Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: The Associate Dean of Studies,

I am appealing to drop all of the courses that I am enrolled in this semester (fall 2014): BIOL 201, BIOL 205, BIOL 243, PSYC 241 and CHEM 281.

Over the course of my first year at Queen¿¿s I was struggling with mental health issues which resulted in deferring two of my exams at the end of the academic year, and ultimately appealing to drop one of those two courses. This illness and the difficulties which I faced as direct consequence of it prompted me to consider applying to other institutions which are closer to my family, who currently live in East Africa. In late September I was informed that I had been admitted to a five year medical program at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. After careful deliberation, I have decided to continue my studies at the Aga Khan University and withdraw from Queen¿¿s University. Unfortunately, I made that decision on the 28th of October and did not receive confirmation of the arrival of my acceptance documents until the first week of November, by when the deadline to drop courses for the fall semester had already passed. I cannot complete my courses this fall as the academic year at Aga Khan University begins on December 15th, and I am expected to move into residence on campus by December 8th. I have already made preparations to leave Kingston on November 10th in order to get my affairs in order at home, including a Pakistani student visa, sorted before embarking on this new journey. I have also dropped all of my courses for the upcoming winter semester and hope that the courses which I am enrolled in this semester can also be dropped as I will not be in Kingston to complete them. If necessary, I can provide an academic calendar which shows the dates of the school year.

Although Queen¿¿s is a remarkable institution, I truly believe that moving to Karachi, where I have several close family members, is what is best for me right now. At this point in time, I am not planning to return to Queen¿¿s university for my undergraduate education but may return if and when I choose to pursue a graduate degree. Thank you for your consideration of this appeal, and your understanding.

Yours,
Anjiya Sulaiman