Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 4122
Submitted: January 15, 2018 at 2:15:26 PM
First Name: Natania
Last Name: Rumstein
Student Number: 10090130
Email: 12nr33@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: PSYC-SOC Medial
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean,
I am writing this appeal in request to take 9.0 units of study online through Athabasca University. In April 2017 I finished my fourth year of studies in the Arts and Science department. At the start of the year, I changed my focus from a major in psychology to a medial in sociology and psychology, posing the need for at least one additional semester to meet the degree requirements.
Throughout my time at Queen's I have faced a number of academic hurdles in an ongoing struggle with mental health. My failure to take action early on culminated in my final year, propelling me into a downward spiral that I was unequipped to face. Despite reaching out for help from Queen's health services and receiving accommodation from professors, I was so strongly debilitated by my illness that I was unable to complete the semester. As a result, I failed 2 out of the 4 classes I was enrolled in at the time; SOCY 227 and SOCY 235, and have yet to return to school to finish my degree.
In the many months following, I have been focused on recovery and self-improvement with help of ongoing medical treatment. After a long and tumultuous battle with depression I am finally in a better place, ready to take the first steps to return to school and make up for the poor academic performance displayed throughout my degree.
In correspondence with the head of my department, Dr. Hand, I have identified the outstanding requisites for the remainder of my degree. I must re-take SOCY227 and SOCY235, and complete 3 x SOCY 200 or above courses and 1 SOCY 400 seminar course. These 6 requirements dictate a timeline of 2 semesters, as SOCY 227 is a pre-requisite for the SOCY 400 seminar course, which must be taken in person at Queen's.
In developing a plan for the completion of my degree, my hopes are to split these 6 requirements into 2 full-time semesters, with the first starting as soon as possible. I did not anticipate that I would be prepared to begin school at this time and failed to take the necessary measures to move back to Kingston and enrol in Queen's courses in time for the Winter term. For this reason, it is necessary to turn to online courses if I wish to return to school before fall 2018.
As I am currently in Ottawa, and Queen's does not offer the online courses needed for my degree, Dr. Hand pointed me to an accepted course equivalent of SOCY 227 at Athabasca; SOCI 337. My plan is to take this core course, as well as 2 option courses (SOCI 365 and SOCI 381) online in the semester beginning February 1st. This will leave me with 3 courses remaining, to be taken at Queen's in September 2018. This will allow me to complete my degree by end of term in December.
While I am aware that a letter of permission typically allows a maximum of 2 courses to be taken at another school, I am both prepared and eager to return to my studies in a greater capacity. I truly hope that an exception can be made that will allow me to take advantage of my renewed enthusiasm and readiness to learn.
I have not attached any documentation at this time, but I can contact my physician and provide any necessary information upon request. I can be reached both my e-mail or by phone. My number is 613-252-7314. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further confirmation.
I am writing this appeal in request to take 9.0 units of study online through Athabasca University. In April 2017 I finished my fourth year of studies in the Arts and Science department. At the start of the year, I changed my focus from a major in psychology to a medial in sociology and psychology, posing the need for at least one additional semester to meet the degree requirements.
Throughout my time at Queen's I have faced a number of academic hurdles in an ongoing struggle with mental health. My failure to take action early on culminated in my final year, propelling me into a downward spiral that I was unequipped to face. Despite reaching out for help from Queen's health services and receiving accommodation from professors, I was so strongly debilitated by my illness that I was unable to complete the semester. As a result, I failed 2 out of the 4 classes I was enrolled in at the time; SOCY 227 and SOCY 235, and have yet to return to school to finish my degree.
In the many months following, I have been focused on recovery and self-improvement with help of ongoing medical treatment. After a long and tumultuous battle with depression I am finally in a better place, ready to take the first steps to return to school and make up for the poor academic performance displayed throughout my degree.
In correspondence with the head of my department, Dr. Hand, I have identified the outstanding requisites for the remainder of my degree. I must re-take SOCY227 and SOCY235, and complete 3 x SOCY 200 or above courses and 1 SOCY 400 seminar course. These 6 requirements dictate a timeline of 2 semesters, as SOCY 227 is a pre-requisite for the SOCY 400 seminar course, which must be taken in person at Queen's.
In developing a plan for the completion of my degree, my hopes are to split these 6 requirements into 2 full-time semesters, with the first starting as soon as possible. I did not anticipate that I would be prepared to begin school at this time and failed to take the necessary measures to move back to Kingston and enrol in Queen's courses in time for the Winter term. For this reason, it is necessary to turn to online courses if I wish to return to school before fall 2018.
As I am currently in Ottawa, and Queen's does not offer the online courses needed for my degree, Dr. Hand pointed me to an accepted course equivalent of SOCY 227 at Athabasca; SOCI 337. My plan is to take this core course, as well as 2 option courses (SOCI 365 and SOCI 381) online in the semester beginning February 1st. This will leave me with 3 courses remaining, to be taken at Queen's in September 2018. This will allow me to complete my degree by end of term in December.
While I am aware that a letter of permission typically allows a maximum of 2 courses to be taken at another school, I am both prepared and eager to return to my studies in a greater capacity. I truly hope that an exception can be made that will allow me to take advantage of my renewed enthusiasm and readiness to learn.
I have not attached any documentation at this time, but I can contact my physician and provide any necessary information upon request. I can be reached both my e-mail or by phone. My number is 613-252-7314. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further confirmation.
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Please refer to the above section of the appeal for the specific course sequence I hope to follow in the upcoming semesters.
I have made the decision to split the 6 remaining course requirements into 2 semesters of 3 courses to balance the work load evenly over the upcoming semesters. I believe that the lighter load of 3 courses will grant me the opportunity to dedicate more time to each specific course, and allow me to engage with the material more closely.
If you look at the results of my previous semester, it is evident that the challenges I faced were not in the difficulty of the content itself, but rather, in my ability to actually complete assignments. In the 2 courses I was able to complete, my final grades were A+ for both. The sole explanation for failure in the other 2 courses was my debilitating mental state at the time. The depression overwhelmed my ability to focus entirely, and I did not complete my final assignments. If it had not been for these omissions I would have completed both classes. This all considered, I have no concern in the slightest of my preparedness for the difficulty of the courses ahead.
As for my hopes to take 3 courses online, I believe this will allow my transition back into academia to run more smoothly. In the past years, a significant contribution to my poor mental health and resulting academic failure was isolation created by the lack of a support system at Queen's. While I am confident that my personal growth over the past 8 months has equipped me with the tools to succeed in any condition, staying in Ottawa, surrounded by family, will provide me with added stability in my first semester back.
Although the courses are provided online, I plan to execute these courses as if they were scheduled periods. I have pre-emptively created a weekly calendar, dedicating specific blocks of time every day to each respective course. This will help me stay on track with readings and deadlines of each class.
With respect to my expectations going forward, I believe that I am finally in a place where academic success is well within reach. The goals and I have set and the timeline I have put forth are well-thought out and reasonable. I am incredibly hopeful for the future of my studies and entirely prepared to begin full-time study immediately upon your approval.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this letter of appeal. I sincerely appreciate your time and understanding in consideration of my case.
I have made the decision to split the 6 remaining course requirements into 2 semesters of 3 courses to balance the work load evenly over the upcoming semesters. I believe that the lighter load of 3 courses will grant me the opportunity to dedicate more time to each specific course, and allow me to engage with the material more closely.
If you look at the results of my previous semester, it is evident that the challenges I faced were not in the difficulty of the content itself, but rather, in my ability to actually complete assignments. In the 2 courses I was able to complete, my final grades were A+ for both. The sole explanation for failure in the other 2 courses was my debilitating mental state at the time. The depression overwhelmed my ability to focus entirely, and I did not complete my final assignments. If it had not been for these omissions I would have completed both classes. This all considered, I have no concern in the slightest of my preparedness for the difficulty of the courses ahead.
As for my hopes to take 3 courses online, I believe this will allow my transition back into academia to run more smoothly. In the past years, a significant contribution to my poor mental health and resulting academic failure was isolation created by the lack of a support system at Queen's. While I am confident that my personal growth over the past 8 months has equipped me with the tools to succeed in any condition, staying in Ottawa, surrounded by family, will provide me with added stability in my first semester back.
Although the courses are provided online, I plan to execute these courses as if they were scheduled periods. I have pre-emptively created a weekly calendar, dedicating specific blocks of time every day to each respective course. This will help me stay on track with readings and deadlines of each class.
With respect to my expectations going forward, I believe that I am finally in a place where academic success is well within reach. The goals and I have set and the timeline I have put forth are well-thought out and reasonable. I am incredibly hopeful for the future of my studies and entirely prepared to begin full-time study immediately upon your approval.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this letter of appeal. I sincerely appreciate your time and understanding in consideration of my case.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Looking for specification as to the subject of documentation required from physician. Will send upon request.