Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to drop PSYC 203 Research Methods because my mental health has affected my ability to complete assignments; therefore I will not pass the course. This semester I have barely managed to complete assignments on time for my courses. All semester I have felt depressed and have had no interest in school. I realize the importance of school and I know what I have to do to complete my degree however, I cannot motivate myself to do the work; as I can barely motivate myself to do anything anymore. My mental health has left me with no energy and no concentration, which has severely affected my ability to complete schoolwork. Unfortunately, PSYC 203 has been the most affected by these problems.

I have had mental health problems in the past and was diagnosed with an eating disorder and dysthymia: a disorder that is defined by a depressed mood that continues for at least two years. I was also hospitalized twice in 2013 due to my mental health. Since I had already had experience with mental illnesses, I did not want to continue down the path I was going down. Therefore I decided to drop PSYC 203 and retake it another year. I decided to drop PSYC 203 because I knew that I would not pass it anyways because I did not hand in the two major assignments and this way it takes the stress of failing a course off of me. By dropping PSYC 203 it allows me to work on my mental health and finish up my second year focusing on my other courses.

I went to see a counselor through the Queen¿¿s counseling service in March. I went a total of three times, once to a psychologist and then switched to a social worker that I saw twice. I hope over the summer I can continue to improve my coping skills and my mental health so that I can return to Queen¿¿s University and complete my degree.

Thank you,
Daniella Hohmann