Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean

I am appealing to drop the online summer course CISC 121 over this Summer 2016. It was a course that I registered in out of interest and a desire for some intellectual stimulation over the summer as I believed I would be relatively free from responsibilities. However, my other obligations, specifically my job -- I¿¿m working as a research trainee for the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute -- has greatly reduced the feasibility of me successfully completing this course. I was hoping to drop it within the official timeframe as it has become a significant cause of anxiety, however I narrowly missed the July 29th deadline by a few hours. I emailed several people at the university later the following day and they guided me towards the appeals process.

The reason that I wish to drop the course is that it has become a source of considerable anxiety for me as I am very worried about keeping up with the high workload as well as the requirements for my job. Not having been able to drop it was quite difficult as it reinforced the feeling of both being overwhelmed by it and feeling destined not to do well, since I¿¿ve lacked the time to devote to succeeding in my assignments this summer. I feel trapped in a sense as my, I suppose, foolish desire to take an unnecessary course out of interest has forced me into an obligation I can¿¿t meet. I also have several other commitments, such as rowing (I rowed junior varsity for Queen¿¿s last year) which I¿¿ve had to cut back on both due to my anxiety and to persistent breathing problems that I¿¿ve had checked by multiple doctors at different urgent care and emergency rooms in Montreal without any real diagnosis other than potentially anxiety. I am not one who handles excessive stress well and it has become quite difficult over the past two weeks, especially since I found out I could not drop the course. This has made it more difficult for me to do well as I feel constantly dogged by stress and have started to have trouble keeping up with the coursework. This anxiety has begun to impinge on other aspects of my life, preventing me from enjoying my summer or fully engaging in other aspects of healthy life.

Moving forward, if my appeal is granted I hope to resolve whatever anxiety issues may remain. I¿¿m in a bit of an awkward situation medically right now as my provincial health card is expired, and I¿¿m not able to access any services unless I pay out of pocket. I¿¿m getting a new card, but it will be a few weeks at which time I hope to be able to see someone about my anxiety should it persist after the course is dropped. I¿¿m hoping that when I return to school, no longer burdened by my job, I¿¿ll be able to return to the level of health and academic success I enjoyed last year.

Sam Roe 10201263