Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dean Stephenson,

I am writing to appeal to drop the following courses from my transcript: PHGY 215 (Fall, 2018), CHEM 281 (Fall, 2018), MATH 121 (Fall/Winter, 2017), and BIOL 202 (Winter, 2018). As well, I am appealing for credit standing in BIOL 103 (Winter, 2018), PSYC 100 (Fall/Winter, 2017), GEOL 106 (Winter, 2017), and BIOL 103 (Winter, 2017). I hope with this appeal I can be removed from academic probation and continue with my studies here at Queen's University. Thank you for the opportunity to explain my extenuating circumstances.

I believe that my current academic transcript is not an accurate representation of my true academic abilities and thus I hope to explain the circumstances that directly affected my academic performance in these last two years. I had a difficult transition in my first year at Queen's and unfortunately that is when my academics first began to be affected. During my first semester (Fall, 2016) at Queen's I experienced numerous setbacks through both my personal and academic life that I was entirely unaware were affecting me at the time. I not only did not realize the impact these events were having on my life, but I unfortunately did not think to reach out to speak to someone. By the start of my second semester (Winter, 2017) I was isolating myself from friends and family. Since friendships had still been quite new at the time, I completely let them slip away and being away from home I did not reach out to my family. This social isolation continued for the rest of that semester which led to me also not leaving my single room in residence thus missing classes and tutorials. As I isolated myself from friends, family and classmates I developed a serious lack of awareness of my current state of mind. Altogether, the frequency of these events in my first semester and then the isolation and lack of awareness severely impacted my academics in the Winter semester.

The reason the impact on my academics continued into my following years of study is because the circumstances had still not been resolved and I tried to make the adjustments on my own. In the Fall of 2017, I had convinced myself that I could make a change on my own by adjusting my routine and working harder. Therefore, I took it upon myself to solve any problems with my academics and continued to not communicate this to anyone. Also, I was living with my sister for that semester which helped with the isolation for a while. I was able to begin that semester off well as you may be able to see from my grades. However, with still having not spoken to anyone about my circumstances in the past year and now without a major selected for my second year, the feeling of isolation from my classmates returned and shame of my academic situation. Sadly, this led to me falling back into the rut I was in the following semester. It really escalated in the Winter semester of 2018 when I was living off campus and no longer with my sister. I was completely closed off from other people and my academics. It is frightening to think back to how unaware I was of myself and the symptoms I was experiencing. The Winter semester of 2018 is when these circumstances were at their worst and I truly was unaware of the present moment. This then caused me to not drop my courses for that semester before the academic penalty period, thus putting me under Academic Probation. At this point I was no longer attending classes, labs/tutorials and even missing tests/exams. All of this continued into my Fall semester of 2018. Ultimately, I allowed myself to fall behind and be isolated for so long that I no longer knew how to face my present life. I understand now that I needed to reach out for help sooner; for instance, when my academics had first begun to be affected. I unfortunately for some time fell into a destructive pattern that I also at the time could not see a way out of.

I have now made several changes that I believe will set me on a path of success for the future. At the beginning of September (Fall, 2019) I made an appointment with Queen's University Student Wellness Services and have had a number of visits with their counsellors and occupational therapists up to date. As well, I have met biweekly with a counsellor in the Kingston community for about a duration of a month. I not only reached out to counselling services but also to friends and family. I am now keeping the lines of communication open with my family about my academic performance which has truly taken a huge weight off my shoulders. Regarding my academics, I spoke with an academic advisor before the fall semester and I decided to reduce my course load for the semester to three courses to allow myself to gain some progress. Altogether these steps have allowed me to focus my time on improving my grades this semester and not feeling isolated. I plan to continue checking in with the Student Wellness Services and reflecting on my academic progress, individually and with family.

I hope that my appeal can help in my removal from academic probation and thus allow me to continue my studies here at Queen's University. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate my true academic capabilities at this school. I care deeply about my academic performance and so I hope you can provide me with a second chance. Thank you very much for taking the time to consider my appeal.

Sincerely,

Brianna Brougham