Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 2304
Submitted: June 1, 2016 at 10:24:28 PM
First Name: Hayley
Last Name: MacVicar
Student Number: 10138827
Email: 13hm39@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BSCH
Plan: KINE
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Code: ANAT 316
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Ron Easteal
Code: KNPE 227
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Kyra Pyke
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: June 1, 2016
To: Associate Dean (Studies)
My name is Hayley MacVicar and I am entering third year in the Queen's kinesiology program. I am appealing to receive a credit standing in two 2016 winter semester courses; these courses are KNPE 227 and ANAT 316.
I received a failing grade in the two courses I am appealing, and although I am not surprised by this result, I believe it is not indicative of my true ability. I had a difficult time this semester struggling to balance my academics while managing my depression, and my grades suffered as a result. I was diagnosed with depression in April 2015 and have since been receiving therapy from Dr. Waxman in Toronto. I am usually able to cope with my depression through an array of techniques Dr. Waxman has taught me; for example, regular physical activity and breathing exercises. Although these practices usually keep my depression at bay, with the heightened stress of the exam season, I stopped routinely engaging in these methods in an attempt to increase focus on trying to study effectively for the upcoming exams. Unfortunately, I now fully understand that this approach actually interfered with the effectiveness of my studies and typical academic performance. A couple weeks leading up to exams, I began feeling my symptoms of increasing depression including agitation, lack of motivation, poor memory, irregular sleep, and inability to focus. The culmination of these symptoms made it increasingly difficult to complete day-to-day tasks let alone study for my upcoming exams. When I wrote my exams, I was mentally and emotionally drained and exhausted resulting in a severe decrease in my ability to recall any course material. I am only appealing two of the four courses I enrolled in this semester because although my mental health equally affected all my courses, the format of the exams in these two courses in particular made it difficult to perform to my usual standard. Both the ANAT 316 and KNPE 227 final exams consisted of multiple choice questions requiring fact recall from the course material. With my lacking focus and poor memory ability, remembering facts from the course was extremely challenging. The two courses passed were made up of short and long answer questions, allowing me to acquire a sufficient amount of part marks where possible to pass the course.
Leading into the winter semester, after consulting my parents, I decided to take a reduced course load to try and aid the situation, as I was not satisfied with my academic standing in the fall semester. However, my depressive symptoms outweighed the relief of taking only four courses. During the semester, I did not submit an assignment worth 20 for KNPE 227. I didn't complete this assignment because at the time I was depressed and unable to motivate myself or focus long enough to complete the assignment. I understand now that I should have communicated with someone in the Queen's community to receive guidance and assistance but I thought I could handle the situation independently; I now realize I was mistaken and plan to do so moving forward.
Should my appeal be granted, I plan on returning to Queen's with a greater ability to achieve academic success during stressful academic periods. Since returning home, I have met with my psychologist and expect to continue regular sessions throughout the course of the summer to learn new strategies to prevent and cope with these situations. I have been in contact with the Academic Advisor, Melody Monte, and she has been very supportive, providing me with information about not only this appeal process, but also other resources within the Queens community that I can take advantage of and gain support from in the future. I plan to immediately contact Queen's counseling services to find someone I can come to for regular support throughout the following academic years. Moreover, as I have realized that exercise is pivotal to managing my depression, I will prioritize it as a part of my daily routine. Should my appeal be granted, I will still consider retaking the courses in the following years to solidify topics and ensure I am not setting myself back from performing well in future courses that go towards my kinesiology degree.
I very much appreciate you reviewing my appeal. Should you have any questions please contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Hayley MacVicar
Queen's Kinesiology 2018
To: Associate Dean (Studies)
My name is Hayley MacVicar and I am entering third year in the Queen's kinesiology program. I am appealing to receive a credit standing in two 2016 winter semester courses; these courses are KNPE 227 and ANAT 316.
I received a failing grade in the two courses I am appealing, and although I am not surprised by this result, I believe it is not indicative of my true ability. I had a difficult time this semester struggling to balance my academics while managing my depression, and my grades suffered as a result. I was diagnosed with depression in April 2015 and have since been receiving therapy from Dr. Waxman in Toronto. I am usually able to cope with my depression through an array of techniques Dr. Waxman has taught me; for example, regular physical activity and breathing exercises. Although these practices usually keep my depression at bay, with the heightened stress of the exam season, I stopped routinely engaging in these methods in an attempt to increase focus on trying to study effectively for the upcoming exams. Unfortunately, I now fully understand that this approach actually interfered with the effectiveness of my studies and typical academic performance. A couple weeks leading up to exams, I began feeling my symptoms of increasing depression including agitation, lack of motivation, poor memory, irregular sleep, and inability to focus. The culmination of these symptoms made it increasingly difficult to complete day-to-day tasks let alone study for my upcoming exams. When I wrote my exams, I was mentally and emotionally drained and exhausted resulting in a severe decrease in my ability to recall any course material. I am only appealing two of the four courses I enrolled in this semester because although my mental health equally affected all my courses, the format of the exams in these two courses in particular made it difficult to perform to my usual standard. Both the ANAT 316 and KNPE 227 final exams consisted of multiple choice questions requiring fact recall from the course material. With my lacking focus and poor memory ability, remembering facts from the course was extremely challenging. The two courses passed were made up of short and long answer questions, allowing me to acquire a sufficient amount of part marks where possible to pass the course.
Leading into the winter semester, after consulting my parents, I decided to take a reduced course load to try and aid the situation, as I was not satisfied with my academic standing in the fall semester. However, my depressive symptoms outweighed the relief of taking only four courses. During the semester, I did not submit an assignment worth 20 for KNPE 227. I didn't complete this assignment because at the time I was depressed and unable to motivate myself or focus long enough to complete the assignment. I understand now that I should have communicated with someone in the Queen's community to receive guidance and assistance but I thought I could handle the situation independently; I now realize I was mistaken and plan to do so moving forward.
Should my appeal be granted, I plan on returning to Queen's with a greater ability to achieve academic success during stressful academic periods. Since returning home, I have met with my psychologist and expect to continue regular sessions throughout the course of the summer to learn new strategies to prevent and cope with these situations. I have been in contact with the Academic Advisor, Melody Monte, and she has been very supportive, providing me with information about not only this appeal process, but also other resources within the Queens community that I can take advantage of and gain support from in the future. I plan to immediately contact Queen's counseling services to find someone I can come to for regular support throughout the following academic years. Moreover, as I have realized that exercise is pivotal to managing my depression, I will prioritize it as a part of my daily routine. Should my appeal be granted, I will still consider retaking the courses in the following years to solidify topics and ensure I am not setting myself back from performing well in future courses that go towards my kinesiology degree.
I very much appreciate you reviewing my appeal. Should you have any questions please contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Hayley MacVicar
Queen's Kinesiology 2018
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Letter from Psychologist, Dr. Waxman