Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Hasti, I am a third year BioPsychology student, and I am writing this letter to the University Student Appeal Board regarding my decision to drop a course I am currently in. The course is PSYC271, the makeup of which includes 2 midterms worth 30 each, and a final worth 40. The second midterm was recently held, on Monday, November 6th. I woke up on November 5th with a sore throat that descended into chills and nausea by the same night. Despite feeling prepared for the midterm and comfortable with the material, I emailed my professor asking if I could take the midterm at a later date; I explained my situation and expressed that I felt my sudden illness would dramatically compromise my ability to perform well on the midterm. My professor explained that the midterm would be prorated onto the first midterm and final, making my first midterm worth 45 and my final worth 55.

While I completely understand that my circumstances are by no means as extreme as those of some of the students who write to you, I am asking to drop the course past the deadline to do so because I do not feel confident that I will be able to secure a grade I am happy with in only two evaluations. Had I known that this would be the case before the deadline to drop a course had passed, I would have dropped the course through SOLUS immediately.

I ask that you evaluate my request after considering the timing of my situation. I understand the inconvenience that it poses to the university, but I strongly believe that dropping the course would be a better decision for my academic career than letting a single final exam determine my final grade.

Thank you in advance for your consideration,
Hasti Pourriahi