Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing for credit standing in Math 121.

Over the course of last year some extenuating circumstances triggered a relapse in my depression and social anxiety. By second semester it was at the point where I would go weeks without being able to leave my room (I had a single plus) and I did not attend any of my lectures. I struggled greatly with forcing myself to get out of bed, isolated myself completely so I had no friends checking on me, and just pretended I wasn¿¿t in my room when my don would knock on my door. I tried to keep up with the online homework throughout that time but it was very difficult for me to care. I knew if I dropped any of my courses my parents would have stopped supporting me financially and since it was a full year course and I didn¿¿t get to my lowest point until second semester it was already too late to drop it. All the other courses I took I had previously learned most of the material in high school. I had only ever received high 90¿¿s in high school which allowed for me to show up for the exam having attended no lectures and still do reasonably well. However, in high school I hadn¿¿t covered the material in math 121 so I wasn¿¿t able to rely on previous knowledge.
I am appealing this mark now rather than the end of last term because at the end of last term I was in a place where I didn¿¿t think I would have a future and therefore my marks didn¿¿t matter to me. However, over the summer I worked very hard and received a lot of help to work through some of my issues and am now in a much better place. I didn't realize this was an option until I spoke to a counsellor today about my circumstances and she advised me to appeal. I now really care about my future and realize that having this mark in my GPA will stop me from being able to pursue future goals of mine like going on exchange, and applying for research positions. I¿¿ve been working extremely hard this year on my academics and now have friends, ambitions, and am genuinely happy. I¿¿m trying to move past everything that happened last year and focus on my future but it¿¿s hard when this mark prevents me from applying to certain opportunities that require a transcript.
I now have a strong support system so in the event something comes up and re-triggers my depression instead of just imploding on myself silently I can get immediate help. As well I¿¿ve managed to come up with coping mechanisms for my social anxiety so I can now easily leave my house and attend all of my classes without worry. I dealt with my issues and have gotten back my work ethic and drive that earned me academic success throughout high school. I have already been working extremely hard on my coursework for this year and think I am on track to having great academic success. Receiving credit standing in Math 121 would allow me to continue to pursue my goals and focus on my future.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration,
Elizabeth Simzer