Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dr. Jenn Stephenson
Associate Dean (Academic)

Dear Dr. Stephenson,

I am writing to request an appeal to drop both ASTR 101 (Summer, 2018) and WRIT 225 (Winter, 2019) from my transcript. I am placing both courses in my appeal due to my performance in both being affected by the same extenuating circumstances.

I have struggled with my mental health my whole life. When I was younger, I managed to get through my academics, but just barely and with great difficulty. I approached my family doctor for help. She diagnosed me with clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder, and I began my treatment. However, it was only within the last year or so we came to realize, eight years after my original diagnosis, the problems I was having instead stemmed from attention-deficit disorder.

Without any previous intervention, my ADD had become aggressive and debilitating. The treatments I had sought out, although somewhat helpful in suppressing my depression and anxiety, were not treating the root condition causing these secondary symptoms. In turn, this worsened my depression and anxiety and led to a complete emotional shutdown which even my medication could not curb. I abandoned my schoolwork to avoid the panic attacks it would trigger. When I attempted my third course, WRIT 225, it was because I had bullied myself into trying again, despite how badly I had struggled in ASTR 101. This led to another downward spiral and I abandoned my schoolwork once more. This adverse reaction to the stress was also why I did not drop my courses before the required dates. The paralysis was like nothing I had experienced before, and I felt unable to reach out for help. When finally I did, I was too late.

I have taken this long to submit an appeal because I wanted to take time to honestly assess my mental health and decide whether I would ever be ready to return.

I am extremely proud of my personal growth. After much self-reflection, reaching a correct diagnosis, and consistently receiving proper treatment for approximately a year, I am confident if I were allowed to resume my coursework, I could effectively handle all the challenges awaiting me.

Firstly, my future plan is to continue my current course of treatments to keep my ADD symptoms in check. The first course I would like to enroll in would be COGS 100 for Summer 2021. I will start off with at least two semesters of one course to allow a smooth transition back into university life. I have found several courses I intend to take, though am unsure of their availability due to my limited view of upcoming semesters. Following COGS 100, my strategy is to build a base of 100- and 200-level science courses and to follow them with psychology courses so I can have a solid start toward my BA in Psychology. I plan to seek assistance from The Learning Commons and a Learning Strategies Counsellor as needed. I also plan to be in frequent contact with my TAs and professors to ensure I am being held and holding myself accountable in my work. As an additional precaution, I plan to have the information of several tutors on hand in case I begin having difficulty with any material. There are several methods of studying and writing I have previously used and found success with specifically created to help those with ADD. I have applied them to training with my job, constructed similarly to classwork, and have had more success in learning material than I have ever had before. These tools will ensure my success in my future coursework.

As an aside, I would like to clarify the chronic underlying condition my doctor refers to in her note is my previous diagnosis of depression and anxiety. She wanted to keep it vague to protect my privacy.

Dr. Stephenson, I hope you can understand how the challenges I have faced came to affect my grades and my life, and I hope you can sense the conviction and passion I have in regards to continuing my education at Queens University. Queens gave me an opportunity I am extremely grateful to have received, though I was not yet prepared to use it to my advantage. Despite the adverse effect my unmanaged ADD and its secondary symptoms had, I have gained so much from my experience and have been able to change completely and for the better. I hope you will consider appealing my ASTR 101 and WRIT 225 grades so I may continue my interest studies at Queens University.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Kar-Leigh Kelso

kar-leigh@live.ca
4209 Mount Royal Dr.
Windsor, ON N9G 2C3