Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 5916
Submitted: June 11, 2019 at 6:39:09 PM
First Name: Shawna
Last Name: Steacy
Student Number: 20016135
Email: 15ses5@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: ENGL
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: In many ways there were several successes this past year, despite the final grade numbers you see. With this being said, I am asking that you waive your decision for my withdraw.
In first year, I really struggled grasping the scientific background in Psych 101, and failing that course is a big reason that I am in this position today. First year was trying to figure out where I wanted to direct myself, and quickly discovered psych is not for me. I had wanted to drop it, but because of parental pressure I stuck with the course, and later failed. This greatly influenced my grade average, which in turn, placed me on academic probation. In the 2018/2019 school year there was no one course that I felt that I struggled with throughout the semester, I did well on all my assignments. I believe that my biggest struggle is doing well on my exams, as they typically account for 30 to 40 of my grade, and I struggled to pass many of them. It is in these high pressure, heavily weighted, time sensitive assessments that I really have difficulties. My disability severely impacts my concentration, cognitive functioning and self-confidence, and on exam days this is just exacerbated.
In October, 2018 I spoke with an academic advisor, as I was concerned about my performance, was feeling overwhelmed and wanted to create the best plan for myself. While speaking with her I decided I would reduce my course load, taking 9 credits each semester. This unfortunately did not happen until late October, as I initially thought my poor marks in first year were just due to the transition from high school and the failed credit. I believe that the delay in dropping the courses is a factor to why I did poorly in my second year first semester, as I was trying to balance 5 courses, resulting in the 3 courses I stayed in not receiving the attention that they did in second semester. Additionally, I left the meeting under the impression that I had until I completed 30 credits to ensure my GPA was over 1.6. To which I now realize I misunderstood. This meant, I was working on a timeline to boost my GPA that included my summer courses, assuming that if I did well in my 9 credits this summer, my probation would be waived.
Continuing into the rest of the year I tried my hardest, and in all of my courses before exams, I had achieved a 70 or higher, with the exception of History of the Holocaust. In this course I received good marks on all of my assignments, with the exception of one I received a zero for. Due to my functional impairments, I got the dates of two papers mixed up. I had emailed the professor two days prior to the due date, really thinking that I still had a week, asking for a bit of an extension as I was worried about completing it to the best of my abilities. When I had not received an answer from him I emailed my TA asking if she was able to grant me an extension, she said she was not and I had to speak with him. He never answered me, despite me emailing him 4 more times, and this continued even after my exam. This paper was worth 15 and would have bumped my mark up by at least 10, based on prior assessments in that course. I also reached out to with my accessibility advisor, Meg Hall, who had also emailed him, again with no answer. Additionally, Meg and I both emailed him early in the semester regarding my accommodations and getting the slides for the class as they were not posted online. Despite several requests, he did not give them to me until right before the exam, where he posted them for the entire class. It seemed the entire semester that he was unwilling to accommodate me. My diagnosed disability comes with additional challenges, the challenge should not be in having my accommodations met. I realize now that I should have brought all of my concerns to Meg's attention sooner, rather than later in the course when the due date extension situation arose. That said, this class was one exam that I did pass though, with a 52. A 52 isn't the best grade, but when I struggle passing exams, this was a win for me. Otherwise, I had received an 80 and 75 on the two papers I submitted, and I was sincerely interested in the course material. I genuinely believe that if I had the slides I would have done better on the exam, and had I been given the opportunity to hand in the midterm paper, even with late mark deductions, I would have achieved the 1.6 GPA I need to stay at Queen's.
In English 200 I received one of my lowest marks, a D-. Reflecting back on this I understand my mark was impacted by my low attendance, but this was heavily impacted by my significant mental health issues. Attendance was worth 10, and as much as I wanted to be there, with it being a morning class, along with my disability, getting up on time in the morning was, and still is, extremely difficult for me. In the end this impacted my readiness for my exam, which contributed to the poor mark. Before the exam, I had received 70 on two of my papers and an in class reading assignment, and 68 on my outline. Therefore, I know it was my attendance and exam that brought me down.
Overall, my mental health was the major extenuating circumstance that impacted my overall marks. I was recently given a new diagnosis, and trying to figure out what that meant and how to best help me overcome it came at a cost of my grades. I have since come up with a plan to better my mental health and grades, and set up a support system, hoping that I am able to stay at Queen's .
In first year, I really struggled grasping the scientific background in Psych 101, and failing that course is a big reason that I am in this position today. First year was trying to figure out where I wanted to direct myself, and quickly discovered psych is not for me. I had wanted to drop it, but because of parental pressure I stuck with the course, and later failed. This greatly influenced my grade average, which in turn, placed me on academic probation. In the 2018/2019 school year there was no one course that I felt that I struggled with throughout the semester, I did well on all my assignments. I believe that my biggest struggle is doing well on my exams, as they typically account for 30 to 40 of my grade, and I struggled to pass many of them. It is in these high pressure, heavily weighted, time sensitive assessments that I really have difficulties. My disability severely impacts my concentration, cognitive functioning and self-confidence, and on exam days this is just exacerbated.
In October, 2018 I spoke with an academic advisor, as I was concerned about my performance, was feeling overwhelmed and wanted to create the best plan for myself. While speaking with her I decided I would reduce my course load, taking 9 credits each semester. This unfortunately did not happen until late October, as I initially thought my poor marks in first year were just due to the transition from high school and the failed credit. I believe that the delay in dropping the courses is a factor to why I did poorly in my second year first semester, as I was trying to balance 5 courses, resulting in the 3 courses I stayed in not receiving the attention that they did in second semester. Additionally, I left the meeting under the impression that I had until I completed 30 credits to ensure my GPA was over 1.6. To which I now realize I misunderstood. This meant, I was working on a timeline to boost my GPA that included my summer courses, assuming that if I did well in my 9 credits this summer, my probation would be waived.
Continuing into the rest of the year I tried my hardest, and in all of my courses before exams, I had achieved a 70 or higher, with the exception of History of the Holocaust. In this course I received good marks on all of my assignments, with the exception of one I received a zero for. Due to my functional impairments, I got the dates of two papers mixed up. I had emailed the professor two days prior to the due date, really thinking that I still had a week, asking for a bit of an extension as I was worried about completing it to the best of my abilities. When I had not received an answer from him I emailed my TA asking if she was able to grant me an extension, she said she was not and I had to speak with him. He never answered me, despite me emailing him 4 more times, and this continued even after my exam. This paper was worth 15 and would have bumped my mark up by at least 10, based on prior assessments in that course. I also reached out to with my accessibility advisor, Meg Hall, who had also emailed him, again with no answer. Additionally, Meg and I both emailed him early in the semester regarding my accommodations and getting the slides for the class as they were not posted online. Despite several requests, he did not give them to me until right before the exam, where he posted them for the entire class. It seemed the entire semester that he was unwilling to accommodate me. My diagnosed disability comes with additional challenges, the challenge should not be in having my accommodations met. I realize now that I should have brought all of my concerns to Meg's attention sooner, rather than later in the course when the due date extension situation arose. That said, this class was one exam that I did pass though, with a 52. A 52 isn't the best grade, but when I struggle passing exams, this was a win for me. Otherwise, I had received an 80 and 75 on the two papers I submitted, and I was sincerely interested in the course material. I genuinely believe that if I had the slides I would have done better on the exam, and had I been given the opportunity to hand in the midterm paper, even with late mark deductions, I would have achieved the 1.6 GPA I need to stay at Queen's.
In English 200 I received one of my lowest marks, a D-. Reflecting back on this I understand my mark was impacted by my low attendance, but this was heavily impacted by my significant mental health issues. Attendance was worth 10, and as much as I wanted to be there, with it being a morning class, along with my disability, getting up on time in the morning was, and still is, extremely difficult for me. In the end this impacted my readiness for my exam, which contributed to the poor mark. Before the exam, I had received 70 on two of my papers and an in class reading assignment, and 68 on my outline. Therefore, I know it was my attendance and exam that brought me down.
Overall, my mental health was the major extenuating circumstance that impacted my overall marks. I was recently given a new diagnosis, and trying to figure out what that meant and how to best help me overcome it came at a cost of my grades. I have since come up with a plan to better my mental health and grades, and set up a support system, hoping that I am able to stay at Queen's .
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: While I have been at Queen's I have been given a new mental health diagnosis- one that comes with varied significant challenges. I am however determined to be more than just a diagnosis. With this diagnosis I struggled to come to terms with what this meant and how I could best help myself, I have reached out to Accessibility Services, therapists and psychologists in order to try and best help myself. There was a lot of struggle to figure out how to properly cope with it, and as stated in my appeal, it affected my grades and attendance. That said, there are significant gains and successes along the way too. In my first year I started to see Dr Peter Bettle, through Queen's, and he was the first doctor to really help with my mental health. I really clicked with him, and he helped me find a diagnosis, and we tried many medications trying to find one that would help. Unfortunately, he moved out of province in the fall semester of 2018, and I have difficulty connecting with new practitioners, or people really. Which created a barrier for receiving help. I did however, realize that I can't do well in school if I am not doing well mentally. So I spent months on different waitlists and seeing therapists who were only available once a month, despite not really clicking with any of them. Fortunately, before Dr Bettle left he referred me to Dr McNevin, encouraging me to enroll in a program specific for my mental health issues, and I was able to join this in the Winter semester. This had me step out of my comfort zone, as I took part in group therapy with Dr Stephen McNevin. This program was 6 weeks, and helped me get a better grasp on who I am and how I can better help myself. From here I am in search of a therapist who specializes in my diagnosis that I can see continually throughout the school year to help balance my stresses and mental health issues. I have also gotten a service dog to further assist with my wellbeing. Although, I am most likely going to suffer with my mental health for the rest of my life, I want to be able to function like everyone else, and I have begun to learn how to switch my priorities and work through the tough times.
Additionally, by reducing my course load, I have been able to balance my disability and the demands of university much more successfully. In Health 101 and Law 201 I received my best marks, a B and an A-. This was in my winter semester- when I only was enrolled in three courses. As well, Health was online, and I think that helped me a lot, as I sometimes struggle with attendance or class participation. Having the course be online made it easy to show up and give my input regardless the time. For Law, I thoroughly enjoyed this class, and it was offered at night, which is when I am at my best. At the end of the semester, when I saw my final marks in these courses I was elated, and really thought I was well on my way in improving my GPA so I could stay at Queen's. Things really seemed to be looking up, and my marks were better than ever. In the future I plan to take all of my classes either later in the day or online. If it so happens that there was a course where I had to attend a morning lecture I would discuss with my doctor the best ways to get me there.
Given my mental health and disability, I know, I need to focus on attending class regularly. I believe that in the 2018/2019 school year I did attend my classes much more regularly, despite my morning class's attendance. Again, demonstrating that taking night or online classes are better for me. Moving forward, I will ensure to take courses that are within hours I know for certain that I will attend. As well, I plan to keep in touch with Meg, and search for a specialized therapist. Since receiving my letter requiring me to withdraw, which was devastating, I have made an appointment with Dr Klein to continue searching for ways to better my mental health. I will keep in touch with her as well, and continue to bring my service dog, Rory, with me to classes. By being enrolled in 9 credits instead of 15, I was able to focus a lot more on each class, and overall boosted my GPA. I plan to continue doing this, as well as take summer courses, until I graduate. I also plan to enroll in more courses that have a final project or paper instead of an exam, as I would not be on academic probation without my failing exams. Knowing that this may not be guaranteed, I have since spoken Meg and she suggested a cue sheet to help me succeed in my future exams by giving me a visual prompt. I am also planning to attend SASS to get help and guidance on how to better prepare myself for exams, as well as provide more structure with organization and studying to ensure I am able to boost my marks further.
I have noticed that I enjoy History more than English, and although my marks are similar in them currently, I think that I am more likely to succeed if I were to switch majors. I am hoping that after my summer term I will have a high enough mark in History 125 that I will be able to switch my major to History, instead of English. I discussed the benefits, and possibility of this happening with my academic advisor last year and by taking this summer 6.0 course I will be on track to make that switch for September. I then intend on taking 200 and 300 level History courses, as well as a few English, Health and potentially Law or Gender's courses. When I complete my bachelor my hope is to apply to teachers college, teaching Social Sciences, English and History at the secondary school level.
In my summer courses, we have not received many marks back yet, but I have handed in all assignments on time so far, and connected with my professors about the accommodations for my disability. On the one test that we have gotten back for History 125 I have received a 90, and am looking forward to working as hard as I can to keep these marks up I love Queen's and have made so many great friends here, I have dreamed about going to this school since I was a little girl, and nothing would make me happier than being able to stay and prove that, regardless of my additional challenges, I am capable of graduating from Queen's University.
Additionally, by reducing my course load, I have been able to balance my disability and the demands of university much more successfully. In Health 101 and Law 201 I received my best marks, a B and an A-. This was in my winter semester- when I only was enrolled in three courses. As well, Health was online, and I think that helped me a lot, as I sometimes struggle with attendance or class participation. Having the course be online made it easy to show up and give my input regardless the time. For Law, I thoroughly enjoyed this class, and it was offered at night, which is when I am at my best. At the end of the semester, when I saw my final marks in these courses I was elated, and really thought I was well on my way in improving my GPA so I could stay at Queen's. Things really seemed to be looking up, and my marks were better than ever. In the future I plan to take all of my classes either later in the day or online. If it so happens that there was a course where I had to attend a morning lecture I would discuss with my doctor the best ways to get me there.
Given my mental health and disability, I know, I need to focus on attending class regularly. I believe that in the 2018/2019 school year I did attend my classes much more regularly, despite my morning class's attendance. Again, demonstrating that taking night or online classes are better for me. Moving forward, I will ensure to take courses that are within hours I know for certain that I will attend. As well, I plan to keep in touch with Meg, and search for a specialized therapist. Since receiving my letter requiring me to withdraw, which was devastating, I have made an appointment with Dr Klein to continue searching for ways to better my mental health. I will keep in touch with her as well, and continue to bring my service dog, Rory, with me to classes. By being enrolled in 9 credits instead of 15, I was able to focus a lot more on each class, and overall boosted my GPA. I plan to continue doing this, as well as take summer courses, until I graduate. I also plan to enroll in more courses that have a final project or paper instead of an exam, as I would not be on academic probation without my failing exams. Knowing that this may not be guaranteed, I have since spoken Meg and she suggested a cue sheet to help me succeed in my future exams by giving me a visual prompt. I am also planning to attend SASS to get help and guidance on how to better prepare myself for exams, as well as provide more structure with organization and studying to ensure I am able to boost my marks further.
I have noticed that I enjoy History more than English, and although my marks are similar in them currently, I think that I am more likely to succeed if I were to switch majors. I am hoping that after my summer term I will have a high enough mark in History 125 that I will be able to switch my major to History, instead of English. I discussed the benefits, and possibility of this happening with my academic advisor last year and by taking this summer 6.0 course I will be on track to make that switch for September. I then intend on taking 200 and 300 level History courses, as well as a few English, Health and potentially Law or Gender's courses. When I complete my bachelor my hope is to apply to teachers college, teaching Social Sciences, English and History at the secondary school level.
In my summer courses, we have not received many marks back yet, but I have handed in all assignments on time so far, and connected with my professors about the accommodations for my disability. On the one test that we have gotten back for History 125 I have received a 90, and am looking forward to working as hard as I can to keep these marks up I love Queen's and have made so many great friends here, I have dreamed about going to this school since I was a little girl, and nothing would make me happier than being able to stay and prove that, regardless of my additional challenges, I am capable of graduating from Queen's University.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC (waiting for letter)
Document: Dr McNevin.pdf
Documentation Detail: Letter From Psychiatrist Dr Stephen McNevin