Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Associate Dean (Studies)
Queens University

I am appealing to drop CLST 102 (Introduction to Greek Civilization F-17; Fall 2017).

I failed the course due to both a learning disability I have and struggles I faced adjusting to being at university.

For the first four months of my first year, I found that I had a very difficult time adjusting to the new environment. Coming all the way from Vancouver, I had no idea what to expect. Just before coming to Queens, I found out that I was getting two roommates who I had never met before. I have significant issues with anxiety, so I felt awkward in my room and around school. I also felt lonely and homesick. This caused trouble for me in focusing on my schoolwork and tests, which affected my grades.

I also have auditory working memory problems which have greatly affected me in the past, especially with academics. Due to this disability I had accommodations granted to me; although, in the fall I was so stressed and lost with where I had to be, and who I needed to talk to that I didn't end up submitting my accommodations to my instructors until it was too late. I also did not get help with the learning assistance and study groups that could have helped me.

Due to my auditory working memory disability, I find history especially challenging with the amount of content and memorization required. I have trouble absorbing all the details of what the teacher or professor is saying, holding it in my memory and taking notes and keeping up with the pace of the class while trying to do so. Studying history homework gives me similar problems. I was given educational psychology testing at high school that identified my disability and got help to deal with it. I was advised by my school that history courses in particular would be difficult for me in university given their nature, but I thought ancient Greek civilization would be interesting, so I decided to take it as one of my classes because I thought if I liked it I could do well.

As it turned out, my emotional issues made it even harder for me to concentrate combined with my auditory working memory challenges. In retrospect I regret taking CLST 102 as it was extremely hard for me to keep up with everyone and overcome my disability without my accommodations, and having to deal with the adjustment.

On top of this, I was also ill for a large portion of the semester due to a lung infection, which also affected my academic performance.

As a future plan for achieving academic success, I plan on both using my accommodations and seeking help regularly from Student Services and an academic advisor to practice better methods of studying, note taking, software that can help me, and occasional counselling on the side to maintain good mental health. I will take courses that interest me most and I am good at, like Global Development Studies, which I did well in last year. I also plan on taking a lighter course load so I can improve the quality of my work and utilize that time to keep up with assignments and not fall behind.