Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr Stephenson
My name is Madeline Warme and I started studying Arts and Sciences at Queen¿¿s in fall of 2018. I have experienced extenuating circumstances that negatively impacted my academic success during my first and second year. As such I am requesting to have credit standing for DRAM 100, FILM 110, SOCY 122, SOCY 226 and to drop ARTH 120 from my transcript.
In the summer of 2018, before starting first year, I was assaulted. This led to issues with my mental health and worsened pre-existing conditions including post-concussion syndrome. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ADHD, and my personal and academic life was significantly impacted as I struggled immensely with basic functioning. These issues became apparent to me in the fall of 2018 when I was often unable to attend classes, complete assignments and stay focused in class and during exams.
I continued to hope things would get better and I began receiving some treatment in January 2019 intermittently, and then again over the summer months. My hope was that I would be better able to cope when I returned to school for the fall semester, but that was not the case. I finally decided to take a break from school following news of the pandemic in March.
Since then, I have had more time and space to work with my doctors and therapist on my treatment and have been making significant progress in my ability to function. With continued support, I now plan to take ARTH 215 online in January 2021 to get my academic plan back on track and demonstrate that despite my first two years, I am a capable student, and have overcome my past struggles.
Though I now realize I should likely have sought more extensive treatment early on, or dropped my classes earlier because of my issues, I was unable to face the reality of my situation and my mental health, and was in denial of the truth. Now I feel that as I move forward, receiving a credit standing and drop for these specific classes would help me not only to continue toward academic success, but would also allow for me to move forward with my plan in a way that is more reflective of my usual academic capabilities.
Please note that supporting documentation from my psychologist and psychiatrist will be sent to you directly to add further context to my appeal.