Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Attention: Associate Dean (Studies)
The intent of this letter is to request permission to extend the incomplete deadline for DEVS 300, a course I took this past academic year. It will also offer explanation to my overall lack of success in the years prior, aside from my first year of study. This letter will focalize upon what caused me to be unsuccessful in this course, my steps for the future, and why this will never happen again.
As demonstrated in the medical note attached to this message, I have been under medical treatment for a specific condition since November of 2016. This treatment is targeted at a medical condition that eluded diagnosis for several years, as it was treated as a symptom of a disease that I fought since the end of my first year of study.
Since I am presently under treatment for something that was initially considered a symptom, and not a separate medical issue, I was debilitated continually over the course of the past few years as this condition eluded proper treatment. Therefore, I was unsuccessful over the 2016-2017 year. My life was in a continual state of chaos. I could not attend classes regularly. I could not study with confidence, as I missed so much in class material. I lost friends because I missed social events, and felt as though I did not belong at the school I dreamt about attending since elementary school.
For years, I was incredibly discouraged by my academic failures, but I have finally been undergoing appropriate treatment. While seeing my caregiver, Caroline, my health was in a state of continual improvement, particularly in the last quarter of the school year. This state of improvement enabled me to finish the other incomplete courses with good marks. I only need to submit an appeal letter for DEVS 300 because of a policy change within the department of Global Development Studies.
Though I am presently experiencing some negative effects of the medical issue I am facing, I have not given up, and I feel safe to attend school full time. I am still hanging onto that ambitious spark I came to Queens with. I have worked hard at a job this summer that sometimes demanded 70 hours of work far from home to pay for the upcoming school year. Additionally, I am already in the process of creating a support network that will ensure success in the upcoming school year. I have been in contact with my caregiver, Caroline, and will be resuming sessions in the fall. I also plan to utilize Queens Learning Commons to regain proper study habits, and I will contact Queens Counselling Services to supplement to my sessions with Caroline, if need be. On the advice of my caregivers, I may seek preventative assistance from the Disability Services here at Queens. Further, I am happy to say that I have celebrated a year of remission from my initial disease.
For these reasons, I am confident that I will be successful in my academic career. I have learned the warning signs of slipping progress well, and I do not ever want to go down that path again. I am still hopeful for my future, and the granting of this appeal will be a key step forward.

I hope you will consider this message. Thank you.