Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 5835
Submitted: June 2, 2019 at 6:34:18 PM
First Name: Meagan
Last Name: McCarthy
Student Number: 20072178
Email: meaganrmccarthy@outlook.com
Degree Program: BA
Plan: GPHY
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Jenn Stephenson, Associate Dean (Studies)
I am writing to appeal my academic dismissal from Queen University for one year. I was not surprised, but very sad to receive a letter earlier last week informing me of my dismissal. I¿¿m writing with the hope that you will reinstate me for this coming fall. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to explain my circumstances.
I admit that I¿¿ve had a very difficult time regarding my academics, and even though I felt I was trying my hardest I was frustrated to not be reaching my full potential. This was an extremely embarrassing topic for me to discuss with others because I was afraid of being ridiculed for being lazy or simply unintelligent. Frankly, I was afraid that I might just be both of those things. The truth is I was struggling to concentrate during lectures, read through textbooks, and cancel out the noises of the world around me. Subsequently, this led to me doing poorly on test and assignments. I couldn¿¿t keep my life or my own thoughts organized, ending in daily breakdowns. This has been the debilitating way my life functioned since I can remember and until recently I didn't know it was abnormal. So for the first time I decided if I wanted to achieve my full potential and goals I needed to seek help. After talking to my doctor she recommended I get tested for ADHD. It wasn't until last week I was given the results and the diagnoses of ADHD ¿¿ Inattentive Presenting. This has been a lifetime struggle, however the nature of university heightened these issues with long lectures, hours of readings, and settings with various visual and auditory distractions. I understand now that I should have communicated my problems to the academic advisors or learning support at Queens so they could have pointing me in the right directions for help.
I love Queens University, and it would mean so much to graduate with a degree from this school, which would make me the first person in my family to obtain a university degree. I truly value my education and want nothing more than to continue my studies and earn my place at queens with hard work and determination. If reinstated I will submit my psychoeducational assessment to QSAS and seek the appropriate accommodations recommended, speak to academic advisors for advice, and communicate my problem areas to my professors and teaching assistants. I plan on retaking classes (Politics 241 and 243) in order to raise my GPA. I additionally plan to take a 5th and possibly 6th year so that I may reduce my course load to 3 or 4 classes per term. Fortunately, I¿¿ve been prescribed medication to help my concentration. I strongly believe that with medication and accommodations my ADHD will no longer have a detrimental effect on my future academic performance. I¿¿ve been taking medication for a week now and I can confidently say it has changed my life.
Please understand that my low GPA that led to my dismissal is not because I am not motivated or capable of success here at Queens University. My learning disorder has been a debilitating issue in my life, but I am so thankful I now have the tools to manage it. I whole heartily wish I had sought help earlier instead of harboring my embarrassment and endlessly denying I was any different than my peers. Now that I¿¿ve made the first step towards getting help, Id love the opportunity to continue my studies at Queens with the support of the academic services the university offers.
Thank you for your consideration,
Meagan McCarthy
I am writing to appeal my academic dismissal from Queen University for one year. I was not surprised, but very sad to receive a letter earlier last week informing me of my dismissal. I¿¿m writing with the hope that you will reinstate me for this coming fall. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to explain my circumstances.
I admit that I¿¿ve had a very difficult time regarding my academics, and even though I felt I was trying my hardest I was frustrated to not be reaching my full potential. This was an extremely embarrassing topic for me to discuss with others because I was afraid of being ridiculed for being lazy or simply unintelligent. Frankly, I was afraid that I might just be both of those things. The truth is I was struggling to concentrate during lectures, read through textbooks, and cancel out the noises of the world around me. Subsequently, this led to me doing poorly on test and assignments. I couldn¿¿t keep my life or my own thoughts organized, ending in daily breakdowns. This has been the debilitating way my life functioned since I can remember and until recently I didn't know it was abnormal. So for the first time I decided if I wanted to achieve my full potential and goals I needed to seek help. After talking to my doctor she recommended I get tested for ADHD. It wasn't until last week I was given the results and the diagnoses of ADHD ¿¿ Inattentive Presenting. This has been a lifetime struggle, however the nature of university heightened these issues with long lectures, hours of readings, and settings with various visual and auditory distractions. I understand now that I should have communicated my problems to the academic advisors or learning support at Queens so they could have pointing me in the right directions for help.
I love Queens University, and it would mean so much to graduate with a degree from this school, which would make me the first person in my family to obtain a university degree. I truly value my education and want nothing more than to continue my studies and earn my place at queens with hard work and determination. If reinstated I will submit my psychoeducational assessment to QSAS and seek the appropriate accommodations recommended, speak to academic advisors for advice, and communicate my problem areas to my professors and teaching assistants. I plan on retaking classes (Politics 241 and 243) in order to raise my GPA. I additionally plan to take a 5th and possibly 6th year so that I may reduce my course load to 3 or 4 classes per term. Fortunately, I¿¿ve been prescribed medication to help my concentration. I strongly believe that with medication and accommodations my ADHD will no longer have a detrimental effect on my future academic performance. I¿¿ve been taking medication for a week now and I can confidently say it has changed my life.
Please understand that my low GPA that led to my dismissal is not because I am not motivated or capable of success here at Queens University. My learning disorder has been a debilitating issue in my life, but I am so thankful I now have the tools to manage it. I whole heartily wish I had sought help earlier instead of harboring my embarrassment and endlessly denying I was any different than my peers. Now that I¿¿ve made the first step towards getting help, Id love the opportunity to continue my studies at Queens with the support of the academic services the university offers.
Thank you for your consideration,
Meagan McCarthy
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Academic Plan ¿¿ Meagan McCarthy 20192020 School Year
Going into second year I chose to remain undeclared, with the hopes of getting into the political science program the following year. I now realize that politics is passion and earlier this month enrolled in the geography BA program. I do however plan on retaking my failed courses POLS241 and POLS243 in order to boost my GPA. Now that my symptoms are being controlled I know that I can complete these courses successfully.
I plan on taking a reduced course load of 3-4 instead of the full time load of 5+ courses. The psychologist that diagnosed my ADHD did not explicitly suggest taking a lesser course load, however I feel Id be able to give my best quality work with this method to begin with. Additionally I will have no other obligations such as a part-time jobs taking up my time during the school year.
My extenuating circumstance was undiagnosed ADHD, not being able to concentrate and take effective notes during lectures lead me to attempt to self teach. Alas, spending hours unable to concentrate trying to learn the material proved to be unsuccessful. In addition, doing the supplementary readings requires sustained attention in which I have significant difficultly with. I found organization, time management, and attention to detail strenuous and I often handed assignments in late, unfinished, and missing key details. My ADHD is currently being controlled with the appropriate medication, and being monitored by my family physician. I sought out a clinic specializing in accessing and diagnosing ADHD, ADD, and Learning disabilities. I had the psychologist fill out the Queens Student Accessibility Services documentation form and received her post secondary accommodation recommendation as follows: extra time and quiet rooms for exams, break in lengthy exams, modified exam schedule, 24 hours between tests, note takers for lecture, extensions on some written language tasks, access to an editor and proof reader, and memory aid sheet. I definitely plan on consulting with campus resources such as the Writing Centre to assist with essays and written assignments. In addition, seeking the help of the Learning Strategies Counselors would be a great asset for helping with me organization and mnemonic strategies.
Going into second year I chose to remain undeclared, with the hopes of getting into the political science program the following year. I now realize that politics is passion and earlier this month enrolled in the geography BA program. I do however plan on retaking my failed courses POLS241 and POLS243 in order to boost my GPA. Now that my symptoms are being controlled I know that I can complete these courses successfully.
I plan on taking a reduced course load of 3-4 instead of the full time load of 5+ courses. The psychologist that diagnosed my ADHD did not explicitly suggest taking a lesser course load, however I feel Id be able to give my best quality work with this method to begin with. Additionally I will have no other obligations such as a part-time jobs taking up my time during the school year.
My extenuating circumstance was undiagnosed ADHD, not being able to concentrate and take effective notes during lectures lead me to attempt to self teach. Alas, spending hours unable to concentrate trying to learn the material proved to be unsuccessful. In addition, doing the supplementary readings requires sustained attention in which I have significant difficultly with. I found organization, time management, and attention to detail strenuous and I often handed assignments in late, unfinished, and missing key details. My ADHD is currently being controlled with the appropriate medication, and being monitored by my family physician. I sought out a clinic specializing in accessing and diagnosing ADHD, ADD, and Learning disabilities. I had the psychologist fill out the Queens Student Accessibility Services documentation form and received her post secondary accommodation recommendation as follows: extra time and quiet rooms for exams, break in lengthy exams, modified exam schedule, 24 hours between tests, note takers for lecture, extensions on some written language tasks, access to an editor and proof reader, and memory aid sheet. I definitely plan on consulting with campus resources such as the Writing Centre to assist with essays and written assignments. In addition, seeking the help of the Learning Strategies Counselors would be a great asset for helping with me organization and mnemonic strategies.
Documentation
Professional Letter: IMG_1501.PNG
