Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to drop ECON 223 (Fall, 2015) past the deadline of November 6th, 2015.

Depression and anxiety have been ongoing struggles of mine since my adolescence. I am a very private person, and I prefer keeping my problems to myself. For that reason, I struggle to confide in my friends when I need help or see a psychologist on a consistent basis. Coming from a family where mental illnesses are not fully understood and often stigmatized, I am always hesitant to open up to my parents. This has led to myself always keeping my struggles hidden, and consequently, neglected. However, my stress and anxiety have piled up to a point that is now too difficult to manage on my own, and too serious to ignore.

This semester, I have been experiencing frequent anxiety attacks, which has hindered my ability to focus on my studies. The nature of my anxiety attacks involves difficulty breathing, restlessness, worrying, overthinking, and troubles falling asleep. It is something I feel is often beyond my control, and as a result, I spend a lot of time confined in my room, and oversleeping. ECON 223 is heavily dependent on assignment work, and due to the level of anxiety I have been dealing with, I have not been able to submit my best work, and I don't think the final exam will be able to make up for the loss. My anxiety and depression stems from a number of sources, but the main five are general stress, low-self esteem, food, family, and education/career. These issues have not only taken a toll on my academics, but also my social life, and health. Over the past few years, my depression has pushed many of my friends away, worsened my unhealthy relationship with food, and is continually lowering my self-esteem. Expressing theses issues is extremely difficult for me to voice and admit, as I feel incredibly embarrassed and ashamed to be dominated by this problem.

I deeply regret enrolling in ECON 223 this semester as I enrolled in the course under an irrational mindset, and did not factor in my health and mental stability. It is extremely important to me that I complete my degree, and I believe a break to focus on my health is needed in my circumstance. Dropping this course will help reduce my level of stress, which will allow me to better focus on my other final exams this semester. It will also allow me to take the next semester off, return home, and complete my last 3.0 credits online in the summer of 2016. When I am home in Vancouver, I will return to my usual therapist, and hopefully learn to better manage my mental health issues. I realize I need to make a positive and lasting change in my life, and I believe this break is crucial and necessary for my well-being.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my current circumstances.

Sincerely,

Chloe Ong