Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am asking to appeal the following credits based on the extenuating circumstances of my first year at Queen's as outlined below. I would like to appeal Chemistry 112 to be dropped late and Biology 102, Computer science 101, and Psychology 100 for credit standing. My first year of university turned out to be one of the most difficult years of my life, both personally and medically and I believe this had an enormous impact on my academics.


The beginning of the school year coincided with a very difficult change in my personal life which affected my concentration and motivation for the first few months of classes. In January I was involved in a police case as the first hand witness of the sexual assault of one of my closest friends, which happened in my own home. The case concluded fairly quickly, but for the following weeks I was overcome with guilt regarding what more I could have done to stop it before or when it happened. This was not an experience I could have prepared for nor did I know how to process it, and I believe it directly affected my academic performance.


In addition, last year I learned that I have gradual hearing loss in both of my ears. While this rarely affects my day to day life, I sometimes found it difficult to understand professors or teaching assistants, especially if they had accents or spoke without clear enunciation. I was also in the emergency room of Kingston General Hospital 2 days before my final chemistry exam because I was having chest pain and trouble breathing. That night and those following, I was terrified of going to sleep because I was afraid of it happening again. I have no doubt that this affected my Chemistry 112 mark, which is the primary reason why I am writing this appeal.


I have always struggled with some test anxiety as well as tendencies of obsessive compulsive disorder, but this year I felt my mental health take a steep decline. I was losing sleep, eating less and lacking motivation to do even small tasks. I know now that I should have sought out professional help, but at the time my only thoughts were everyone else is doing fine without it, I can sort myself out on my own. In my second year and beyond, I will be using more of Queen's extensive resources to help me through challenges in the future. My academics have always been a priority for me, but good academic performance is difficult without first having adequate mental and physical health.


For my second year I will be setting up tutors in classes that I have trouble with and meet with them once a week to ensure I am understanding the course material correctly. I will also be seeking out a counselor at the student wellness centre to help me work through issues in my life both within and outside of academics.