Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am writing you this letter to ask for credit standing in the following classes: POLS 384 (Fall 2018), POLS 367(Fall 2018), Devs 293 (Winter 2019), POLS 347 (Winter 2019). I am asking for a late drop in the following classes: DEVS 392 (Fall 2018), POLS 391 (Fall 2018). During my 2018-2019 academic year, I was in my 3rd year of my BAH (major in Political studies and minor in Global Development. During this year, my GPA, and marks in individual classes fell to lower marks than I was used to achieving. This is because of how terrible my mental health became as I struggled with my anxiety and experienced long depressive days. My mental health was so poor that many of my assignments were left unfinished as I was so stressed about producing a good grade. I overworked myself and found it difficult to feel motivated despite how interested I was in the topics I was researching. I remember spending hours in the library on assignments and papers, only to struggle with the final writing components. During this time, many aspects of my life outside of my academics were also negatively impacted by my poor mental health. I felt very isolated from my family, struggled feeling relatable to my peers, felt large amounts of isolation etc. This made it hard for me to have healthy social relationships and do everyday things like eat, shower, go to classes etc.

I talked to many of my professors and teaching assistants about my struggles at the time. They were all very diligent and kind; typically allowing me to have short extensions or talking me through my papers to help my confidence. Despite this support system, I still failed many courses in the 2018 fall semester. I did my best to seek help for my extenuating circumstances. I went to see Dr. Arunima Khanna in the wellness centre. Her and I talked about coping mechanisms to help me get out of bed, work on previous trauma that consumed my time on a daily basis, as well as techniques to help with my panic attacks (especially the ones I had during exams/ midterms). The documentation I will provide in this appeal will explain how I went to her for the entire academic year. However, even with her assistance, my mental health was not accelerating at a fast enough rate. This is why I also need to receive credit standing for many of my courses from the winter semester as well. I felt very discouraged going into this semester and ultimately had a very nerve wracking 3rd year.

The reason why I am appealing these marks so late is for various reasons. For starters, I did not know if I wanted to continue pursuing this degree due to how stressed I was. It not only took a mental toll, but I felt many physical stressors. The summer of 2019 was a well needed break from academics. This time was used to continue seeing Dr. Khanna, and understanding my mental health journey in a more practical way. Another reason why I waited so long, was because I was worried that even with all the healing I did over the summer, I would not perform well in the next academic year. That being said, as my transcript showcases, my marks were significantly better in the Fall 2019, and Winter 2020 semesters. Even with COVID-19 stressors, I had developed and strengthened the tools and teachings from Dr. Khanna. Even with the work I showcased during this last Fall 2020 semester, I felt like I could showcase my true academic capabilities. My last 3 semesters are a better reflection of my ability to perform, and I hope that my extenuating circumstances of my 3rd year will not continue to bring down my entire GPA.

I am specifically asking for credit standing and late drop appeals because I do not believe my mental health dip during my undergrad should impact what avenues of opportunities I am open to now. I am confident in my ability to do well during this last semester of my degree, as I have created a better routine, prioritize wellness, and have learned to communicate better with my instructors. All these proactive habits have helped me overcome my old circumstances, and I hope this letter showcases that explicitly. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely,
Thaarane Sethunathan
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