Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing the Faculty's regulation that a maximum of 6.0 units may be taken at a visiting University in a student's third or fourth year of studies. I would like to complete my degree, with a total of 12.0 units remaining, at the University of Guelph during the fall/winter 2017 semester under a letter of permission from Queen's.

I am currently in my fourth year of Biology and was planning to complete my degree in Spring 2017 with an undergraduate thesis. However, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in late December. My academics have contributed a significant level of stress and, given my current circumstances, I have found it extremely difficult to organize and manage my time in a healthy fashion. I was especially struggling to balance an independent thesis project as a part of the Biology 537 course this past semester. The unstructured framework of the project was extremely anxiety provoking.
I found it difficult to focus in classes and frequently experienced panic attacks when attempting to complete coursework and studying for evaluations as a result of my illness. My day-to-day functioning was significantly affected. I often missed lectures and dropped extra curricular activities; both of which are extremely out of my character.
Under the advisement of my therapist and doctor I opted to reduce my course load and drop my thesis. I am currently completing three courses, attend regular counseling appointments and have been prescribed antidepressants. While I find this more manageable I continue to experience panic attacks and depressive symptoms and would like to complete the remainder of my degree from home with the support of my family.

I have requested documentation from the Queen's Health and Wellness Services and am waiting for this to be approved. I would be happy to provide medical documentation verifying my diagnosis and treatment once this is completed.

Thank you for your understanding,
Victoria Guba.