Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Officer,
With an extremely heavy and sincere heart, I am writing to explain the mental health challenges I have experienced throughout this academic year and how they have profoundly affected my studies, particularly in two one year-long courses, ECON 1168 and MUSC 47B. I respectfully request the school to consider my special circumstances comprehensively and approve my application to withdraw from these courses.
Since August 2024, I have been formally diagnosed with moderate anxiety and moderate depression. I have undergone online psychological counseling multiple times. My counselor noted that my persistent low mood, lack of concentration, disrupted sleep patterns, heart palpitations, and insomnia significantly impaired my ability to study and function in daily life. Despite receiving professional support, my mental condition deteriorated by March 2025 into severe anxiety, accompanied by cognitive dullness, social withdrawal, and intense self-denial. These symptoms gravely affected both my academic performance and my basic ability to manage life.
The impact of this psychological crisis was particularly evident around several critical academic moments that affected both ECON 1168 and MUSC 47B. The first of these was in late October 2024, the official deadline to withdraw from both courses. At that point, I was in a state of emotional collapse, struggling with overwhelming stress, disorientation, and severely impaired judgment. I was therefore unable to make timely decisions and missed the opportunity to formally withdraw. At the same time, my learning had already begun to suffer due to multiple stressors, including a deteriorating intimate relationship. My partner at the time suffered from severe depression and engaged in self-harm, which caused me great psychological trauma. I also experienced abrupt social exclusion from my friend group, leaving me isolated and deeply self-critical. This combination of emotional burdens led to my complete loss of control over my academic routine.
The second period of significant impact occurred at the beginning of the second semester, around early February 2025. According to psychological reports, my condition again worsened. I was often exhausted, emotionally numb, disconnected from reality, and unable to respond to social and academic responsibilities. This led to my failure to notice in time the serious backlog of work in both courses. For MUSC 47B, which requires consistent practice and mental presence, this meant falling behind in performance development and feedback loops. I missed two of the four unit tests—one in March and another in early April—due to my psychological instability. Meanwhile, for ECON 1168, my participation remained minimal and unproductive, and I struggled to catch up with the content. The final exam for ECON 1168 was scheduled for April 16, 2025, when I was still in a highly unstable condition. As a result, I was unable to perform well and ultimately failed.
After my mother came to stay with me to offer care and emotional support. With her presence, my condition saw slight improvement: I was able to begin restructuring my daily routine and tried to re-engage with coursework. I hoped that I might still complete the remaining two courses, motivated both by her support and my own desire to persevere. I made efforts to return to class, review past materials, and catch up on missed assessments. However, due to the long-term absence, accumulated gaps in learning, and continued emotional volatility, the attempt proved futile. Many key instructional components, especially for MUSC 47B, such as in-class feedback and individual practices, were no longer recoverable. For both courses, the pressure of late-stage assignments and exams only aggravated my anxiety, triggering frequent emotional breakdowns and moments of disorientation, as noted in the March psychological evaluation.
Despite my efforts, I was ultimately unable to succeed in either course. The most recent psychological evaluation on May 7, 2025, shows that although my condition has shown some signs of stabilization, I still experience intense anxiety and self-blame, especially when facing academic failure. The psychological trauma caused by these courses remains unresolved, and I continue to struggle with its emotional aftermath.
For all these reasons, I sincerely request the school to consider the objective difficulties and my diagnosed mental health condition and approve my application to withdraw from ECON 1168 and MUSC 47B retroactively. This withdrawal is not only an academic necessity, but also an essential part of my recovery process. It would allow me to gradually rebuild my confidence and mental resilience, free from the burden of unresolved academic failures.
I am committed to continuing psychological treatment and adjusting my lifestyle and study habits, with the goal of returning to my studies in a more stable and healthy condition. Thank you very much for your understanding and support during this difficult period of my life.
Yours sincerely,
Zheran Xian