Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am submitting this petition to request a late withdrawal (DR) from JAPN 100, a six-unit full-year course I enrolled in beginning September 2025. I am requesting this standing due to extenuating mental health circumstances that were beyond my control and that directly impaired my ability to participate in and complete this course.
Beginning in the fall semester, I experienced a significant decline in my mental health as I adjusted to university life. The transition from high school was more difficult than I anticipated I was severely burnt out entering first year, and the combination of a new environment, social isolation, and being away from home caused my mental health to deteriorate progressively throughout the year. I struggled with chronic sleep deprivation, persistent anxiety, depression, and brain fog that made it extremely difficult to function academically.
JAPN 100 was disproportionately affected by these circumstances. As an intensive language course meeting four times per week, it required consistent attendance and daily engagement in a way that my other courses did not. Because of my deteriorating mental state, my attendance suffered significantly, and without regular attendance, it became nearly impossible to keep pace with the material. Unlike other subjects where I could gradually catch up, Japanese as a language course does not allow for that missed classes compounded directly into missed learning.
I did seek support during this time. I visited Queen’s Student Wellness Services on multiple occasions for stress, sleep disruption, and mental fog, and received documentation on those visits. I also attempted to engage with a therapist early in the semester. I tried to manage my situation as best I could while continuing to attend my other courses, which is why I did not seek a withdrawal earlier I did not want to give up, and I was doing my best to push through.
By the end of the winter semester I was unable to write the final examination. My instructor kindly granted me an Incomplete (IN) standing with a deferred exam date of June 11, 2026. However, since returning home for the summer, my circumstances have worsened rather than improved. I am now managing significant family responsibilities including the care of younger siblings, and my mental health has continued to decline without the supports available to me on campus. I am not in a position to successfully complete this course.
I am not requesting credit for work completed. I am requesting a late withdrawal so that this course is recorded as a DR on my transcript and does not negatively impact my GPA, which would have downstream consequences on my academic standing