Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: May 27, 2016

Associate Dean (Studies),

I am writing this letter with the request for a late drop of FREN 150, and for credit standing for PSYC 100 and MUSC 102.

I feel that my academic performance this school year was negatively affected by my mental illness. I experienced depression and anxiety in high school, and sought treatment at that time. When I arrived on campus in September, I took the step to find support during the big transition into university. I originally was hoping to receive accommodations for exams, as a lot of my anxiety is related to school and testing. I started seeing a psychiatrist through Queen's Student Health once a week beginning in December and ending around exam time.

I also hold a job on campus at the ARC, and in the last two months of school I begin to take on a lot more shifts, and try to organize my time so that I could still study. I found that when I sat down to study, I felt almost paralyzed by the fear of the amount of work I had to accomplish, and I ended up getting significantly less work done than I had planned. The idea of failing was terrifying, and I spent a lot of my study time with that thought in my head. I can remember times just sitting staring at my books or my computer and not really seeing them, not taking anything in, just feeling scared. I didn't ask for help, because I didn't think that anyone could help me. I thought it was too late in the semester, and that I had to get out of the situation myself.

When I sat down to the exams for French, Music, and Psychology, I tried to take a deep breath and stay calm, but when I looked at the questions on the exam sheet, I began to feel incredibly anxious. I could tell that I knew the answers, but I couldn't recall them due to my anxiety.

I feel that in this case, my anxiety severely let me down. Looking back, I know that I took on more than I could handle in the last few weeks of classes. In the future, I plan to think ahead both with school and work. I will spread out my shifts and workload over the whole semester so that I do not end up in a stressful position during exams. I will also take on fewer shifts around exams so I have greater time to study effectively. I know that it is okay to ask for help at any point, because not every situation needs to be handled on my own. I will ask for clarification in lecture or tutorial, and go to my TA for extra help. I think that by doing these things, I will be far more successful in the future.

I hope that with this explanation of what transpired, supporting documentation from my psychiatrist Dr. Kenny, and my plans for improvement, you will grant my appeal.

Thank you,

Sabina Litherland