Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to drop STAT 263 (Winter, 2019) from my transcript due to an unforeseen relapse of an existing mental health issue.
Since beginning my studies at Queen¿¿s University, I had been struggling to choose a path of studies that interested me and I attempted several courses in subjects that did not make me happy and actively caused me grief, solely for the reason that I was in denial of my true passion in school, Art History. A major source to my denial of love for Art History was due to family pressures. My parents were adamant about me pursuing Psychology or Computer Science, and were not supportive of my choice of Art History; therefore I needed to have STAT 263 to continue on a the path I did not want to be on. I was faced with huge opposition from my family when I mentioned my desire to drop the course before the deadline, this created a large rift and provided another reason for my mental health deteriorating.
I had not been able to fully commit myself to schoolwork, especially this last term, not from lack of trying, but from a very severe mental block against the material that I could not fully process due to my deteriorating mental state. Forcing myself to study what I did not enjoy has taken a very large toll on my wellbeing and in result, diminished my mental capacities. With much effort, I could not get myself to understand any material from STAT 263, as I could not do so. Towards the end of the term, I tried to improve my mental health by returning to seek help from Dr. Charlene Berger, a very trusted source in my life who has helped me overcome times similar to this. She was very concerned about my mental state and suggested that I drop all of my courses to focus on healing and making a fresh start. Against her recommendation, I did not drop all of my courses before the deadline; rather I had decreased my course load to 4 courses from my intended 6. I know myself as a student and I know that my grades from these last two school years have not been close to a proper reflection of my abilities. I believe that the ¿¿A¿s I earned in my Art History courses, in contrast to ¿¿B¿s and ¿¿C¿s from Computer Science and Psychology, is a fair representation of the fact that I do have the potential to have good grades, and that I was just not doing what was right for me. I am not a ¿¿C¿ student, and I am most definitely not an ¿¿F¿ student. I do not believe that Art History is easy, rather I enjoy it so it comes easier to me than the material I cannot stand to put myself through any longer. I know that I am not going to enjoy every course I take, but by completely abandoning my beliefs, I had fallen down a route where I did not see a glimpse of enjoyment, and school became a serious chore, which was unfortunate for me, as I do love to learn. At this point, I don¿¿t believe that my mind was at its fullest capacity to be able to be tested in the ways that Psychology is tested, and was nowhere near in the right state to properly tackle a course as difficult as STAT 263. I am only appealing STAT 263 as although the ¿¿C¿s in my other courses are not ideal, they are still average grades that can now be used as credits on my transcript and further my academic career. For STAT 263 to remain on my transcript, I believe would hold me back from my future endeavors in academics and ultimately, is not an accurate representation of myself or my abilities. I will no longer hold myself back from what I enjoy and I believe that from this point on, my education will be a point of enjoyment, and not a point of sorrow, and my mental health will only continue to improve.

I appreciate your consideration,
Jessica Brender (20078523 ¿¿ 17jrb4)