Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am writing to you to appeal my final grade in PSYC 251, Developmental Psychology. On SOLUS, it says that I failed the course, and this is due to the rule that a failed exam will lead to a failure in the course. I got a grade of 48 on my final exam, despite my other assignments and midterm tests and quizzes all being very well done. Without the final exam, my grade was looking to be in the B range or so, however, this failed exam caused my to also fail the course. I would like to ask for my final exam to be disregarded or bumped at least to a passing grade of 50, so that I may pass this course. I have worked incredibly hard during the Winter Semester and really enjoyed the course, which is not reflected in the grade I have received. This is likely related to the fact that I had two back-to-back cumulative exams and took six courses this semester (rather than five). While taking six courses was my choice, it definitely did negatively impact my ability to perform to my best ability by adding a lot of increased stress. This increase in stress lead to be having trouble studying and trouble with anxiety attacks throughout the exam period, as well as difficulties. Additionally, I was volunteering in two research labs this semester within the psychology department. This can be further understood in comparing my fall 2017 semester grades to the winter 2018 grades. My GPA decreased dramatically and my grades were far poorer, showing that this semester has been extremely hard for me to cope with. I believe it would be fair to increase my exam grade to a passing grade of 50 or to completely remove the final exam from my grade as it would result in having a more accurate representation of the effort that I have put into this semester. For the future, I know that I need to pace myself and not push myself too far past my limits (such as taking six courses). I will also be practicing stress- and anxiety-management techniques, including physical exercise and breathing exercises. These techniques will help me in future times of increased stress and anxiety so that I am able to function to the best of my ability and achieve my desired grades. Since the semester has been over and I have been practicing these techniques I have noticed a decrease in my stress levels.
Thank you for your time and consideration.