Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

My name is Hongbo Cheng and my student number is 20110877. I did not complete a
minimum of 18.0 unit by the end of winter term and I was supposed to submit an appeal to
Waive the Requirement to Withdraw within 21 days. However, I missed the deadline and I will
explain that why I missed the deadline below.

I was in a deeply negative mood and fell into a depression through the entire summer vacation.
It starts after the first month that I came to Queen¿¿s University. The negative feeling
overwhelmed me because I have no social life. I could not focus on my studies and daily
routine. I lost my appetite. I seldom ate during that time, and I felt isolated. Because I applied
for a single-room dormitory, the room is small. It gave me a feeling that I was locked up in a
cage which I could not escape. Eventually, I did not try to communicate with others and
seeking for help. I kept avoiding facing the fact that I had failed my first year of studies. I was
afraid of receiving an email saying that I could not continue my study at Queen¿¿s University.
Under this circumstance, I stopped checking my queens email. This is the main factor leading
me to miss the deadline.

In addition, in order to avoid fall into the same circle, I make some plans to help me continue
my study. If I can return to school, I can join events like English day (speak English to a group
of international student organized by International Student Centre), Soulful Singing, cooking
with grannies. I can meet different people from these events which are able to stop me falling in
to the same circle. Also, I rent a house with 4 people now. I won¿¿t live alone and they are my
friends who love to help me. I believe that I can do a better job this year. I hope that I can return
to school during winter term. I have a plan about my schedule for winter term. I plan to take 3
half year courses and dropping all my failing courses, so my failing courses won¿¿t affect my
GPA and I can continue study for the summer term. I will include more details of my schedule
in my second appeal. I need to talk to an academic adviser to decide which course I am going
to take.
Finally, I believe I still have the ability to continue my study in Queen¿¿s University and I have my
study permit this year. I have looked a psychiatrist to have me, and I feel much better. I believe
I can finish this year study. Thanks for your time reading my letter. I am looking forward to your
reply.

Sincerely, Hongbo