Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

I am appealing to drop ECON 310, ECON 351, and ECON 231 past the drop date.

To put it bluntly, this past Fall term was catastrophic for my academic and mental well-being. I didn't go to class, hand in assignments, or adequately prepare myself for tests and exams. I even missed my final paper for one course. I spent most of my semester agonizing alone over the mess that I had gotten myself into. Slowly, over the course of the term, smaller hiccups and setbacks built up to paralyze me from completing the tasks I needed to take care of my health and my academics.

To offer a background, I have been struggling chronically with depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse for approximately 5 years. I have sought counselling, taken medication, and made many efforts to cope throughout this period. While I am often able to get back on track, I have on several instances relapsed into bad habits and experienced darker days, weeks, and months. This past Fall was as bad as I can remember in years.

I was in a good place academically, mentally, and emotionally when I entered the Fall term, having just ended a summer job that I got both excited by and excelled at. Unfortunately, things started to spiral out of control in the months that followed. Shortly into the semester, I began to notice that my medication had stopped working. I felt consistently drained of energy and had little motivation to leave my bed on most days. At this point, I stopped going to class and fell behind on my work. I started missing assignments, which compounded with my depression to further decrease my drive and increase my anguish. By the time that midterms came around, I was so far behind in my classes that no amount of cramming was going to get my head above water. Despite my best efforts, I had done too much damage in the first half of the term to recover from.

I had taken a pause from counselling in the summer because it conflicted with the hours of my summer job. I had intended to resume, but initially put it off because I felt confident entering the year. As my problems built up, I felt less comfortable reaching out, and less confident that reaching out would help my situation. In my depressed and anxious state, I refused to have anyone catch me vulnerable. This had the inadvertent effect of not being able to seek help when I needed it most.

I have tried valiantly to get my life back on track since. I have since resumed counselling, booked a doctor¿¿s appointment to find a medication that will work for me going forward, and kept up with my schoolwork. I¿¿ve been keeping better tabs on my physical well-being by exercising more, drinking less, and eating healthier. In the winter term, I reduced my course-load in order to make sure that I could get my health back on track. This past semester I passed both courses I took, including an A- in accounting, which I believe is more indicative of my potential. More than anything, I just want to be healthy, happy, and motivated again. In January, I met with my academic counsellor to advise my steps going forward, and have spoken with an appeals counsellor since to discuss my potential courses of action. That being said, I thoroughly believe that the fall term did not offer an accurate portrayal of me as a student. When I¿¿m at my best, I¿¿m not missing assignments or falling incomprehensibly behind on my schoolwork.

For the reasons listed above, I am appealing to drop ECON 310, ECON 351, and ECON 231 past the deadline.