Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Associate Dean,

I am appealing to waive the 21-day appeal deadline, as well as change my grades to credit standing in GNDS125, PHIL115, PSYC100 and SOCY122. During the previous school year, I had experienced extenuating circumstances that greatly hindered my ability to perform to the best of my abilities academically. In the letter below, I will outline the circumstances that affected my ability to meet the 21-day deadline for appeals and that had affected my performance in GNDS125, PHIL115, PSYC100 and SOCY122.

I was unable to meet the 21-day appeal deadline for several reasons having to do with the stability of my mental health. For the past year, when I would attempt to write my appeal, I would have very severe anxiety attacks, and on some occasions, even panic attacks. Due to the fragility of my mental wellness, I decided to put my appeal off until I was able to articulate myself without suffering from anxiety while doing so. Although I am still working on my anxiety, I have been able to see an improvement in the ways that I handle all of my stress.

In the following section, I will outline the details that had impaired my ability to perform with respect to my academic responsibilities. I would like to highlight the fact that prior to attending Queen¿¿s University, I had been receiving support from a physician for a mental health condition that worsened during my time in school.

The change of environment made it very challenging for me to excel, for not only was I adapting to a new setting, but I was also trying to make friends and adjust to my course load with anxiety. At home, I had seen a therapist for counseling, and had assumed that I was feeling much better. When I had gone to school, I realized that I was not yet ready to function my best without some means of support. My whole support system, including close friends and family was back at home, making it even more strenuous for me to try to improve my mental health on my own.

I had gone home nearly every weekend in order to be in a place where I was able to strengthen the progress I had made in developing coping skills when my mental health took too much of a toll on me. I had not realized that in doing so, I had begun to lose even more of my academic focus due to my yearning to be back home rather than remain in Kingston.

My extenuating circumstances affected my work ethic because my anxiety made it very difficult for me to concentrate on my studies. Attempting to cope with my mental illness by myself was psychologically, as well as physically exhausting for me, and I would have a very low amount of energy while doing day-to-day tasks.

After the end of first year, I went to a psychotherapist for counseling to prepare for second year. I learned more coping skills and techniques to calm me down if I were to have an anxiety or panic attack. I was also able to come up with new ways to have the aid of my support system while simultaneously being far from them. When I went back to school, I used those skills to the best of my ability, yet I fell back into the same pattern as the preceding year.

Regarding multiple panic attacks that I had in Stauffer Library due to stress during the 2015 fall midterm period, I made the decision to go home in order to recuperate and get the help that I need in order to succeed in the future. I will continue to stay home and receive counseling until I am deemed ready to go back to Kingston. Upon my arrival, I intend to seek a counselor in Kingston, as well as take a lighter course load in order to allow me to adjust better to the environment.

My time in Kingston at Queen¿¿s has been a very challenging and strenuous time for me. It was a huge learning curve, as I had to fight my anxiety every day to strive and do my best. I am writing this to you to please consider adjusting my grades to credit standing for the courses listed above, as well as show me gracious lenience with the appeal deadline. Thank you for taking the time to read this appeal and I look forward to hearing back from you, as I do truly believe I have the potential to be a great student despite my previous struggles.

Regards,

Caitlin Chang