Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of studies,
I am appealing to drop CISC 124 (Fall 2019).
My extenuating circumstance was that my father had serious reflux esophagitis and achalasia in late November 2019. I wasn't aware of this in the first place because my father kept this from me on the ground that he didn't want me to be too upset about his disease. He expected me to focus on the review of final exams. At my request, my mother told me that he had trouble swallowing food while eating and had to make his bed sloped for sleeping because he spitted out large amount of fluid at night. My mother was recovering from her operation, and it would be the last thing she wanted to see if anyone in this family got ill. Therefore, contrary to my father's expectation, I was deeply worried about him and was very discomposed. This kept me awake at night, and thus affect my performance of review during the day. The good news was that my father's esophagitis was controlled thanks to his doctor's prescription drugs.

This is photo of the prescription from my father's doctor.
Translation:
Peking Union Medical College Hospital on Health Insurance Prescription slip
Designated medical institution code: 0111000 Prescription: E9122730954
Patient's name: Wu Wangbin
Sex: Male
Age: 48
Patient's ID: 46020875
Medical department: gastroenterology department
Diagnosis:
1. Reflux esophagitis 2. Achalasia
3. Indigestion
Note that the medicine whose name starts with a triangle needs skin test.
Prescription drugs:
Omeprazole Magnesium Enteric-coated Tablets, 20MG, 7 tablets/box 2boxes (14
tablets)
Direction: take 1 tablet every time, daily, for oral administration
Sucralfate Suspensoid Gel, 1G, 12 packages/box 2 boxes (24 packages) Direction: take 1 package every time, twice a day, for oral administration
Mosapride Citrate Dispersible Tablets, 5MG, 20 tablets/box 1 box (20 tablets) Direction: take a tablet every time, three times per day, for oral administration
Prescribing time: 2019/11/27 10:46am Charging time: 2019/11/27 10:52am Printing time: 2019/11/27 10:55am Doctor's name: Ke Meiyun
Doctor's advice: Please take drugs as prescribed; please check your drugs at the pickup window; the prescription is only effective on the day issued; Drugs that have been handed out may not be returned.

I couldn't drop this course prior to the deadline because this course is a prerequisite, my assignments' grades were good, and this incident didn't happen then. CISC 124 was affected by my circumstances the most among the courses I was registered because I found it to be the most challenging one for me (complicated course content, tough grader), and I had a paid tutor before the final. I dropped other elective courses early in the semester to reduce course load to maintain a decent GPA.
My future plan about CISC 124 is to retake it, and currently I am enrolled in CISC 124 in the 2020 Winter term. I will make personal adjustments to succeed in my future studies, such as taking a lighter course load (most of my current courses are first- year and second-year introductory courses), making timetables of due dates to keep on track, planning regular consultation with instructors and teaching assistants etc. There are 4 courses I enrolled this term, which means time management is key here. Since my major is computing, CISC 124 and CISC 203 would be my top priority (they are also prerequisites for many 300 and 400 level courses). Other courses are supporting units of the Computing degree plan, which are also important because they set a solid foundation for future learning. Besides, I will arrange appointments with a personal counselor if personal or family issues arise. I hope to make huge progress in academic achievement in this term.

Sincerely,
Lilan