Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to drop two courses from the fall term: biology 205 and chemistry 281. I do realize that I have appealed to drop courses in the past, but I feel that I am finally getting a better understanding of which direction I want to head into in my academics. Since first year, I have been dealing with severe family circumstances, which led my mother and I to leave a very abusive environment and having no family in Canada has been tough. For the past two years, I have had to take care of my mother, deal with the lawyers and such, deal with family members, while balancing school. With all of this going on, it affected my academics severely. Since last year, I have been in counselling and plan on continuing. I have also discussed the circumstances with my family physician and I have begun treatment for my anxiety and depression. Due to family stresses and pressures, I was trying to pursue a program I did not wish to; causing me to do even more poorly in them. But this year, I feel that I have a better understanding of which program I wish to study, and have taken the initiative to start taking the required courses for the program. And when I had taken five courses in the fall term and saw that I was unable to manage them, I decided to drop three courses in the winter term to give myself a fair chance. As I have had to drop courses in the past, I am taking online courses in the summer so that I can stay on track with my academics. As for my family circumstances, I have created clear boundaries with my mother and my family. I am learning to prioritize my academics and my mental health. If I am struggling in a course, I have always reached out to the professors to help me out.