Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Kamal Aboulmagd and my student number 20015561. I am writing this appeal letter to drop Econ 111 (Fall, 2016), Math 121 (Fall/Winter 2016/2017), English 100 (Fall/Winter 2016/2017) Econ 111 (Summer 2017) and Math 121 (Summer 2017). One of the reasons I am on academic probation and unable to succeed in my courses is linked to problems relating to my mental health that I struggled to manage throughout the year and to a greater extent, my life. I have suffered from the symptoms of a mental illness since I was 12 year old and it has persisted all throughout my life. They cause issues with my mood, ability to wake up and ability to complete tasks. I went to Queen's Student Health where I had 3 evaluation appointments, which led to me being referred to an out of school psychiatrist to receive a diagnosis. Unfortunately, I was unable to receive a diagnosis and begin medication because, while I fit certain criteria for bipolar and depression I did not fulfill enough to be considered someone who suffers from either mental illness, and could not be medicated. These mental health issues are linked to my school work because these illnesses have caused chronic issues with motivation and ability to wake up. In my medical documentation, my doctor even states that I missed the first appointment and was 40 minutes late to the second one. Even at Queen¿¿s I have trouble arriving for appointments and classes that start early in the morning due to an inability to wake up, even with upwards of 4 alarms set. The second issue that caused difficulties, was being a full continent away from my family for the first time in my life which was a much more jarring experience than I anticipated, causing my academics to slip during the year. It became very difficult to wake up on time for classes, even with multiple alarms set. When I was finally awake it was even harder to motivate myself to actually contribute and complete the work demanded by the course. The classes I was able to succeed in, relatively, were really only due to an unexplainable ability to grasp the concepts without difficulty, so I was able to do the work without much laboring.
The issue that rose in the summer was the travel and being in an an environment that was not very suited to studying and working on my courses. I retook those courses in an effort to fix those marks. I have also come to understand what needs to be changed in my life to ensure that I am not in this position again in the future. I have a much more strict and organized weekly time-table that I make sure I follow to complete all my work in a timely manner, and to allow myself ample time to finish tasks/assignments without rushing them. I have also begun to investigate options for tutoring in a variety of courses to be prepared when tutoring is necessary, as well as the possibility of receiving ongoing assistance through QSAS. Moreover, greater diligence during the course selection process to ensure I am not taking courses that are beyond my capabilities. Finally, I intend to begin CBT (Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy) to assist in my management of my mental health issues.