Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 14500
Submitted: June 17, 2026 at 9:01:38 PM
First Name: Sarah
Last Name: Betts
Pronoun: She/Her
Preferred Name: Sarah
Student Number: 20552100
Email: 25dkw@queenu.ca
Degree Program: BSH
Plan: undeclared
Level of Study: 1
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline, Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Code: CHEM 112
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2025
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Gang Wu/Josh Zacks
Section/Class Number: 010
Code: PHYS 115
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: June 16th, 2026
Dr. Dorit Naaman
Associate Dean (Academic)
Faculty of Arts and Science
Queen’s University
Dear Dr. Naaman,
I am writing to request a late drop for Physics and Credit Standing (CR) for Chemistry due to extenuating medical circumstances related to my diagnosis of Graves’ disease in October 2025.
In early September 2025, I began experiencing symptoms that were later identified as Graves’ disease. At the time, I was unaware of the cause of these symptoms, but they soon began to impact my day-to-day life and my ability to keep up with my academic responsibilities. I experienced significant fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, rapid heart palpitations, anxiety, tremors, heat intolerance, weight loss, and insomnia. These symptoms made it difficult to focus during lectures, study effectively, retain information, and stay on top of my responsibilities as a first-year university student.
I was officially diagnosed with Graves’ disease in October 2025. While it was a relief to know the cause, treatment did not help right away. I started taking Methimazole in December, but it took time for my symptoms to improve. Looking back, I did not realize how much my health was affecting my schoolwork because I did not know what was wrong or how serious it was.
These circumstances had a significant impact on my performance in Physics. As a first-year student, this was my first exposure to university-level physics, and once I started falling behind, it became increasingly difficult to catch up because each new concept built on previous material. As my symptoms worsened throughout the term, I found it difficult to focus during lectures, understand new concepts, and keep pace with the course. Even though I consistently put effort into the course, my health challenges prevented me from performing to the best of my abilities, which ultimately resulted in a failing grade. For this reason, I am requesting a late drop for Physics.
My diagnosis also had a significant impact on my performance in Chemistry, which continued throughout both the Fall and Winter terms. During the Fall term, my symptoms made it difficult to focus, study effectively, and retain foundational concepts. Because I fell behind during the Fall term, it became much harder to succeed in the Winter portion of the course, as many of the concepts were built on previous material. Although I continued putting effort into the course, I was never fully able to recover from the academic setbacks that occurred during the Fall term. I completed all components of the course and earned a D-, but I do not believe this grade accurately reflects my abilities or the effort I put into the course, given that I was managing a significant medical condition. I am therefore requesting Credit Standing (CR) for Chemistry.
I remained enrolled in both courses beyond the drop deadline because I believed that once I received a diagnosis and began treatment, my symptoms would improve and I would be able to recover academically. At the time, I was hopeful that my health would stabilize and that I would be able to catch up and successfully complete both courses. Unfortunately, my symptoms persisted and continued to interfere with my ability to keep up with the demands of these courses.
Since my diagnosis, I have continued working with my healthcare team to manage my Graves’ disease and monitor my symptoms. Now that I have a diagnosis and a treatment plan in place, I am in a much better position to manage my health moving forward. I plan to continue following my treatment plan, monitor my health more closely, and seek academic support earlier if I begin falling behind. I will also make greater use of office hours, tutoring resources, and other academic supports available to me throughout the school year. I am already planning to retake Chemistry during my second year so that I can rebuild a strong foundation in the course.
This experience has taught me the importance of asking for help earlier and being more proactive when my health begins to affect my academics. I believe that a late drop for Physics and Credit Standing for Chemistry would more accurately reflect the impact that these unforeseen medical circumstances had on my academic performance during my first year at Queen’s.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Betts
Student Number: 20552100
Dr. Dorit Naaman
Associate Dean (Academic)
Faculty of Arts and Science
Queen’s University
Dear Dr. Naaman,
I am writing to request a late drop for Physics and Credit Standing (CR) for Chemistry due to extenuating medical circumstances related to my diagnosis of Graves’ disease in October 2025.
In early September 2025, I began experiencing symptoms that were later identified as Graves’ disease. At the time, I was unaware of the cause of these symptoms, but they soon began to impact my day-to-day life and my ability to keep up with my academic responsibilities. I experienced significant fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, rapid heart palpitations, anxiety, tremors, heat intolerance, weight loss, and insomnia. These symptoms made it difficult to focus during lectures, study effectively, retain information, and stay on top of my responsibilities as a first-year university student.
I was officially diagnosed with Graves’ disease in October 2025. While it was a relief to know the cause, treatment did not help right away. I started taking Methimazole in December, but it took time for my symptoms to improve. Looking back, I did not realize how much my health was affecting my schoolwork because I did not know what was wrong or how serious it was.
These circumstances had a significant impact on my performance in Physics. As a first-year student, this was my first exposure to university-level physics, and once I started falling behind, it became increasingly difficult to catch up because each new concept built on previous material. As my symptoms worsened throughout the term, I found it difficult to focus during lectures, understand new concepts, and keep pace with the course. Even though I consistently put effort into the course, my health challenges prevented me from performing to the best of my abilities, which ultimately resulted in a failing grade. For this reason, I am requesting a late drop for Physics.
My diagnosis also had a significant impact on my performance in Chemistry, which continued throughout both the Fall and Winter terms. During the Fall term, my symptoms made it difficult to focus, study effectively, and retain foundational concepts. Because I fell behind during the Fall term, it became much harder to succeed in the Winter portion of the course, as many of the concepts were built on previous material. Although I continued putting effort into the course, I was never fully able to recover from the academic setbacks that occurred during the Fall term. I completed all components of the course and earned a D-, but I do not believe this grade accurately reflects my abilities or the effort I put into the course, given that I was managing a significant medical condition. I am therefore requesting Credit Standing (CR) for Chemistry.
I remained enrolled in both courses beyond the drop deadline because I believed that once I received a diagnosis and began treatment, my symptoms would improve and I would be able to recover academically. At the time, I was hopeful that my health would stabilize and that I would be able to catch up and successfully complete both courses. Unfortunately, my symptoms persisted and continued to interfere with my ability to keep up with the demands of these courses.
Since my diagnosis, I have continued working with my healthcare team to manage my Graves’ disease and monitor my symptoms. Now that I have a diagnosis and a treatment plan in place, I am in a much better position to manage my health moving forward. I plan to continue following my treatment plan, monitor my health more closely, and seek academic support earlier if I begin falling behind. I will also make greater use of office hours, tutoring resources, and other academic supports available to me throughout the school year. I am already planning to retake Chemistry during my second year so that I can rebuild a strong foundation in the course.
This experience has taught me the importance of asking for help earlier and being more proactive when my health begins to affect my academics. I believe that a late drop for Physics and Credit Standing for Chemistry would more accurately reflect the impact that these unforeseen medical circumstances had on my academic performance during my first year at Queen’s.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Betts
Student Number: 20552100
Documentation
Professional Letter: Signed Note.pdf