Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr Stephenson,

I am appealing to drop PSYC 205 (Fall, 2019), PSYC 241 (Fall, 2019), and PSYC 251 (Fall, 2019). I suffer from depression and although I have been on medication for it since I was twelve years old, the emotional impact of the new living conditions and responsibilities I had to take on this year severely exacerbated my condition. My condition made leaving the house to go to class impossible a significant portion of the time, and I was unable to muster the energy to complete assignments I normally would have found engaging. For much of the semester, I was convinced that I would be able to bounce back and fix my situation if I tried hard enough and reduced my course load. (I was originally taking statistics and an online gender studies class, both of which I did drop before the deadline.) Instead, my condition worsened, culminating in my inability to attend more than one class period in the entirety of November. As the drop date was November 1st and my condition did not reach its worst point until November, I was unable to recognize that I had to drop these classes until after the deadline. I love psychology and I find these classes incredibly interesting, but if I had attempted to continue through exam season I would have been risking my health and safety for school.
In addition to a reduced course load come January, I plan to see a counsellor regularly- something I was not doing this semester. I will also make sure to consistently take all of my medication and get refills in advance so that I don't risk running out of important medicine. I believe that in starting a new semester, I will be able to properly organize my time so that I don't get so overwhelmed that I am incapable of completing my work.