Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern;
I am submitting an appeal to have the classes of ASTR 101, CHEM 112, CLST 103 W, GEO 106 W to be dropped from my transcript with your permission due to my mental health. I have a history of feeling depressed after my family was deported from the States in 2009 where we lost everything. I was then traveling back and forth from Saudi Arabia to Jordan where I was also transferring schools. I came to Canada about a year and a half ago after maintaining a 97.6 average in high school, but due to the fact that my parents were not financially stable enough to send a third child to university, I took a gap year. As time went by and I was in new surroundings once again, I built up a lot of anxiety and was constantly down. When it was time to begin my first year at Queen¿¿s University, I moved away from my family in hopes I can start a new beginning after going through so much, which took a toll on me, and that¿¿s when everything started. Because of this, I developed a lot of acne which I started treating with a prescription drug called Epuris, a form of Accutane during November of 2015. Accutane has a history of studies which involve causing depression for a person, but studies can not confirm that. I have done research myself and have come upon numerous people on this prescription drug who complain from depression. I, however, pushed that side effect away and pushed myself harder. Once the winter term had come around, my dermatologist doubled my dose from 30 mg to 60 mg. That¿¿s when I started realizing that my depression, social anxiety, stress, and behaviour have dramatically increased and were beyond my control. I found it difficult to concentrate during class or even at the library. Saying that I had constant thoughts of being worthless, hopeless, and a failure would be an understatement. Why didn¿¿t I drop my courses in February you may ask I am always the one in my family that remains strong for everyone and therefore, I thought I was strong enough to deal with this on my own. I felt ashamed and embarrassed to talk about it with a therapist when I thought I was strong enough to deal with it on my own. I have just recently been told that i have extreme vitamin D deficiency, which permits a person from concentrating well enough and may develop depression and seasonal affective disorder. After viewing my grades, I have come to terms with the fact that I did not do well because I was mentally and emotionally unstable. I have also come to terms with the fact that not only is this affecting me academically, but my well being and my mental state of mind, and now I am seeking help. Because of that, I have made it clear to my dermatologist that I no longer want to be on this prescription drug, and therefore, it has been discontinued with her approval. I also reached out for help from my family doctor who has diagnosed me with adjustment disorder as well as depression.