Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing this appeal to drop a course (PHIL 260) after the academic deadline because there has been a wave of mental health issues that have impeded my ability to complete the course. These are extenuating circumstances beyond my control that have developed due to the pandemic, family issues, and general chronic stress that comes from dealing with mental health issues. I have been seeing therapy to try and alleviate the symptoms, but nothing has been working well enough to improve my performance in this class.

Briefly, I have been dealing with depression, generalized anxiety, invasive suicide ideation over the past several years, and a more recent surge of maladaptive daydreaming over the past 2 years. These issues combined have made it extremely hard to get motivated, hold concentration and recover from academic setbacks over the recent semesters. Although therapy has not helped as of yet, I have only recently pursued help in the past semester; I will be continuing to seek behavioral therapy for these issues and I believe that with more time, things will begin to improve. However, I do not believe I will reach this state by the end of this semester so this is why I am writing this appeal to drop this course.