Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dr. Stephenson,

I write to you as I am appealing to drop (Fall/Winter) SOCY 122, PSYC 100, POLS 110, ECON 110, (Fall) CLST 102, (Winter) COGS 100. Evidently that is the entire course load I took this past year at Queen's, however I have my reasons for why I must do this. When I was first accepted into Queen's and began planning my course load I was fully aware of the circumstances Covid-19 had caused for the school year, that being classes would be held online exclusively. Originally I did not think this was a problem that I could not handle. As the first term came closer to its close however my mental health degraded and old habits and coping mechanisms manifested themselves again. Approximately one year ago I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and I have been working hard to better myself, but the stresses of school and the online format was a detriment to my mental health and I relapsed into a state where I felt I could no longer push myself to do the work I knew I had to do, at that period it was difficult to do anything but feel sorry for myself, which is disappointing to me as I want to strive for success and to be exemplary. I should have dropped my second term when I recognized that I was having these problems again, but stubborn determination to do better led me to try and push forward after the break, which ended up making me feel worse then before and crash even deeper into a depressive state. I wish to have a second chance at my first year, with the help of a counsellor I know I can do so much better. I want to prove to myself that this is something I can succeed at despite this failure. I plan to take the same, or many of the same, courses but this time with stronger mental fortitude and support from a counsellor. I know this degree is something I want to achieve, and i have a passion for the topic I'm studying, I just need another chance to prove it.

- Atticus Lynch