Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing the addition of BCHM 315 and BCHM 316 to my current schedule. I missed the deadline to add these courses by one day. I am currently enrolled in BCHM 310 which is the same course but it has an additional lab component to it. It is because of this lab component that I am wanting to switch into 315/316 that does not have the lab. I originally wanted to do the lab because I enjoy being in the lab collaborating with my peers and TA's to work through an experiment and learn the theory and course content along with it. However, now with the pandemic and everything being online, I did not anticipate how much different the online lab and associated reports would be. Being a tactile and collaborative learner, I was already anticipating struggling with online school. I took a summer course in order to be able to take a reduced course load this year. Over the last few years at Queen's my mental health has suffered, and in these difficult times, it has gotten worse. I have tried to seek help numerous times through the student wellness services to see a counselor, but with how the system is set up, I was never successful. I went to my doctor this summer and was able to get a referral to talk to a counselor. The added stress however of this lab portion of this class has added tremendous stress to my work load.