Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: As a 2nd year student newly transferred from the Bader International Study Center, this year has been a difficult transition for me. From learning to cook and clean for myself to setting up and paying bills, I have had to take on more responsibility than ever before, on top of managing a challenging course load. I have also had issues with my house (as my small room has no space for a desk, meaning I have to leave my house to get work done), as well as dealing with homesickness, and separation from my family. Unfortunately, I am the type of person who values independence and autonomy to the point where I am stubborn, and refuse to get help when I need it, eventually letting issues build up and become larger and larger problems. This is exactly what took place this semester.

Though I have struggled in multiple courses, German 101 has been a major challenge for me, and though I try to review, prepare for classes, and submit all of my coursework, I have difficulty grasping grammatical concepts. Instead of asking for help immediately as I should have, I believed that I would have the time towards the end of the semester to review German before exams, but last week I hit a wall with my mental health. My problems added up to the point where I was overwhelmed and stressed out to the point where I was unable to function. I realized that I was struggling and unhealthy, and decided to seek counselling., and get in touch with my parents.

I have been feeling extremely anxious, experienced mood issues, appetite problems, and other negative signs of poor mental health. I have tried to simply push myself through it, and ¿¿get it done¿ but despite my best efforts, I could not focus/ plan enough to write a simple essay. This in turn reduced the amount of time I have left to study for my German exams, leaving me where I am now.

During week 12, I decided to meet with multiple counsellors (in Education, Arts and Sciences, and Student Wellness Services), and started conversation with my parents about my mental health. We decided that the best thing that I could do would be to make it through the semester, but ¿¿pick my battles¿ where it came to my courses. I simply did not have time to study enough to pass German 101, while completing my Final Essay for DEVS 220, and studying for DEVS 230 (which I need for my major). I am not confident that I will pass the Written Exam for German 101, and as such, am hoping to drop the course, and make up for it over the summer.

I believe that in order to be successful next semester, I need to make changes that will allow me to work and live more efficiently. I will be searching for a new house that is spacious enough for me to be able to work from home, as well as trying to create daily/ weekly schedules for work, in addition to my ¿To Do¿¿ lists. I will maintain the contact and conversation with my parents about my mental health, and I would also be interested in pursuing further counselling services.

I am sincerely sorry for not finishing this process as sooner, but I have been preparing for exams, packing, dealing with housing for next semester. I am still hoping to have German dropped as I started this process before exams, and chose not to write my German exams in order to focus on doing well in other courses.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

Keith Oben