Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Bénard:


I am writing to request credit standing for Math 225 and Phys 216. I completed these courses in Winter 2017.


I struggle with severe test anxiety, and the full course load of five core courses in the Physics program overwhelmed me completely. Despite thorough preparation, my grade for my Electricity and Magnetism midterm was just 15/100. I subsequently had to drop the course. Throughout the semester, I performed very poorly on quizzes and tests in all my subjects, especially as compared to assignments and non-test evaluations.
I sought help from Counselling services, accessibility services, and student academic success services throughout the semester. Despite improvements to my study habits, I was ultimately unable to overcome anxiety during final exams. In Math 225, I entered the final with a grade of 78, but finished the course with a D grade after a disastrous panic attack that resulted in failure on the final.


To put myself back on track academically, I will be considering a change of degree program this summer. I am hoping that a change of study subject-- especially one that is more assignment-based/less exam-based-- and a reduced course load in the coming academic year will reduce anxiety. I will also continue working through my anxiety in counselling sessions while receiving study advice from student academic success services.


Thank you very much.




Kind Regards,
Michael Lee