Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associated Dean(Studies) Staff:

I am one of the undergraduate students in Class of 2021. I am appealing to take the grade of Math120 to change to ¿¿CR¿.

Firstly, I am very sorry to apply that as this kind of late time because recently I just knew this appealing way and I think it is very useful for my GPA and my future plan. Because that course is in six units and I got C for that and make my GPA lower so much. GPA is really important for my future plan no matter job-seeking and post-graduate application. However, I should say that this score is under the special conditions and the reason why I want ¿¿CR for that.

Last year is my first year for Undergraduate Program in Queen¿¿s University, although I took the language program before the Undergraduate Program, but they are totally in the different system and in different campus, so for the last years¿¿ experience in Queen¿¿s University is also an new environment I need to adapt. Because, in the first year, I am not sure which subject I will decide to major, I choose Math 120 because I heard from the course selection coordinator and some senior said that Math 120 is broaden for any subject like if I will decide to choose to major in Math or Statistic subjects the Math126 and Math121 cannot fulfill the prerequisite course requirement and may affect to get into the plan program. I already have a gap year for taking language program and I don¿¿t want to spend time for delaying attending program to delay my graduation time. In this way choose Math120. Unfortunately, in the Fall term, there is a series problem happened in that term. During this period, my grandfather who had taken care of me during my childhood was severely ill which resulted in him being hospitalized for the extensive periods of 3 months back in China. Despite his illness, my family encouraged me to stay and continue my study in Canada due to the difficulties of immigration and the expenses that it would cost for me to come back to see my grandfather. My grandfather himself told me that he hoped I would stay and finish that semester as well. This proved to be very difficult because he was the only adult who took care of me growing up while my parents, often, were away for work. It was even more difficult when he passed away in the beginning of December Fall 2017 which is still traumatizing and heartbreaking for me. In this way, during this period, I experienced serious psychological health conditions that prevented me from excelling at the classes which otherwise I would have performed well in. Knowing my conditions, I immediately sought medical attention. However, the waiting time for the physicians and specialized doctors was very long due to the abundance of students seeking help in the second half of the term. Therefore, I could not receive medical help during the crisis and my grades suffered. I In retrospective, the result of my grade suffered, so you can see that my grade in all fall 2017 is not really good. I, then, took a proper time to grieve because it is important for me to honor my grandfather. After this grievance period, I persisted in taking the course and strived forward. I am an international students, and I studied abroad is really lonely because I don¿¿t have any kinsfolk to go with me, and that things is also a terrible behavior in my life. After that, I decided to cheer up , no matter how hard about that, I need to finish my whole family member¿¿s wish. Firstly, Math 120 is my first final exam in the Fall term and I was not familiar with the rules for Academic Consideration at that time so I didn¿¿t apply the academic accommodation to delay the exam. Also, the time for me to know my mid-term score for that course was in the period of Winter Holiday at the beginning of January. When the winter term began, I asked the professor of Math126 and Math121, they already end to accept level change students. For Math 120, the score in my first term is not very good because I feel so depressed at that time and that the disturb of that kind of depressed mood made me not to control my mind to concentrate on the work totally, so my score for the first term is not very good. The only class which is called CISC102 I did that good in that term. Because all the knowledge in that term I already learned that in high school and that class¿¿s test just showed up the simple Math questions which are easier than Math 120, so I got B+ on that course. However, I cheered up in the second term and my score especially for two tests in the second term is better than the first term even beyond the average score. However, for the final exam in April is test for all year knowledge. although I tried my best to learn subsidy these lack of knowledge as much as possible. However, my score for the final exam is not very good. In this way the overall is not very good. I am afraid that these lack knowledge would affect my learning in Economic Program, so I worked harder for Math121 in summer program and got A+ on that. During that period I concentrated so much and at this time I may not have so much lack knowledge on differential and calculus. Furthermore, I also calculate that, if I dropped Math120, I would have 21 credits in maximum before May which is not enough for getting into the majority program.Because I don¿¿t take Math110 and Math120 to have a great score so I decide to choose Economics major. And also, Differential and Calculus is the prerequisite course for many upper level course for economics like Econ255. In this way, working hard to get at least 24 credits and finish Math 120 is my goal for the Winter term, so I chose 6 courses and try my best to finish them all. However, the last term¿¿s depressive mood make me have some remaining not understanding knowledge for the first term in Math120. Although I tried my best to learn that course harder on that, I am still get a C for that course. After that, I think that grade is too low and it is not a grade that can reflect my real standard for the ability in Differential and Calculus due to the special conditions. In this way, I chose Math 121 in the summer term and got A+ for that course. In the future, my father will alter his job to Toronto and my parents want me to transfer to the University of Toronto to persist in my degree program because I can live with my parents and have some accompany compassion with them. The University of Toronto need transfer applicants to achieve at least 60 credits and get the GPA as high as possible. I asked with my academic advisor Kerri Andrews, if I can get a ¿¿CR¿ for Math 120, my GPA will improve so much and it is very helpful for my application. Also, this is my first time to know this action in Queens. In this way, under Kerri Andrew¿¿s helping, I started my application.

Dear Associated Staff, I am very pleased to appeal you to consider my appeals. Because I was very struggling at that time and I was just a first year students at that time and I wasn¿¿t so familiar for the rules in the Undergraduate Program so I make some decisions to drop course or level change that. Also, at that time I was so depressed for my family conditions and felt busy for new life in Undergraduate Program and made me not have spare mental and physical efforts to care about these things. And also, it was the first time to be in the Undergraduate Program and I also need time to adapt the workload and assignment load in every courses. In this way I wasn¿¿t do well in that. If this course can be graded to be a ¿¿CR¿, it would be so helpful for my future plan because my GPA will make progress significantly and I may apply successfully. Furthermore, if I cannot apply to transfer successfully, I also can have a good GPA and abundant credits to persist my program to graduate as soon as possible. Because I already have a gap year and if I can graduate quickly I will be more competitive in society and that is also useful for my future job career. I want to be better in the future and I don¿¿t want to experience possible failure just due to the depressed experience in the last year. Also, Math 120 course has six units and it is very expensive in my tuition. I am an international students. If that course cannot get a ¿¿CR¿ it means that I will spend even approximately about 20000 RMB(the money unit in China) and take one more semester to finish my Undergraduate degree. It will take too much economic pressure for my parents to make money on my tuition. And also, this is a one-year course, if I decide to retake that course it will also spend one academic year on this course. In this way, not only do I need to spend large amount of tuition on that again, but also, it occupy six credits in one year and I may delay my graduation time and I cannot graduate on time. I already had a gap year and delay graduation may reduce my competitive power for my job-seeking experience in the future. Finally, due to the increasing of the difficulties of the upper level courses, the GPA may become much harder to get better than the 100 level course, if that ¿¿C¿ just in here and it will had negative effect on my GPA year by year. In this way, it would make trouble for my job-seeking experience and post-graduate application even affect my future development. I can promise that this is my first time to apply ¿¿CR¿ and it also can be the last time to do that, because I already have experience for that things and I already how can I avoid that kind of things in my rest of years in Undergraduate program. This chance is really important to me. My grandpa really hope me to achieve my goal and make success on my Undergraduate program and that ¿¿CR¿ also can help me to fulfill his last wish for me.

Finally, please your staff give me a chance at this time and that ¿¿CR¿ for Math120 is really important for my future life and plan.

Yours Sincerely,
Dang Tongbo(10211676)