Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: March 29, 2021

Sujan Shrirangathas
19 Celestine Drive
Etobicoke, Ontario
M9R 3M9

To: The Associate Dean (Academic)

To whom it may concern.

I, Sujan Shrirangathas am appealing to drop HIST200 (Fall 2015) from my academic record ¿¿ as the request to have the course removed has been declined.

Due to my poor high school grades, I was not able to be enrolled in any university programs. Therefore, I decided to apply at Queen¿¿s University as an Interest Student. With most of my work experience being in the non-profit sector, I was looking to be admitted to the Global Development B.A program. I enrolled myself into the HIST200 course for the Fall 2015 semester. I realize now that I should have looked into starting with a 100 level course prior to apply for a 200 course. Due to this, I did not understand the basics of the course and I practically signed up for failure. My study habits were also all over the place and I lacked focus while looking to complete the course. I completed the a few quizzes and realized that I was not going to pass the course. I did not drop the course since I knew I will not be receiving a refund for the course. After receiving a grade of ¿¿F¿ on the course, I decided to take a break from school and figure myself out ¿¿ while working full time.

During my time off from Queen¿¿s, I¿¿ve been to two psychotherapists to help me with me academic struggles and my mental health. In the past three years, both therapists have let me know that I likely have symptoms of a learning disability or ADHD. Attached is a letter of support from my current therapist. We went through my school report cards from kindergarten to high school and realized that there was a pattern when it came to the comments from my teachers. The most common remarks were that I:
¿¿ Had difficulty listening or paying attention
¿¿ Rushed my work and didn¿¿t complete them properly
¿¿ Need to participate more and seemed intimated around others
¿¿ Need to avoid unnecessary mistakes and be more careful
¿¿ Need to put more effort in my work and have a plan to succeed

I have been working with my therapist to find techniques to concentrate and complete work in order to receive good grades in the future. Both my therapist and I have decided that it is time for me to give school another chance as I have a better knowledge/understand about what caused to do poorly in the past and now I know of ways to succeed in my academic future. I have met with a Queen¿¿s academic advisor and I also have contacted the Regional Assessment Centre (RAC) about their services that can help me when I enroll in a class for the Fall 2021 semester. Prior to the Fall semester, I will be taking a Grade 12 (4U) course to gain some university preparation and get my ¿¿feet wet¿ in school again.

The past five years have taught me a lot about myself and I realized all the mistakes I made when it comes to my academics. Since I have figured out ways to succeed in school, I would be grateful if I can get an opportunity to start ¿¿from scratch¿ and have HIST 200 course grade removed from my record. I realize that this can be my final chance at school, so I will put all my effort to do well in the next two courses in order to officially be enrolled into the BA ¿¿ Global Development program. Should I be struggling, I will definitely not hesitate to work with RAC and my therapist to figure out new techniques to fight my struggle with learning disabilities.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Regards,
Sujan Shrirangathas
647-455-5754