Health, Counselling and Disability Services counsellors throughout the year (I am in the process of getting supporting documentation) about this. Through my conversations with them I realized that Queen¿¿s is not be the best campus for me to be on for an extended period.
I have proven to be a strong student despite adversity and I believe that being able to break up the remaining years of my degree, by attending a different university for a term, will give me new motivation to excel.
To complete my degree in Spring of 2017 I propose the following and welcome any guidance you can provide:
¿¿ After completing Fall 2015 I will have 18.0 required credits remaining towards the Environmental Studies part of my degree and 9.0 credits remaining towards the Geography aspect. That is 27.0 units I need to take in winter 2016, fall 2016 and winter 2017 (where I will be taking 45.0 units).
¿¿ My Letter of Permission will not be processed until my appeal is accepted but the University of Alberta offers many similar courses to Queen¿¿s. This means that some of the courses I take at the U of A can contribute to my remaining 27.0 required units.
¿¿ Courses that do not count towards my requirements will likely count as electives. If all courses I take at the U of A are transferred back to Queen¿¿s as electives I will still be able to graduate on time.
¿¿ If necessary I would be prepared to take on the added challenge of a sixth course in fall 2015, to ensure I secure as many required units as possible in my third year.
¿¿ Upon my return to Queen¿¿s I would have two terms to complete any remaining courses required to receive my degree. The longer I have to work with the U of A in preparation for my arrival, the more likely it is that courses I will take in Winter 2016 will count towards my required credits.
Being at the University of Alberta would allow me to pursue a sense of belonging I have missed at Queen¿¿s while providing valuable career experience. Attending the U of A for a term would not prevent me from graduating on time and I would not have to take more than a full load to graduate in Spring 2017. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the plan I have presented.
I completed last semester with a 3.12 GPA and an overall GPA of 3.06 despite struggling with mental health issues experienced by being in Kingston. I saw Queen¿¿s Health, Counselling and Disability Services counsellors throughout the year (I am in the process of getting supporting documentation) about this. Through my conversations with them I realized that Queen¿¿s is not be the best campus for me to be on for an extended period.
I have proven to be a strong student despite adversity and I believe that being able to break up the remaining years of my degree, by attending a different university for a term, will give me new motivation to excel.
To complete my degree in Spring of 2017 I propose the following and welcome any guidance you can provide:
¿¿ After completing Fall 2015 I will have 18.0 required credits remaining towards the Environmental Studies part of my degree and 9.0 credits remaining towards the Geography aspect. That is 27.0 units I need to take in winter 2016, fall 2016 and winter 2017 (where I will be taking 45.0 units).
¿¿ My Letter of Permission will not be processed until my appeal is accepted but the University of Alberta offers many similar courses to Queen¿¿s. This means that some of the courses I take at the U of A can contribute to my remaining 27.0 required units.
¿¿ Courses that do not count towards my requirements will likely count as electives. If all courses I take at the U of A are transferred back to Queen¿¿s as electives I will still be able to graduate on time.
¿¿ If necessary I would be prepared to take on the added challenge of a sixth course in fall 2015, to ensure I secure as many required units as possible in my third year.
¿¿ Upon my return to Queen¿¿s I would have two terms to complete any remaining courses required to receive my degree. The longer I have to work with the U of A in preparation for my arrival, the more likely it is that courses I will take in Winter 2016 will count towards my required credits.
Being at the University of Alberta would allow me to pursue a sense of belonging I have missed at Queen¿¿s while providing valuable career experience. Attending the U of A for a term would not prevent me from graduating on time and I would not have to take more than a full load to graduate in Spring 2017. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the plan I have presented.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Queen's counselling will separately submit a letter.
Documentation Detail: I am in the process of getting my undergraduate chairs to write letters. I have spoken to them briefly about it and once they receive documentation from Queen's counselling I should have their support
Decision Letters
History
Originally submitted July 11, 2015 at 6:24:04 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Prepared for Review | Niki Kaloudas | 2015-07-13 10:55:00 AM | |
| status | N/A | Prepared for Review | Incomplete | Haley Everson | 2015-07-14 2:46:04 PM | |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | In Review | Haley Everson | 2015-07-22 1:57:55 PM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Granted | Haley Everson | 2015-07-28 9:02:31 AM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Sue Blake | Haley Everson | 2015-07-28 9:02:31 AM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Haley Everson | 2015-07-28 9:03:00 AM |