Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Academic Petitions Committee,

My name is Maxime Dalat, and I am writing to request a Credit (CR) for a 3.0-unit course I completed with Dr. Haglund. I am petitioning for the grade to be changed to CR due to extenuating circumstances.

This course was already extremely difficult, as Dr. Haglund is a notoriously tough grader. However, my academic performance was further impacted by an undiagnosed disability. Until very recently, I had no idea I had ADHD. During the entire fall term, I was struggling silently, unable to focus, organize my time, or complete my assignments to the best of my ability. I had raised concerns with my doctor at the time, but unfortunately, I wasn’t taken seriously and didn’t receive a proper diagnosis until this spring.

Because of this, I couldn’t apply for academic accommodations. While I was struggling in multiple courses, this one in particular was nearly impossible to recover from, since it was based on only two assessments worth 50% each. Without proper diagnosis or support, I couldn’t advocate for myself, and by the time I understood what was going on, it was too late to drop the class within the standard deadline.

Now that I have been formally diagnosed and started treatment, I finally feel like I have the tools to succeed. But this one grade, resulting from untreated ADHD, looks extremely out of place on my transcript and will severely affect my chances of getting into graduate school. It’s frustrating because I know that it doesn’t reflect who I am or what I’m capable of as a student.

I’m not trying to avoid responsibility, I’m just asking for understanding. If I had known then what I know now, I would have handled everything differently. I hope you’ll consider granting this petition so that this grade doesn’t define my academic record unfairly.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

Sincerely,
Maxime Dalat
Student #20334352