Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: April 7, 2019

To: Associate Dean (Studies) Arts & Science,


I am appealing to the Arts & Science Faculty of Queens University to drop the following classes from my overall transcript: HIST 122B, HLTH 101, MUSC 171, CLST 103, HIST 122B MATH 126B. In addition, I am going to give it my best shot to pass ECON 110A/110B and HLTH 102 but if I am unsuccessful I would like these three classes removed as well.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of my Letter of Appeal. This year has turned out to be very challenging for me both emotionally and academically. I have been trying to understand what has gone wrong for me this year and with the help from my parents, Queen¿¿s Counselling Service and Queens Academic Advising I have narrowed it down to living away from home for the first time as well as the major concussion I sustained in June of last year.
Living away from my family this year has been a huge emotional adjustment. This year has been the longest I have ever been away from them and I didn¿¿t realize until recently how much my parents did for me. I have not had my parents here to guide me through the stressors that come with University Life. During High School they helped me to stay focussed and to seek out appropriate resources to help me before things became a problem.
I have sustained several concussion over the years, however the most recent and probably the most severe was at the end of Grade 12, right before final exams. I had severe headaches, light sensitivity, difficulty sleeping and extremely poor focus and concentration. Due to these symptoms I was unable to write my Grade 12 final examinations. Immediately following my concussion I sought out treatment from 2 different concussion specialists (Dr. Aleem Remtulla & Dr. Stefan Sigalet). I had three sessions with Dr. Remtulla and then went to Dr. Sigalet where I was treated until I left for University at the end of August. I essentially did not have to do anything of academic nature after the end of Grade 12 and before starting Queen¿¿s in Septemeber. I also didn¿¿t consider what impact taking a full course load would have on my ability to be successful in first year University given the recent struggles with concussion symptoms. I believe my shortcomings this year were related to not being fully recovered from my concussion and being overwhelmed by the academic requirements of a demanding and full course load. My lack of ability to concentrate and focus found me getting more and more behind which then made it hard to recover.
I have spoken to Academic Counselling twice this year to try and help me understand the reasons for my academic struggles. The recommendation from them recently was to submit this ¿¿Letter of Appeal¿. I also just recently had a meeting with Jason Summers in Student Wellness Services. He said that he could refer me to some occupational therapists to assist with organization and study skills.
My plan moving forward is to take some time off school to get myself healthy. Dr. Remtulla here in Vancouver has recommended a few programs for me to try, these being Watson Brain Health at the Fortius Sports Center as well as Occupational Health Care Workers to help me get back to reading, studying and computer work. I would also highly consider taking less than a full course load in the future and would maintain regular meetings with both my personal and academic counsellors. I believe taking less than a full course load would prevent me from getting too overwhelmed and would allow me to focus and concentrate more easily. I am hopeful that my letter of appeal is granted so that when and if I decide to return to post secondary education I can do so with a clean slate.

Thank you so much for your consideration,
Cole Young
(604) 352-0021