Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Part A (Request):
I am appealing to receive a Credit Standing for CHIN 100, which I took as a second year in the 2020-2021 school year.

Part B (Explanation of Extenuating Circumstance):
This past school year, I suffered from panic attacks and feelings of anxiety. It started toward the middle of the fall term, where I would get panic attacks. These panic attacks were relatively short and did not seem to be related to any particular trigger, so I brushed it off. Eventually, the panic attacks and feelings of anxiety got more frequent and seemed to happen especially when I was interacting with other people, like the CHIN 100 synchronous zoom lectures where participation was mandatory and our cameras had to be on.
I did not drop this course earlier as I need a language course for my DEVs major. Additionally, although I mentioned to my CHIN 100 prof that I was struggling (I have attached an email I sent), and sought help from a counsellor in December at the request of my parents, I did not talk about my panic attacks and brushed off my feelings as burn-out. I did not mention my poor academic performance or panic attacks associated with class to my counselor as I felt ashamed and thought I could overcome it on my own. When winter semester began and I began to miss class for fear of panic attacks, I began to feel anxious about the class in general and it became very difficult to do simple tasks (such as weekly homework sheets), and my grade suffered significantly. In the middle of winter semester, I had a breakdown and my housemate suggested that I see a Queen¿¿s counsellor. My counsellor helped me come up with coping strategies that targeted my academic performance. She also gave me documentation which I used to ask my CHIN 100 prof to let me turn my camera off and not call on me during lectures. Although this helped immensely, it was already well into winter semester, and it became incredibly difficult to keep up with the Chinese vocabulary and content that had been taught throughout the year.
I am asking to receive a Credit Standing for this course specifically as it was my only full-year course this year, so when I started struggling in fall semester, it became extremely hard to catch up in the winter semester as everything was cumulative. Additionally, it was my only course that was synchronous and participation was required, so I did not get panic attacks when trying to absorb the content of other classes.
Other than CHIN 100, I have never received a grade below an A- and take pride in putting my full effort into my courses. I am confident that if I had not been struggling with my mental health this year, I would have had a much higher grade in the class. I am seeking a Credit Standing as I know that this grade is not reflective of my effort as a student in this class, but rather the personal obstacles that I had to tackle. Additionally, although they are usually reserved for grades of C and below, I am appealing for a Credit Standing for CHIN 100 as it significantly brings down my GPA. As I am aiming to apply to competitive masters programs (and scholarships) at Oxford and Princeton, this singular grade threatens to bring my GPA below the application threshold for competitive schools. Despite getting mostly As and A+s, without a Credit Standing in CHIN 100, my GPA would be brought down below the minimum threshold for my dream masters programs, and prevent other aspects of my application such as my extracurriculars from being considered.

Part C (Future Plan):
Having learned from this experience, I have a plan to ensure my academic success in the coming terms. I have had a meeting with a local counsellor and am looking to have more frequent sessions to keep on track with my mental health and understand my triggers for panic attacks and feelings of anxiety. Having sought out help and a support system, my mental health is substantially better and I am confident that should I struggle again, I am aware of the resources available to me and will use them in a timely manner; I will not force myself to go through months of struggle before I seek relevant accommodation. Additionally, although I do not intend to take CHIN 200 (and therefore do not need the grade for CHIN 100 as a prerequisite), I am learning chinese with a tutor over the summer. This is because I am dedicated to learning, and I am confident that I would have enjoyed and excelled at the subject during the year had it not been for my personal circumstance.