Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 2796
Submitted: November 9, 2016 at 12:00:26 PM
First Name: Caylee
Last Name: LaBranche
Student Number: 10139660
Email: 13cl84@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: DEVS
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
I would like to make an appeal to do a visiting semester at another university in Canada, in the winter 2017 semester. I am appealing because technically I am in my third year. However, I am doing a volunteer placement this 2016 Fall semester, and have only taken a light course load- 4 courses per semester, meaning I will still have two years left after this visiting semester. So I will still be attending Queens University for the last two years of my Undergraduate Degree, even if I do a visiting semester during the winter term and therefore have no problem finishing my at my planned time even with doing a semester at another university.
I would like to do a visiting semester at the University of Calgary, while taking one online course through the university of Athabasca for a few reasons. Firstly, the courses I can take through the University of Calgary are unavailable next semester at Queens, some not available at Queens at all. For one, I need two language credits for my Global Development degree, and I plan to take those in Spanish. Introductory Spanish is not available second semester at either Queens or the U of C so I would like to take it through the university of Athabasca to receive my language credits. Recently I have been struggling to feel confident in the degree path I have taken and the courses I am taking. Trying out new courses at the U of C, such as international law and strategic studies (both areas I am really interested in but have been unable to take at Queens) will give me a more well-rounded education and in turn will guide me when making the decision about what educational path to pursue. If I want to go into international law, I need to start preparing for the LSAT and applying to schools. Law school is a lot of work to get into; I want to try my hand at it through a course to make sure it is something I am interested in enough to go through all that work.
Secondly, my family lives near the University of Calgary, meaning I will have a really strong support system to help me with the temporary change. I have really struggled to adjust to university and it has taken a negative toll on my mental health. The stress of trying to achieve high marks has taken away so much from both the university experience itself and my ability to do well. Affecting everything from my moods to my sleep, there have been many tests and assignments I did not do as well on because I was not fully functioning properly under the stress or not sleeping for days on end. In the past, I have had to have finals deferred as well as assignment extensions because of the impacts of stress. I sought out professional help at Queens but unfortunately found it ineffective and was forced to take some time away from university.
I took this past semester off to take a break from school and to help me refocus on my motivation for getting a degree and pushing through the stress. Instead of putting myself right back into the position where I was before this break, I believe it would be much more beneficial to go back in steps. Going to U of C for the semester would be a positive first step. I would be going back to school into a high stress environment again but having the support of my family right there as opposed to being away from them which is an added stressor. This experience will help me become more prepared to return to Queens next year. I believe taking a step by step approach is much more likely to be a success method at getting me back to Queens. It will help me develop the ability to manage the stress when I am not just thrown into a situation of high stress with no support. Taking this semester at the U of C where I can take courses that will help me feel more confident in my career path and going to a school where my family can be there to support me and help me access resources to deal with my mental health in a much more positive manner than I have in the past, is what I see as the best chance at me successfully completing my degree and staying healthy while doing so.
Spending my next semester at the University of Calgary offers so many positive effects and opportunities to enhance my university experience. Should you grant my request, I will continue to search for effective methods of dealing with stress with the support of my family, so I can come back to Queens in a mind state ready to take on the challenges it possess. My undergraduate chair has approved my plan as well, and I will send his letter of support once I receive it. If you need any other documents such as proof of my deferral of exams, please let me know.
Thank you for your consideration,
Caylee
I would like to make an appeal to do a visiting semester at another university in Canada, in the winter 2017 semester. I am appealing because technically I am in my third year. However, I am doing a volunteer placement this 2016 Fall semester, and have only taken a light course load- 4 courses per semester, meaning I will still have two years left after this visiting semester. So I will still be attending Queens University for the last two years of my Undergraduate Degree, even if I do a visiting semester during the winter term and therefore have no problem finishing my at my planned time even with doing a semester at another university.
I would like to do a visiting semester at the University of Calgary, while taking one online course through the university of Athabasca for a few reasons. Firstly, the courses I can take through the University of Calgary are unavailable next semester at Queens, some not available at Queens at all. For one, I need two language credits for my Global Development degree, and I plan to take those in Spanish. Introductory Spanish is not available second semester at either Queens or the U of C so I would like to take it through the university of Athabasca to receive my language credits. Recently I have been struggling to feel confident in the degree path I have taken and the courses I am taking. Trying out new courses at the U of C, such as international law and strategic studies (both areas I am really interested in but have been unable to take at Queens) will give me a more well-rounded education and in turn will guide me when making the decision about what educational path to pursue. If I want to go into international law, I need to start preparing for the LSAT and applying to schools. Law school is a lot of work to get into; I want to try my hand at it through a course to make sure it is something I am interested in enough to go through all that work.
Secondly, my family lives near the University of Calgary, meaning I will have a really strong support system to help me with the temporary change. I have really struggled to adjust to university and it has taken a negative toll on my mental health. The stress of trying to achieve high marks has taken away so much from both the university experience itself and my ability to do well. Affecting everything from my moods to my sleep, there have been many tests and assignments I did not do as well on because I was not fully functioning properly under the stress or not sleeping for days on end. In the past, I have had to have finals deferred as well as assignment extensions because of the impacts of stress. I sought out professional help at Queens but unfortunately found it ineffective and was forced to take some time away from university.
I took this past semester off to take a break from school and to help me refocus on my motivation for getting a degree and pushing through the stress. Instead of putting myself right back into the position where I was before this break, I believe it would be much more beneficial to go back in steps. Going to U of C for the semester would be a positive first step. I would be going back to school into a high stress environment again but having the support of my family right there as opposed to being away from them which is an added stressor. This experience will help me become more prepared to return to Queens next year. I believe taking a step by step approach is much more likely to be a success method at getting me back to Queens. It will help me develop the ability to manage the stress when I am not just thrown into a situation of high stress with no support. Taking this semester at the U of C where I can take courses that will help me feel more confident in my career path and going to a school where my family can be there to support me and help me access resources to deal with my mental health in a much more positive manner than I have in the past, is what I see as the best chance at me successfully completing my degree and staying healthy while doing so.
Spending my next semester at the University of Calgary offers so many positive effects and opportunities to enhance my university experience. Should you grant my request, I will continue to search for effective methods of dealing with stress with the support of my family, so I can come back to Queens in a mind state ready to take on the challenges it possess. My undergraduate chair has approved my plan as well, and I will send his letter of support once I receive it. If you need any other documents such as proof of my deferral of exams, please let me know.
Thank you for your consideration,
Caylee
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: My plan to finish my degree on time is to take courses at the University of Calgary that count as credits towards my degree choice. My Undergraduate Chair at the Devs department has already approved the courses I am going to take as eligible for counting towards my Global Development degree. I also have room for quite a few electives, and want to take those in courses that would give me a better idea of how to continue my academic education. Therefore, I am taking those courses in International Law and Aboriginal Law In Canada, both of which I hope will give me an idea if law is a path I want to pursue. I would not be able to take either of those courses, or Spanish 200 (which I need to complete my language credits) at Queen's, so going to the U of C for a semester would help guide me in my future academic plans.
Regardless of where I go next semester, I still have two more years of my undergraduate degree on top of next semester. Meaning even if I go to the U of C next semester, I will still be attending Queen's for the 2017-2018 terms, and the 2018-2019 terms. This gives me enough time to finish all my degree mandatory courses at a comfortable schedule.
I also plan to work with my family to find methods to deal with some of the mental health issues I've been struggling with. I will look with them for resources to help manage the stress. As well, I will continue to use the resources for dealing with academic stress that the university provides, as I have done at Queen's.
Regardless of where I go next semester, I still have two more years of my undergraduate degree on top of next semester. Meaning even if I go to the U of C next semester, I will still be attending Queen's for the 2017-2018 terms, and the 2018-2019 terms. This gives me enough time to finish all my degree mandatory courses at a comfortable schedule.
I also plan to work with my family to find methods to deal with some of the mental health issues I've been struggling with. I will look with them for resources to help manage the stress. As well, I will continue to use the resources for dealing with academic stress that the university provides, as I have done at Queen's.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Documentation Detail: Letter of Support from my Undergraduate Chair