Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 7431
Submitted: March 10, 2021 at 3:15:00 AM
First Name: Xianzhi
Last Name: Zhang
Student Number: 20148117
Email: 18xz63@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: GPHY
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,
I am Xianzhi Zhang and I major in Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) Geography, and my Queen's student ID is 20148117. I plan to take four winter-session courses abroad in a Spanish university named Universidad Catolica San Antonio De Murcia (UCAM) in 2021.
I have some reasons why I choose to take courses at another institution and transfer the credits back to Queen's. Firstly, according to the regulation of the ILOP application, we're able to take 4 courses in the summer term and 18 units in the winter term. As per Academic Regulation 16.1.3, a student can include a maximum of 57.0 transfer units in their degree plan with no more than 24.0 units of these 57.0 units counting towards their Major Plan and no more than 12.0 units counting towards their Minor Plan. The total units of my transfer credits plus the additional courses that I want to make don't exceed the requirement above.
Although I got 54 units until now (only calculating units towards bachelor degree of arts), I only took four courses and three courses in the fall term and winter term separately this year. By balancing the total credits, I only have six extra credits. Also, because I'm a Con-ed student as well, I need to take five years plus an extra semester (almost six years) to graduate, thus I want to take additional courses in the summer school. Since I only have three courses this semester, I think I'm okay to take extra courses in the summer school. The regulation of ILOP only has course limitations for each term, but I don't exceed the limit. It doesn't limit the courses that one student can take according to their total credits.
The other reason is that the tuition for International students is really expensive. My mom suffered from poor health, and her medical expenses are really expensive as well, especially for this year since her condition steadily deteriorated. The doctor said that if her condition continues to get worse, she might have gastric cancer in the end. And my brother is only seven years old, my mom has to pay his tuition as well. Although I have part-time jobs, but it's still difficult for me. Luckily, the tuition of summer school is relatively low. Therefore, I have to save money to make a living.
The courses I listed on the ILOP application are GPHY207 Principles of Biogeography (equivalent to UCAM's 13910 Biogeography), GPHY208 Surface Process, Landforms, and Soils (equivalent to UCAM's 13907 Earth Surface Processes and Landform), GPHY 209 Weather and Climate (equivalent to UCAM's 13915 Weather), GPHY240 Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Geography (equivalent to UCAM's 13912 Qualitative Methods in Geography) and GPHY229 Place, Space, Culture and Social Life (equivalent to UCAM's 13914 Space, Place, Culture and Society), and I wish to take four of them. The courses will be offered online due to the outbreak of pandemic COVID-19.
Hopefully you may take time of your busy schedule to kindly grant me a Letter of Permission. Thank you very much
Best Regards,
Xianzhi Zhang
I am Xianzhi Zhang and I major in Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) Geography, and my Queen's student ID is 20148117. I plan to take four winter-session courses abroad in a Spanish university named Universidad Catolica San Antonio De Murcia (UCAM) in 2021.
I have some reasons why I choose to take courses at another institution and transfer the credits back to Queen's. Firstly, according to the regulation of the ILOP application, we're able to take 4 courses in the summer term and 18 units in the winter term. As per Academic Regulation 16.1.3, a student can include a maximum of 57.0 transfer units in their degree plan with no more than 24.0 units of these 57.0 units counting towards their Major Plan and no more than 12.0 units counting towards their Minor Plan. The total units of my transfer credits plus the additional courses that I want to make don't exceed the requirement above.
Although I got 54 units until now (only calculating units towards bachelor degree of arts), I only took four courses and three courses in the fall term and winter term separately this year. By balancing the total credits, I only have six extra credits. Also, because I'm a Con-ed student as well, I need to take five years plus an extra semester (almost six years) to graduate, thus I want to take additional courses in the summer school. Since I only have three courses this semester, I think I'm okay to take extra courses in the summer school. The regulation of ILOP only has course limitations for each term, but I don't exceed the limit. It doesn't limit the courses that one student can take according to their total credits.
The other reason is that the tuition for International students is really expensive. My mom suffered from poor health, and her medical expenses are really expensive as well, especially for this year since her condition steadily deteriorated. The doctor said that if her condition continues to get worse, she might have gastric cancer in the end. And my brother is only seven years old, my mom has to pay his tuition as well. Although I have part-time jobs, but it's still difficult for me. Luckily, the tuition of summer school is relatively low. Therefore, I have to save money to make a living.
The courses I listed on the ILOP application are GPHY207 Principles of Biogeography (equivalent to UCAM's 13910 Biogeography), GPHY208 Surface Process, Landforms, and Soils (equivalent to UCAM's 13907 Earth Surface Processes and Landform), GPHY 209 Weather and Climate (equivalent to UCAM's 13915 Weather), GPHY240 Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Geography (equivalent to UCAM's 13912 Qualitative Methods in Geography) and GPHY229 Place, Space, Culture and Social Life (equivalent to UCAM's 13914 Space, Place, Culture and Society), and I wish to take four of them. The courses will be offered online due to the outbreak of pandemic COVID-19.
Hopefully you may take time of your busy schedule to kindly grant me a Letter of Permission. Thank you very much
Best Regards,
Xianzhi Zhang
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Because of my family's condition, I might choose to gap one year to take care of my mom and brother in China, thus I want to take additional courses in the summer school to make up the credits. In this condition, I will graduate in Fall 2023. Otherwise, I may choose to graduate in Spring 2022, and I will take a lighter course load in my third year if I could get the Letter of Permission. Here are my academic plans. I may choose one of them depends on my mom's healthy condition.
Documentation Detail: Statement of Application for LOP