Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

I am requesting appeal to drop the following courses past the academic deadline:
MATH 121 (SUM 2015), ANAT 215 (FALL 2015), CHEM 281 (Fall 2015), STAT 263 (FALL 2015), GEOL 106 (WIN 2016), HLTH 331 (WIN 2016), PHYS 117 (FALL/ WIN 2016), ANAT 315 (FALL 2017), PHGY 210 (WIN 2018)

The reason as to why there has been time elapsed since taking the course and appealing to drop the courses is because I was facing extenuating circumstances and my key focus was the challenges that I was facing in front of me. I did not know that appealing to drop the courses was an option at that time.

There were unforeseen personal events beyond my control which had directly affected my previous academic performance. I was dealing with depression since 2014, the start of my academic journey at Queen¿¿s University, however I did not reach out for help until 2015. Although I did receive consultation through a physician at Student Wellness Services and was able to diagnose it as mild depression, I was not able to effectively resolve or manage it. My mental health illness was in a worse condition when my grandmother passed away in 2016. It was difficult for me to overcome and process the passing while I was in university. The impact that these circumstances had on the courses that I am appealing is that I felt increasingly stressed and tired all the time, I had difficulty focusing/ concentration and felt unmotivated.

In hindsight, I wish I realized I needed to take a break from my education, make some personal adjustments and seek the necessary help. Now I have taken the necessary steps to proactively manage my condition. I have made some personal adjustments since then, I am now completing these online courses at home with my family, who is my personal support system. I have also modified my academic plan from the initial plan of completing a life sciences degree to a health sciences degree. I believe that this program is more suitable for me as the material was interesting which made the academic subjects I took generally rewarding. Last semester, I was able to register for student academic considerations for my extenuating circumstance and this semester, I have booked an appointment with Student Wellness Services on Tuesday, February 9th, 2021 with Dr. Lee to receive the necessary consultation and accommodations. I have made a conscious effort this academic year to reach out to the available resources provided by the university.

Having the failed nine courses is bringing my cumulative GPA lower and that it makes my cumulative GPA difficult to recover. Even though I was able to achieve a 3.0 GPA last semester, the cumulative GPA still is so low that I am in academic probation standing. If these courses are not dropped, I will not be able to rebuild my cumulative GPA. Regardless of what marks I achieve from now, these failed nine courses will definitely lower my GPA.

I am requesting to drop these courses past the academic deadline because I am a returning student and I wish to drop the failed courses from the past. I am now enrolled in prerequisite health science program courses to apply to be an interest student in the health science program. As of now, I am in poor academic standing, as I have many failed courses from past academic years that is bringing my cumulative GPA lower. I mentioned in my previous appeals that the previous academic performance is not the best representation of my capabilities. Upon returning to my studies, I prepared an academic plan to ensure I have a plan that will guide for the future years and I have updated the academic plan as the semesters go. This Fall 2020 semester, I have taken the following courses: ANAT 100, PHAR 100, IDIS 280, HLTH 230, MICR 270 and PHGY 170. Although I took six courses last semester, I was able to achieve a 3.0 GPA. This Winter 2021 semester, I am enrolled in five courses and am hoping to achieve a better semester average.

My academic plan is to apply as an interest student in the Health Sciences program with the focus in Global and Population Health. My intended graduation date would be Winter 2023 if I take a full course load for the remainder of the academic terms. This program is delivered online which allows some flexibility in the study schedule and allows me to study on my own pace. Since making this plan, I was able to obtain a 3.0 GPA Fall 2020 semester while taking 6 courses. The material was interesting which made the academic subjects I took generally rewarding. I believe this program is right for me as it has the core foundations of biomedical science as well as an opportunity to study health and disease through historical, societal, and global perspectives. I think this plan is more suited for my academic background and strengths.