Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whomever it May Concern,
My name is Emma Leanne Bullock and I am requesting to drop two courses that I completed this past Winter 2017. One, CHEM 282, is a fail grade and the other, MICR 221, is a D.
The reason for which I am appealing is the mental health struggles that I faced this past year. As can be seen on my transcript, I was much more successful in my classes in first year, and even in first semester, Fall 2016. However in this past semester, I was forced to move out of my old house of people who I thought were my friends into a new house with people that I didn¿¿t know at all.
Depression and anxiety issues run in my family; both my mom and my brother also suffer from these problems. My brother was forced to drop out of school last year because of his depression, and still has no plans on returning as he is still struggling. On November 4th, 2016, my brother was involuntarily admitted to the hospital by my parents as he told them that he was going to attempt to commit suicide. Being in Kingston and not being able to go home to see my family was devastating for me, and I was very distraught most days. Around the same time, my boyfriend of a year and I broke up, which was also very upsetting. Having this happen right before exams was very difficult as well, seeing as how the additional stress took a large toll on my health. After exams were completed, I was told by my housemates that I was not fun to be around and that they didn¿¿t want me living there anymore, even though they were well aware of all of my personal issues. Looking back now, at how mean the girls were to each other and to me, I realize how awful living with them was, and how their judgements and cruelty greatly worsened to my anxiety issues. However, being told that no one wants you around is still something no one wants to hear.
This was very difficult for me, and I nearly considered not coming back to school in January, but I wanted to make myself and my family proud that I could continue with school; I knew that my parents would be very upset if neither of their kids had completed university. I knew that I had to move out so I found a lease to sublet and moved into my new house in January. The first month of school was nearly impossible; I was living with people that I did not know and had lost all of the girls that I thought were my best friends, and so I was very lonely. I was also anxious all the time; anxious that I would have to see those girls around campus, anxious that my new housemates wouldn¿¿t like me, anxious about what was going on with my brother; so, I didn¿¿t leave my room most days. Speaking to people was very difficult, so I shut myself off from everyone else. Going outside and going to class was terrifying; one of the girls that I had lived with was in the same program as me, and I had panic attacks when I thought about having to see her in class. For a while I was looking into transfers to the University of Toronto or Ryerson so that I wouldn't have to see any of them again.
I knew that not going to class would hurt my academics, but even on the days that I felt well enough to get up, make myself breakfast and get ready for class, I could not make it out the door.
When I started to make friends with my new housemates and got over what had happened with my old ones, I finally felt well enough to make more of an effort in school. However, this was around the time of midterms and I was already so behind in my classes that catching up was extremely difficult. Around midterms, and again around final exams I tried to make appointments to see a doctor at LaSalle; however, an appointment just to get a referral to see a therapist was weeks away, and so I did not have the help that I needed to get through the stress of exams. I began to strongly dislike the courses I was taking as the difficulty of catching up in them was too much for me. After finishing exams, I realized that Life Science is not the right program for me and I am in the process of switching into Global Development.
I know that I should have asked for help earlier, but even the thought of having to make the phone call to get a doctors appointment made it hard to breathe. The only person that I had to talk to that understood what I was going through was my mom, and she was 3 hours away. Seeing as how I have not seen a doctor about my mental health in quite a few years, I don¿¿t have any official documentation to offer. I have my own word, and that of my family and 2 friends from home about the state that I was in this past semester. I believe that this summer and the change of plan is going to aid me in obtaining a fresh start; I have already begun taking some DEVS courses and I am really looking forward to studying in this program. However, as of right now, my grades are not very good. Like I have said, it can been seen in my previous grades that I can be successful in school, and I do not think that this one very difficult semester should define my GPA for the rest of my time in school. I really wish that I could erase this whole last semester; there are so many things that I wish I could have changed in order for me to be successful, but there is nothing that I can do about the past now. The thought of failing a class, or even getting D¿¿s in some is horrifying to me, and I do not think that these grades reflect my abilities as a student at all.
I am regretful about my work completed this semester and I would be forever grateful if this appeal is successful; I have learned my lesson about seeking help when I need it so that personal problems do not get in the way of my academics. I am also regretful that I do not have formal documentation to support my claims. If need be, I can get a letter from my doctor that I saw in high school about my mental health issue if that will verify my story.
All that I can do now is look forward; whether or not this appeal is successful and whether or not I get accepted into Global Development Studies. All I know is that I want to work hard, be happy and be successful.
Thank you very much for your time,
Emma Leanne Bullock