Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: January 19, 2015

To whom it may concern,

My name is Nyasha Gluch and I am currently in my fourth year here at Queen's. I am appealing for a late drop of the course MICR 360 that I took in the fall term of 2014. I believe that my failure in the course is directly related to my extenuating circumstances and that despite my best efforts, the testing in the course proved too demanding for me to succeed.

While living in Kingston for the summer and studying to write my MCAT in September, I was hospitalized for a sudden brain hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm. I had to be air-lifted from Kingston General to St. Michael's in Toronto, where I had surgery to fill the aneurysm. I then spent 8 weeks at home in Ottawa with my parents, so that I could recover enough to continue living in Kingston without supervision and support. I was advised to cancel my MCAT date, and possibly take a semester off from school, to give my brain a chance to recuperate from the trauma.

Though I did cancel writing my MCAT, I did not decide to take a semester off of school. I was optimistic about my speedy recovery, and believed that I could manage a reduced course load. I am very proud of my accomplishments from last term. Though my grades do not reflect my best works, and I am a bit disappointed, I really feel as though I put every effort I could into making it through each and every course I took. I struggled with constant headaches, quick mental fatigue and small memory lapses often in my first few months back at school. Focusing in lecture and simultaneously taking notes was particularly hard. The accommodations I received from the Disabilities Services Office helped enormously with this problem. I am glad to continue to receive support from the DSO and use even more campus resources available to me this term.

Where I did have the biggest struggle was during testing. In particular, multiple choice. I feel as though, this kind of testing was a huge factor in my failing MICR 360. The course consisted of two multiple choice midterms and a multiple choice exam. As a Biology student, I am very accustomed to this kind of testing but I found that my memory greatly interfered with my ability to recall all of the details I needed to know. I felt in studying, and in class, that I understood the content that we were presented with in the course. The comprehension was there, but that as I got more and more fatigued during examinations, that my memory would begin to get very patchy, and as time went on, occasionally I couldn't recall anything on some topics. Above all the side effects that I have experienced since my trauma, this mental fatigue is definitely the most frustrating. I know it is not something I can control, and that it will take time to build up my tolerance. I believe that my grades this term will be an improvement on last term because I have had more time to recover and I am now well-acquainted with all the resources I need.

I do not regret my decision to come back to school last fall. If nothing else, I did learn a lot about myself, and my limitations. I have a greater appreciation for the hard work that everyone at Queen's has to put in to get through their degrees. My timeline may be a little delayed, but am happy about the extra time I have here in Kingston and to grow through this. It would be a huge relief to have MICR 360 appear on my transcript as a late drop. I know I may have some trouble moving forward from my undergraduate degree to potentially post-graduate studies with my grades, but this would be a step in the right direction.

Thank you for your understanding and consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Nyasha Gluch
Queen's University, Bachelor of Science (Honours)