Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Academic),

Re: Petition for Retroactive Withdrawal from All Courses (2024–2025 Academic Year)

I am writing to respectfully petition for a retroactive withdrawal from all courses for the 2024–2025 academic year, due to serious extenuating circumstances that prevented me from engaging in any academic activity. As part of this request, I kindly ask that the resulting failing grades be removed from my transcript.

In September 2024, just before the academic year began, I made the decision to withdraw from Queen’s and successfully opted out of residence. Believing the process was complete, I did not attend classes, access course materials, use campus services, apply for financial aid, or step foot on campus. When I followed up in January 2025 during my reapplication process, I learned that no withdrawal had been processed and immediately resubmitted my request through my Queen’s email.

This period was incredibly overwhelming—supporting my father in the hospital, managing things at home, and struggling with my own mental health left me distracted, and I regret that I let this one crucial responsibility slip through the cracks. I have medical documentation confirming both my mental health challenges and the timeline and severity of my father’s condition.

While I genuinely believed the withdrawal process had been completed, I acknowledge that I should have been more proactive in confirming its status, and I deeply regret the confusion and consequences that followed. Since then, I have taken concrete steps to ensure I can better balance personal responsibilities with academic commitments, including re‑engaging with professional mental‑health support, creating structured organizational systems, and maintaining regular communication with the university.

I’m deeply grateful to have been accepted into the Queen’s Commerce program for Fall 2025, and I’m entering this new chapter with clarity, structure, and a much stronger support system in place. I’m also very concerned about the long‑term impact that these failing grades could have on my record. They do not reflect my abilities, work ethic, or intentions, and I hope the committee will allow me the opportunity to begin anew—without a permanent academic record that misrepresents such a disorienting time in my life.

Thank you very much for considering my petition. I hope you’ll view this request as part of a sincere effort to move forward responsibly and successfully.

Sincerely,

Isabella Baron