Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Associate Dean (Studies),

During my first year at Queen's University, I have experiences extenuating circumstances in my personal life that have carried on to my summer. These events have occupied my mind and therefore taken away from my academic performance. Therefore, I wish to make an appeal to retake Psychology 100 during summer after the admission deadline.

Stress is an inevitable feeling that comes with moving to a new city and taking the leap from high school to university. However, my levels of stress had been rather excessive due to the events of my personal life at home and relationship wise. During my second semester at Queen's I had gotten news from my sister that my father had been unfaithful to my step mother and filed for divorce. This had been particularly hard to come to terms with because my father denied this for weeks after finally confessing at the ironic risk of worrying me. I am not an only child but I have the closest relationship with my step mother, so I had been trying to help her throughout my first year over the phone and Skype calls whenever I could. Unfortunately, this came with an unbalance of personal and academic life. My plan had always been to major in psychology so my main efforts would go to that course, however reflecting on my final grades, this was a contributor that made my efforts insufficient.

Later on in the year, I was dealing with physical illness that had put me at a disadvantage. During the last week of my exams I had gotten a concussion. Therefore, after coming home I spent a lot of time recovering from my injury through bed rest and refraining from social activities. This put me at a disadvantage by not allowing me to review and assess my academic standing before selecting a plan for second year. Upon selecting my plan to major in Psychology I was immediately rejected and understood that I would either have to take another plan, or enrol during the summer and devote my time to enriching my knowledge of the principals of psychology.

Since the knowledge of my parents separation and my concussion, I have learned to deal with both in different and affective ways. The majority of my time spent dwelling on my parents separation was during my second semester. During this time I realized my grades slipping and realized I needed to make some changes. I spoke with my step mother and told her my dire need prioritize my studies and she was understanding. The main takeaway from this experience will help me later on in my academic years through realizing that personal issues can still be important without completely prioritizing them when my future depends on my academic achievements. As for my concussion, I have spent weeks refraining from sports and work in order to recover.

Through my first year experience, I have learned that I cannot stop extenuating circumstances from happening, however, I have total control over how I let certain ones affect me. Therefore, I would like to appeal to retake Psychology 100 during the summer and devote my undivided attention to the material in order to achieve my academic goals.

Thank you for your consideration,
Best Regards,
Tiara Thorley
20004867