Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to drop ARAB 100 (F/W 2016-17). After Winter break and the beginning of my second semester at Queens I started having some motivation and emotional problems. After checking with my family doctor and a psychiatrist I was diagnosed with depression by the end of January, but didn't start taking medication for it until around a week before exam period started, opting instead to try seeing a counselor at SWS and using mindfulness exercises to take a less severe approach. This didn't prove effective and since then I am taking 20 mg of Citalopram daily. This affected my performance for the semester in two ways. Firstly, up to exam week I had a lot of trouble attending class and completing assignments due to lack of motivation, which not only directly affected my mark due to incomplete or missed assignments and tutorials, but also my general understanding of contents as I had to rely on other's people's notes. Secondly, once I started taking the medication it negatively affected my performance and ability to write my exams, as I experienced side effects like constant trouble concentrating and drowsiness, nausea, insomnia, suicide thoughts, and anxiety, affecting my ability to both properly study for exams and in two occasions, rendering me unable to write them. my counselor at SWS was aware of this and informed me that if I found it necessary I could appeal to my professors to have the exam at a later date. For the other course I was unable to write my exam for, HIST 124, I had no trouble and got an IG, however,by the time I got my appeal letter at the professor had already submitted my grade, making my final grade in ARAB 100 an F. After consulting with an academic advisor, I was recommended and decided that the best thing to do was to appeal to drop it.
As of now, I am much better accustomed to the medication, most of the side effects are gone, and my motivation and enthusiasm levels have risen considerably. I still regularly see both a family doctor and a personal counselor, and I am very highly looking forward into my second year at Queen's.