Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

August of 2017 I was involved in a multiple vehicle collision coming home from studying at my local library. I had an exam in a couple of days and having difficulty sleeping during periods of high stress I was exhausted resulting in the collision. I was charged criminally and spent the next few months going back and forth from Kingston to Toronto appearing in court and meeting with my legal counsel. I was exonerated of all chargers on December 13, 2017. I believed that I would recover from psychological ailments at this point I was wrong. I self-medicated to deal with the stress and get myself to sleep as I had developed chronic insomnia. In June of 2018 I began treatment with a clinical psychologist Dr. Porter. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, Moderate PTSD, as well as adult abuse (995.82). Further info can be found in the supplemental material provided. I was also later diagnosed with Aphantasia a rare memory disorder. I am still plagued with guilt and fear from the accident and dealing with the fallout of the situation. I made a successful appeal to drop courses in the fall of 2018 but did not pursue a drop for courses taken in the winter semester. As I had planned to retake both STAT 263 and PSYC 221. I have just retaken STAT 263 and received an A+ my ongoing therapy has been instrumental in my current success at Queens. However, following a diagnosis of Aphantasia I have come to the realization that lots of the courses I had been struggling(PSYC, COGS, LING) with I am simply not geared towards due to what I have been told is called is a learning difference given my Aphantasia. My plan has always been to transfer into Computer Science with a degree plan specializing in Cognitive Science. This specialization requires both COGS, PSYC, and LING courses. Given this new information about my learning difference I decided to pursue a different specialization geared towards my strengths and interests as a student. I have decided to transfer into the new A.I specialization being offered at queens in September of this year. I am now taking the requisite course MATH 121 this summer semester. As such I believe it would be in my best interest to not have to retake PSYC 221 given my severe mental and physical illness at the time. As well I struggle with readings where I excel at technical abstract content. Due to my hard work and a resulting strong performance this year (despite the current pandemic situation) I have finally reached the criteria to transfer into Computer Science given that I am able to drop PSYC 221 which will put me at a 2.61 GPA. Without this drop I will have to retake PSYC 221 in the fall semester which I will struggle with and is no longer a required course taking up time when I could have been taking a required course or an elective I¿¿d enjoy taking. I believe my current performance at Queens is a clear sign that my ongoing therapy has been a success and am finally at a place mentally and in my familial situation where I can continue my studies with high efficacy.