Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Faculty of Arts and Science

To The Associate Dean of Studies,

I am writing to request to return to studies after the requirement to withdraw for three years period has lapsed. The minimum withdrawal period of three years has lapsed and I wish to resume my studies at Queen¿¿s University. At the time of my studies at Queen¿¿s I was recovering from a broken relationship. After my first year at Queen¿¿s, I had just divorced my now ex-husband and was going through a hard time. I could not help but feel guilty as he still wanted to stay together. I was immature and unaware of how to balance my personal life and my studies. I feel that throughout my time at Queen¿¿s I was battling this relationship. At first I was trying to make it work and then when I finally decided to end it I was dealing with the aftermath of ending the relationship. I felt empty, lost and very unhappy. I was not able to focus on my studies at all and was too ashamed to seek help. I feel that if this was not the case I would have done much better in my studies as that would have been my primary focus. If I had decided to seek help I may have learned to control my emotions and balance both my studies and personal life sooner.
After receiving my letter to withdraw I had decided then that after my withdraw period was over I would return to Queen¿¿s and resume my studies. I had decided that I will not quit but take this time to grow and better myself. I had spent some time disconnecting from my ex-husband and ending our relationship entirely. He is now engaged and we are on good terms. A year after my request to withdraw I decided that I needed to get away from my everyday routine and really connect with myself. I worked for a year and made enough money to travel. I traveled to Pakistan where I stayed for about a year and half. I learnt to meditate which helped me get in touch with my inner self and I learnt to balance my emotions. I also spent time teaching the children in rural areas how to read and write in both English and Urdu. This not only helped them but helped me understand how minuscule my problems were. I spent time with the elderly in my neighbourhood listening to stories about their families, the culture and history. I learnt more about my history and my childhood where I grew up. During my time off from studies I did not want to disconnect from my education so I kept up with studies by viewing online podcast and reading. This was a very energizing and transforming experience for me. I feel that I have matured greatly and have a different view on things. I am much happier and content. I have a greater appreciation for all that I am blessed with and I feel very fortunate to have an opportunity where I can educate myself.
I have contacted an academic adviser from Queen¿¿s Art and Science department. We discussed coming back to studies at Queen¿¿s. I had informed the adviser that I was not interested in the program that I am currently enrolled in. I have talked to the adviser about switching from BScH geography into the Online Life Sciences program. I already have all the core course for this program except one 3.0 credit course. I can take this course in the winter of 2017. I will need additional 30.0 credits to graduate. I wish to complete my degree by end of winter term 2017. Since majority of my core courses are completed I can take electives to increase my GPA. I can further repeat some previously taken core courses to increase my GPA. I feel very confident and excited for my studies. Along with this appeal I have attached a copy of my passport showing my time in Pakistan. I have also attached a copy of the email from the academic adviser along with a ¿¿what-if¿ report for the Life Science program. I thank you for taking the time to consider my appeal. I look forward to your positive reply.

Sincerely,
Komal Shafqat