Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: June 2, 2018

Attn: Associate Dean (Studies)

I am writing to appeal my final grades for BIOL 103 (Intro Biology of Organisms) and Math 121B (Diff & Integral Calculus). I passed them both, and of course, I want to keep the credits, but these marks will prevent me from majoring in ¿¿Chemistry¿ which is what I really want to do I was recruited to Queen¿¿s to play Varsity football. I love it here and really want to stay to continue my studies and play on the football team, but if I can¿¿t do what I want to do academically, I may have to consider other options.

On January 2, 2018, I was diagnosed with ADHD by Dr. Sara King (Queen¿¿s Grad), at Erica Baker Psychological Services. I have shared this assessment with Queen¿¿s accessibility services and I believe they have it on file. In any case, I will also attach a copy with my appeal, and have also requested a letter or form from the doctor. Prior to my assessment and treatment, my condition was pretty severe (that¿¿s why I went to the doctor). I could only concentrate for about 5 minutes at a time. Obviously, this had a profound effect on my comprehension in lectures and performance in large, busy examination environments. I always did quite well in assignments throughout the year; I could do them in private with noise cancelling headphones to try to minimize as many distractions as possible. It was just really hard to concentrate with all of the other students and noise around in lectures and exams.

There are two main reasons I did poorly in these two courses and better in the other two: First of all, I was just more interested in the two other courses I took - as I mentioned, I want to major in Chemistry. It¿¿s hard enough living with ADHD when I¿¿m interested in something, but virtually impossible when less so. Secondly, to get the news that I had an official mental condition was hard to take, it had a big impact on me while also trying to balance school and the extra demands as a Varsity athlete. And for the first month or so, I had to experiment with my prescribed drugs to find the right ones and dosages. I really didn¿¿t get it sorted out until the second term was almost over. I didn¿¿t quit the courses, because I wanted to work harder and do better, it was too late before I really realized I was in academic trouble, and I felt I needed the courses to major in Chemistry. I did pass them, and I feel I¿¿m on the right track now with my medication.

In terms of my future plans, I am going to continue to take my drugs as prescribed by my doctor, and follow the other recommendations by my psychologist which include:

¿¿ reduced course load and 5-year degree
¿¿ taking additional time for tests, exams, and assignments
¿¿ taking exams in a quiet room with fewer students
¿¿ continue using my headphones where appropriate
¿¿ accessing and reviewing lectures online when available
¿¿ practice healthy diet and good sleep habits
Thank you for your careful consideration. I know I can do much better; just getting properly diagnosed and treated was at least half the battle, the rest is up to me now. My psychologist said that I am very bright and was actually very surprised I was even passing my courses at Queen¿¿s given the severity of my condition. This is under control now and I am ready to reach my full potential in the classrooms and on the field at Queen¿¿s. I just need a little help so I can major in what I am most interested in.

Truly,

Marko