Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally appeal for a petition for a late course drop for the following courses of the Academic Year 2024 Fall, 2025 Winter, and Summer 2025. This request is due to the continued psychological and emotional toll of pain that has significantly reduced my quality of life and delayed my return to normalcy. Persistent feelings of sadness, guilt, hopelessness, and emotional numbness have resulted in a lack of concentration, creating a vicious cycle that prevented me from completing my coursework.

Since November 2023, I have been battling serious health issues due to a sudden and severe hand injury, which required surgery in December. The loss of ability in my dominant hand for several months caused persistent pain and physical limitations that extended into April 2024. As a mathematics major, the nature of my program requires extensive written work, which I was unable to complete due to these physical constraints. Despite my efforts to continue, I could not meet course demands.

The emotional toll of this injury and its aftermath has been substantial. I have experienced anxiety, low mood, hopelessness, and self-blame, leading to deep depression that hindered my ability to engage in coursework fully. These symptoms were exacerbated by a perceived lack of support and delays in communication from the university during my initial petition (Submission Number: 11875). The mental health challenges I faced were directly and significantly related to my injury and the resulting academic disruption. The reason I undertook the courses for Fall, Winter and Summer as I thought I would be able to manage, but the anxiety was too much to complete the coursework, and I was in self-denial for a long time. It was very late when I realized that a long break from school would benefit me to improve my mental state and well-being.

From March 2024 to April 2025, I struggled with anxiety-related issues while coping alone, away from family, with no medical help or social support. In April 2025, unable to cope, I returned to Ottawa to be with my family and began therapy sessions with my psychologist to overcome my low energy state and low self-esteem. Since then, I have actively engaged in therapy, demonstrating insight, motivation, and readiness to return to my academic path. My situation has improved, and I am eager to resume studies in Summer 2026 with a renewed sense of structure, balance, and intentionality.

Therefore, I respectfully request the university to drop the following courses and allow me the opportunity to reorient and restructure my life with a new beginning:

Fall 2024: ECON 239, MATH 280, STAT 361
Winter 2025: ECON 280, ECON 361, MATH 300
Summer 2025: COMM 211, MATH 225
Attached is a letter from my psychotherapist and clinical psychologist at the Resiliency Clinic, confirming the severity of my mental health challenges and supporting my appeal.

Thank you for considering my situation and request. I look forward to your understanding and support during this challenging time.

Sincerely,
Aprateem Chatterjee
20216925
19ac70@queensu.ca