Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am appealing to drop FREN 250, HIST 210, FREN 219, FREN 241, HIST 214, and HIST 313 after the academic deadline.

During the first and second semesters of my second year at Queen¿¿s (Sep 2015-Apr 2016), I was dealing with a major depressive disorder, an eating disorder, and significant feelings of anxiety that I believe were triggered by a series of events following my grandmother¿¿s passing in 2014 and my father¿¿s subsequent decision to move to live in South Korea. Though I had already begun to struggle mentally in my first year, I was still able then to leave my dorm room and participate actively in my studies and join in on extracurricular activities. What primarily and specifically affected my course work in my second year was my literal inability and anxiety over getting out of the new house I had moved into from residence, which prevented me from attending classes or attempting to seek long-term help so long as it required me to be somewhere I felt vulnerable. I only spoke to a counsellor once in the Fall Term, began to cut myself off from my friends and family members, and had unceasing suicidal thoughts when I was not asleep.

Even as my professors and peers in my classes and extracurriculars began to notice my recurring absences, things only got worse as time progressed and the Winter Term started. Although I worked hard in two of my Fall Term courses, I started to miss the lectures and seminars in all my Winter Term courses, could not find the motivation to hand in assignments that I even managed to complete, and didn¿¿t try to write important tests and exams. I was always awake at night and asleep during the day. I felt completely psychologically crippled and everything felt out of my control. It was not the level of difficulty of my courses nor the workload that distressed me ¿¿ only my inability to take care of my mental health. Any feelings I experienced of motivation returning were short-lived and I continued to miss classes. My first-year transcript is proof to me that I am capable of succeeding as a student with a full-time course load; however, it is clear that I must better prepare to deal with the mental challenges that did gravely affect my success and well-being. My situation has drastically changed for the better now.

I plan to discontinue my studies in the Concurrent Education program, change my major from History to Psychology (BAH), and start fresh without my minor in French Studies. A large part of my losing motivation and feeling constantly fatigued was also my growing disinterest in what I was studying. I am confident that I really enjoyed and did excellent in PSYC100 in my first year, and that instead of studying French, devoting my time to learning a new language such as Japanese or Chinese will excite me as much as just the mere thought of it does right now. I¿¿ve already developed a plan for the courses I would like to take in continuing my studies and aspire eventually to transfer into the Department of Health Studies ¿¿ a field I¿¿ve become super interested in since doing poorly with my own health. I¿¿ve also signed a new lease to a room on 646 Division Street, which I chose because I love its setting and environment, and know that its a place that will encourage me to thrive both personally and academically. It is very different from the tiny room and noisy street ¿¿ that made me more prone to feelings of anxiety and depression ¿¿ in and on which I lived previously. I also plan to seek long-term assistance by contacting Student Wellness Services at Queen¿¿s and speaking regularly to someone about my health. I am confident that with the unconditional love and healing support that I¿¿ve received from my friends and family members over the past several months, as well as with all that I¿¿ve learned during my time off from Queen¿¿s, I will be able to continue overcoming the type of situational obstacles that affected my mental and academic performance at school last year.

Sincerely,
Christina Lee