Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing the Faculty¿¿s decision that I must withdraw from Queen¿¿s for a minimum of three years. I have continually been facing psychological challenges with anxiety. My anxiety has grown over the course of a few years and has inhibited my ability to perform academically. Every time I sat down to study or complete an assignment my anxiety would act as a block that caused me to freeze in fear. I have experienced panic attacks in times of school related stress that make it extremely difficult to succeed. My anxiety has also left me in stages of depression where I have a hard time getting out of bed and can¿¿t complete simple daily tasks. These can last for multiple days, rendering it impossible to complete school work. As the school year progressed my anxiety grew. This has effected all of my courses. I began seeing my therapist in January as the Winter semester started to see if I could make enough progress to have a successful term, however my anxiety was more severe than anticipated. Starting to see a therapist is the first step in overcoming my anxiety. My therapist (Hannah Esmaili) and I have decided that my anxiety comes from a fear of failure, which is why I have panic attacks in times of stress or enter states of depression. It has taken a few months to discover where my anxiety came from and Hannah and I have made a lot of progress.