Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear board of studies,

I am writing this letter to ask for academic consideration to late drop two classes from fall term 2020, PHIL 301 and HLTH 416. I have been struggling with severe mental health conditions for many years. These conditions often times leave me feeling worthless and unable to function, this includes being unable to complete schoolwork. This year has been especially hard as I have been in the process of getting a new diagnosis, as well as switching my medication.

This September was the first time I have ever taken an online course. I was terrified because being able to have in person access to my professors has helped me excel in my previous years. Online school took a great tole on my mental health. It has made me feel extremely isolated, while I thrive and rely on social interactions to help me stay on track. When class was in person, everything that was expected of me was communicated clearly. Having to rely solely on the online platform is challenging for me as professors do not always use the platforms in a consistent way. I felt it was hard to navigate every course individually as it was inconsistent from class to class. This was especially difficult without peer support. Due to classes being online and not in person, it was easy to let my anxiety and ADHD control my lack of engagement, as I was not motivated to leave my house and attend class. Other matters played a huge roll in this as well, such as family and housemate situations. I found out my mother needed carotid artery surgery early December, my grandad was living his last months due to cancer, and I was being harassed by one of my housemates starting in the middle of October. On top of my original anxiety for online school, feeling unwanted in my own home in Kingston, as well as worrying about my mother and grandads¿¿ conditions, contributed greatly to me being unable to focus and complete my work.

I started the 2020 school year with 5 courses; however, dropped two courses by the proper drop date and reduced my course load to 3 courses. At first, my course load now seemed manageable, but then I started to panic once I realized it was too late to save my grades. By this point it was a few weeks past the drop date. I only completed one course last term as I felt like giving up, and I felt I had no other option but to only focus on one course. I have failed the other two (HLTH 416 & PHIL 301). No work was submitted in either of those two courses, leaving me with the only option of asking for an appeal to late drop.

The reason it has taken me so long to write my appeal, again is due to my debilitating anxiety, I often think nothing matters anyway and that I should not try. But as I am bettering myself and receiving more help, I finally felt ready to conquer this letter. Please also consider this note from my primary care physician Dr. Saliba. If you feel this note is not enough, I can contact my doctor for a more detailed note, as well as send proof of emails that I contacted Queens Harassment Services about my housemate situation. If these courses are not dropped, it will severely affect the rest of my academic career as I need a high GPA to apply to my next program, after graduating from Queens. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter, I look forward to hearing back from you.