Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

My name is Jaskiran Dhillon, student number 10105006. I am appealing to drop BIOL 103; CHEM 112; MATH 120 AND PRAC 110 courses. I would like to start by explaining the reasons for why my grades were so poor during my first year at Queens.

After moving away from home and trying to settle in at Queens University, I started to face some personal problems that eventually lead to academic difficulties. One of the main factors was being away from home. In late August 2013, about two weeks before I moved into residence, my family and I were informed of my grandmothers poor health. My parents do not speak fluent english so it was crucial for me to attend my grandmothers appointments. Most weekend¿¿s I would go home on Thursday and return on Monday. Unfortunately, all this travelling took a huge toll on my grades as well as my relationships with floor mates in my residence building. Due to travelling home very frequently, I didn't get a chance to bond with my floor mates. This lead me to become very anti social my first year. My parents had noticed how out of character this was for me and encouraged me to speak with someone from Queens University.

I was given the opportunity to speak with a peer advisor to see what my options were. The advisor offered me great support and outlined a few options for me. Since, at the time, I was not able to devote myself 100 to my studies, the option that best suited me was to take some time off and return when I was able to give it my all. I did not know that I had to formally drop my classes, I was under the understanding that I would be able to return next year.

During this time off, I took advantage of some opportunities for counselling. I feel counselling has really helped me and put me in a good position to be successful next year. My sister returned home in April 2014 from being re-located for work. This is very important to me because I know she will be able to take care of things back home while I am away for school. I have also signed a lease for an apartment for next year with roommates that I feel will offer me support if I were to need it. I am currently trying to get in touch with the bus services I used to travel home, I will be able to provide travel documents for you at a nearby later date.

Unfortunately, after signing onto my Solus and seeing this message, I am afraid I will not have the opportunity to come back to Queens University and continue my education. I can ensure you this was an honest mistake. I have a lot of motivation to continue my studies and if given the opportunity I am sure I will be able to excel at this school. I have taken the steps necessary to ensure I do not face the same problems I did last year, I would like to be given the opportunity to continue my education at Queens University.

Thank you for you consideration, I hope to hear from you soon.

- Jaskiran Dhillon