Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Harjap Deol
10 Bellchase Trail
Brampton, ON L6P 3K4
13hd24@queensu.ca

23 November 2015

Associate Dean Studies, Dr. Johanne Benard
Queen's University
Student Services
First Floor Dunning Hall, 94 University Avenue
Kingston, ON K7L 3N9

Subject: Appeal to drop a course

Dear Dr. Johanne Benard,
I am writing this letter to request an appeal to drop PSYC 202 (Fall, 2015) after the last date to drop fall term classes.
I am requesting for an appeal as I am experiencing negative psychological effects caused by taking this course. This course, Statistics in Psychology, stirred some previous psychological memories that caused me stress and anxiety. As a student in middle school I was diagnosed with depression as I constantly struggled with math. I was an average student in Mathematics but this worsened as I was faced with extremely strict teachers that led me to fear the subject.
After secondary school, I did not consider that I would be taking any Mathematics related course. However, when I discovered that I would have to take statistics in order to complete my Religion and Psychology medial degree, I tried to convince myself that I would do well and gave it my best. Even after weekly visits to a tuition teacher, and constant practice with assigned problems and assignments, I was not able to score well on the midterm. This result affected my mental well being as I began to break down more due to recurring negative thoughts which were often accompanied by anxiety. My confidence and self-belief suffered significantly when I received my midterm mark on November 18th, which made me doubt my ability to do well in other courses.
The impact was to the extent that I visited an academic counsellor to drop this course and change my degree plan to a major in Religious studies. This was done as PSYC 202 is a requirement for a medial in Psychology. Unfortunately, when I made the decision to drop this course I had passed the deadline of November 6th as I waiting for midterm mark, which consisted of 40 of my final grade.
I sincerely request that my appeal be granted, as this would ensure me to pursue my future plans without this constant mental obstacle. I plan to enroll in a 3.0 units course in Religious Studies to make up for this course. I have also decided to work on my mental well being by regularly meeting with a counsellor to ensure that this circumstance does not arise again and in any manner that may affect my academic standing at Queen's University.

Thank you for taking your time to consider my request.

Yours sincerely,

Harjap Deol
(Student number: 10141685)