Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of Arts and Science,


I am appealing to drop the following courses from my transcript: BIOL 103, CHEM 112, CISC 223, CISC 327, PHAR 100. In addition, I am submitting a CR request for the following courses: MATH 121, BIOL 102 and CISC 204.


In 2006, I was formally identified as Gifted and was placed in a gifted program. In 2012, I had further testing done and I was identified as having Autism Spectrum Disorder, with symptoms also related to (OCD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). From the time of the ASD diagnosis until my entry into the Computer Science Program at Queen's in 2015, I also saw a psychologist for anxiety. I chose not to register with student accessibility services at Queen's because my experiences in secondary school with the special education program were not always positive. I wanted to try to escape the labels that had come to define who I was as a student. I realize, in hindsight, that not registering my dual identification was not a wise decision. In first year, I was part of the Computer Science LLC and I lived with a cohort of like-minded students, which offered me a degree of academic support. Although I passed my courses, I did not excel to my fullest potential. Being away from home for the first time, and adjusting to life without my support system in place was stressful for me.

At the end of January 2017, I had to have all four of my impacted wisdom teeth removed and the procedure (and subsequent recovery) turned out to be much more complicated than anticipated. As a result, I had to go to an emergency oral surgeon for further work on the incision site and I had to take a strong pain killer (Percocet). I missed two weeks of classes and got behind on my assignments. Although I did contact my Professors, who were flexible and provided extensions, I became overwhelmed and extremely anxious. I was unable to attend all of my classes and found myself spiraling out of control. My academic performance suffered as a result of the enormous stress and anxiety I was experiencing and my grades reflect this.


I returned to Queen's for third year, knowing I was already behind in my course work but I was hopeful that if I was able to turn things around, the previous semester would not impact my achievement too greatly. I did not tell anyone, including my parents, what was happening because I was afraid they would not let me return to school, given my history with anxiety and depression. I also could not face disappointing them. My parents are both university professors and my older brother is starting his PhD as well. I have always felt immense pressure to achieve academically, especially given my gifted identification, with overall scores in the 99th percentile. In October 2017, I gradually stopped attending classes by the end of that month. In January 2018, I returned for the Winter term, still not having told my parents about my struggles and my situation. I tried to resume my studies but found the anxiety too crippling to continue. I stayed in Kingston until after exams, though I withdrew from my courses before the academic penalty deadline. I finally told my parents in May when I went home. I did not submit an appeal at that time because I was unaware of my options and because I was experiencing severe anxiety and depression.


Over the summer I returned to counselling and spent time trying to get my anxiety in check. With my parents' support, I investigated all of my options and I have decided I would like to resume my program at Queen's in January 2019. I have since begun the process of registering with student accessibility services and have provided that office with my documentation, and I have seen a counselor at Queen's to discuss what services I can access when I return. In the meantime, I have registered for an online course in the Fall term and I am exploring the possibility of anti-anxiety medications that might work for me.


With the appropriate supports in place, I believe I can be successful at Queen's. Given my gifted identification, there is no question that I have the intellectual capacity to succeed. Through this ordeal, I have learned some very important life lessons. I now realize that I need to communicate better with the people who can provide support, and know when to ask for that support.


Thank you for considering my appeal.


Alexander Gadanidis