Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Board of Studies,
I am appealing two of my first-year classes: CISC 102 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing 1) and CISC 121 (Introduction to Computing Science 1) to be dropped off my transcript completely.
During my first year of university, I was enrolled in Queen's Universities' Cognitive Science Program. During my first semester, I found myself very equal with the other students in the computing program in terms that many of us had little or no knowledge of computer programming. Finishing CISC 101 and starting my second semester, I continued falling behind the other students in terms that they could grasp concepts in both computing and math, much easier than I could. Although I continued to have anxiety throughout my first semester of university, the second semester is when the extenuating circumstances of my anxiety disorder began and went beyond my control.
After the first semester, I began noticing that the students and coursework in the computing program continued becoming more competitive as concepts and modules advanced forcing me to fall behind the other students. With this, my severe anxiety continued to strengthen. I proceeded to compare myself with the other students and tell myself things including you will never be as smart as the other students and just drop out now because no amount of tutoring from the tutors I worked with or hours spent in these two classes seemed to help me become a more successful student. Tutors I worked with including Lucas Rycholo and Ariel Delcourt, tried to help with my many computing and math problems and assignments, yet I continued to be unable of understanding these concepts.
In both CISC 102 and CISC 121 I continued to find myself unable to understand concepts, and because of this, I kept providing myself with negative feedback which strengthened and continued more frequently as topics became more difficult. I believe I did everything in my power to try my best even while manifesting severe manic episodes that interfered with my functioning in the classroom, assignments, and testing. Being a student with an anxiety disorder, I continue to remind myself never to miss a class because of the fear of missing a crucial topic. I also continue to make it my priority to start assignments early so they will always be finished on time. The challenging concepts and assignments, competitive atmosphere and severe first-year anxiety required me to continually visit Dr. Donald Richardson and receive psychotherapy focused on cognitive techniques combined with medication that I continue to receive today. During my first year, I also received ongoing support for my anxiety disorder from Nadia Sawaya Fehr. Nadia is an ongoing residence counsellor located in Victoria Hall who helped me cope with the immense anxiety of academic probation and being withdrawn from Queen's University completely. Nadia and I also focused on other sources of anxiety from my first year such as being unaccepted from my parents for being a homosexual male and the panic episodes I continue to feel by providing me resources and coping techniques.
The reason I am writing this appeal now that I have reached my third year of studies at Queen's University was because I wanted to see if it was my anxiety which was the source of my failed CISC 102 and CISC 121 grades or if it was me being unable to hold a strong enough academic intelligence required to be successful at Queen's University. From the Cognitive Science program, I switched to a Philosophy Major and English Minor. In these programs, I continue to be successful in both my grades and keeping up with the coursework. Second and third year have allowed me to become stronger in coping with my ongoing anxiety and ADHD disorders by not comparing myself to the other students as much and accepting who I am. With the success my second and third years have brought to myself regarding my new-found confidence and my GPA, I truly believe it was my severe and incapacitating anxiety disorder beyond my control that computing classes CISC 102 and CISC 121 provided me which was the reason why they were unsuccessful. Overall, I will continue with the Arts program in Philosophy and English at Queen's University and hope to remove CISC 102 and CISC 121 from my GPA for a higher chance of being enrolled in Teachers College here at Queen's University. With my transcript today, it is noticeable that my CISC 102 and CISC 121 grades do not reflect my academic success here at Queen's University. I have reduced my course load back to four courses to support my anxiety and will continue to seek medical help for my severe anxiety disorder from both Dr. D.W. Richardson and Megan from Queen's Student Wellness Centre who both continue to teach me ways of coping with my anxiety and stress to overall be a stronger and less anxious student.

Thank You,
Theofanis Vangelatos