Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I recently received a letter from Johanne Bénard informing me I would have to withdrawal from Queens University. I am aware that I ended first year with a low average and am disappointed with myself. This is my own fault and I take full responsibility. I am writing this appeal letter to explain what led me to this position and ask that you please reconsider reinstating me back into Queens University.

As I am well aware of now, university can be overwhelming for a first year student. However, within the initial weeks of my first trimester, I thought I had a good handle on my academic schedule. I was getting familiar with my courses, new ¿¿home¿ and started to sense a feeling of belonging on campus. Unfortunately, as the year progressed, things took a turn for the worse. It all began when I went home for winter break. I unfortunately had my first encounter with bulling (not with someone who attended Queens University). When I returned from Winter break in January of 2018, I had a really difficult time adjusting back to routine, and my grades suffered as a result. As much as I have myself to blame I would like to explain the circumstances that I was under and reasoning for my poor performance.

Over the winter break I experienced bullying outside of Queens University. This was my first real encounter with bullying and I didn¿¿t realize how negatively it affected me until after the fact. The bullying was ongoing, small incidents adding up over the span of a few weeks. I was made fun of for things out of my control. My social group and my appearance were some of the main things targeted. I was consumed in negative thoughts and feelings, my self-esteem was at it¿¿s lowest, and I lost interest in my friends, family, and hobbies. These feelings carried over into my second semester. At school I was unmotivated to stick to my class and study routine as I was in such a poor mental and physical state. It was evident to me my grades reflected how I was feeling. I knew something had to change. It took some time to realize I needed to talk about my feelings. I can confidently say today, I am doing better. With the help of a special friend and my family, I was able to comfortably talk about my feelings, something I am not use to doing. I talked about the bullying experience, my fears and concerns, and how to handle my feelings. I turned to exercise. Exercising was a great outlet for my built up anger and hurt. Something as simple as a walk or bike ride boosted my mood and energy. My friend and family supported me and helped me move past this traumatizing experience. I realize now that I should have talked to somebody about what was going on as soon as it happened. Lesson learned. I now I know that if I encounter a bullying situation again, let alone any sensitive type of situation, I have a people I can go to that will be more than happy to help me out so I don¿¿t have to go through anything in life alone.

In addition, when I was 6 years old I was diagnosed with ADHD and medicated. During my first semester At Queens which was Fall of 2017, I received accommodations for my ADHD. The extra time, extensions for assignments and overall support helped greatly. However, because I turned 18 years old that year, the individual who administrated my accommodations explained I required an updated evaluation or needed to get a prescription for medication in order to continue with my accommodations for the Winter semester. Seeing how I felt like I had a good routine and was confident in my abilities I thought that I could do without my accommodations. I was wrong and if I could go back in time, I would have followed through with the necessary documents