Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I am fully aware of my academic standing currently at Queen¿¿s, and I am requesting to have the two classes I have failed during the last winter semester dropped. These classes are, MUSC 102, and Geol 106. For reasons of mental health, and for reasons above my control.

My time at Queen¿¿s has been an extremely difficult adjustment period. As an international student I didn¿¿t find it easy to assimilate to all the different Canadian customs and the overall environment. This lack of proper adjustment led to a long and straining stunt with depression and high levels of anxiety all throughout last year. With coupled issues back home, the passing of a friend, a breakup, and a stressful environment in school-- my academic performance was not as diligent and structured as it could have been, and as it should have been. It became very difficult to do necessary, and proper student responsibilities, such as studying, taking tests, and completing work to the overall best of my ability. My mentality for school went from eager and excited to a draining sense of helplessness and an inability to complete tasks with a proper, and most importantly healthy mentality. I found it extremely difficult to wake up and bus to main campus some days to attend classes.

Change needed to happen personally. Due to me realizing this factor I began to see a therapist over the summer to allow myself to take steps towards personal improvement and regain the control of my mental health. This year I have also taken steps towards preparation and success, I have met with on campus support, and an academic advisor to further my plans of a stable and positive future as a student at Queen¿¿s. I¿¿m looking forward to taking things more into account and being aware of how significant shifts in my environment affect me as a student, and having the professional help has definitely helped me start to become a more productive individual.

I have taken a lot of time to think about the courses I am taking, and the fundamentals to success for me as a student. This first semester I am taking a more diverse palette of courses to truly see what I can accomplish to the best of my ability, and what kind of learning environment clicks best with my senses. I¿¿m trying to build a structured and intelligent foundation for the rest of my academic career at Queen¿¿s while tackling the depression and anxiety head on with proper treatment.

Thank you for your consideration, and time

Ridgewell Clark