Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 14084
Submitted: March 19, 2026 at 1:39:51 PM
First Name: Adelaide
Last Name: Somoza
Pronoun: She/her
Preferred Name: Adelaide
Student Number: 20458317
Email: a.somoza@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BSc
Plan: Astrophysics
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: PHYS 242
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: MATH 280
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: PHYS 206
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: PHYS 213
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: My name is Adelaide Somoza, and this past year, I have been experiencing a very serious decline in my mental health. Since the beginning of the year, I have found support through Student Wellness Services and was advised by them and Academic Advising to submit this petition to late-drop the courses I failed in the fall semester of 2025.
I was experiencing depression due to personal circumstances out of my control, and was unable to sleep and wake up at normal hours for an academic schedule. I had multiple early morning classes and slept through them regularly because I was unable to get to sleep the night before. This period of depression exacerbated the disability that I have registered with QSAS. My usual supports, both academic and personal (medication, etc.), were not working, and I was unable to complete work and assignments. Missing my lectures caused me to fall behind, and my usual supports not working made it impossible to catch up.
Because of my lack of feedback on assignments (due to having turned in so few), I had no idea what my grade standing in my courses would be, and I wasn't in the right headspace to realize that I should have dropped them during the semester. I was trying so hard to catch up, and my stubbornness to admit how much help I needed prevented me from realizing I would be unable to catch up, given the amount of learning I had missed out on.
I have an appointment with QSAS to adjust my accommodations going forward, and I have been working with SWS to get help with my mental health so that I will not repeat what happened this past fall. I have gotten a lot of help since the fall. I have gotten back into a regular sleep schedule, I am eating better, and exercising. I feel significantly healthier both mentally and physically, and throughout the year, my attendance and academic performance have both been improving.
I hope to be back at 100% by the start of the 2026 fall semester, and if this petition to late-drop those failed courses is approved, I will be able to start with some semblance of a clean slate and get back on my feet without my transcript looming over me. I want to get better as a person and as a student, and I will work very hard to make up for the lost time from this past fall.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Adelaide Somoza
I was experiencing depression due to personal circumstances out of my control, and was unable to sleep and wake up at normal hours for an academic schedule. I had multiple early morning classes and slept through them regularly because I was unable to get to sleep the night before. This period of depression exacerbated the disability that I have registered with QSAS. My usual supports, both academic and personal (medication, etc.), were not working, and I was unable to complete work and assignments. Missing my lectures caused me to fall behind, and my usual supports not working made it impossible to catch up.
Because of my lack of feedback on assignments (due to having turned in so few), I had no idea what my grade standing in my courses would be, and I wasn't in the right headspace to realize that I should have dropped them during the semester. I was trying so hard to catch up, and my stubbornness to admit how much help I needed prevented me from realizing I would be unable to catch up, given the amount of learning I had missed out on.
I have an appointment with QSAS to adjust my accommodations going forward, and I have been working with SWS to get help with my mental health so that I will not repeat what happened this past fall. I have gotten a lot of help since the fall. I have gotten back into a regular sleep schedule, I am eating better, and exercising. I feel significantly healthier both mentally and physically, and throughout the year, my attendance and academic performance have both been improving.
I hope to be back at 100% by the start of the 2026 fall semester, and if this petition to late-drop those failed courses is approved, I will be able to start with some semblance of a clean slate and get back on my feet without my transcript looming over me. I want to get better as a person and as a student, and I will work very hard to make up for the lost time from this past fall.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Adelaide Somoza
Documentation
Professional Letter: Support Letter Appeal_Academic Petition.pdf
Documentation Detail: Verification of Extenuating Circumstances form