Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 7851
Submitted: June 14, 2021 at 11:10:32 PM
First Name: William
Last Name: Young
Student Number: 20095964
Email: 17wlby@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: ECON - General Plan
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,
I am writing in response to your letter informing me that I must withdraw for one year from the Faculty of Arts and Science, effective May 25, 2021.
Its difficult for me to capture just how disappointed I was to receive your letter, and I am writing to appeal this decision based on a number of extenuating circumstances which have impacted my academic performance in the last two years, including my mental health, my learning disability, difficulties adjusting to online learning, and issues with course selection.
In my first year at Queens, I found myself struggling with mental health issues, specifically anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, I didnt seek help at the time for these issues, and this made the already difficult transition to university life even harder for me. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic my anxiety and depression became even more pronounced and prevalent in my life and made everyday functioning very difficult.
My situation is more complicated by the fact that I also suffer from ADHD and find it very difficult to organize myself and take initiative, as my executive function is seriously impaired by this disability.
Although I had an IEP in high school, I have not had academic accommodations throughout my time at Queens. I spoke to accommodations services after first year to begin the process of getting accommodations but do not think I ever received a follow up from them about it. I think that my lack of initiative to get accommodations stems from my executive function deficiency as well as my anxiety, which made it seem as if getting accommodations was an impossible task.
All of these issues compounded themselves this year with the transition to online learning. With a lack of routine and schedule I found myself in a situation that was almost impossible for me to do well in, and anxiety about COVID made focusing on school even more difficult than it already was. As a result I ended up dropping most of my courses in first semester, and still did poorly in the courses I did finish. Then I caught the coronavirus in late December, right before exams, which made studying for and doing well on exams extremely difficult.
Lastly, my academic performance this year was severely impacted by my not being able to choose the courses I wanted on SOLUS. The date of my course selection, August 24th, was very late this past year, and as a result I was unable to take most courses in my program, economics, and was only able to take one econ course. I was also unable to retake any courses I had previously failed, which made it next to impossible to effectively raise my GPA.
Despite my challenges, I did my best to succeed and unfortunately I fell short. I disappointed myself, and my professors, and know that I am capable of so much more.
I am highly motivated to return to Queens in the fall, and to start seeking more help for the things that have been challenging for me. I have already begun to see a therapist who has been a great help, and I believe in my heart of hearts that I can turn things around, and I hope that you look on my appeal favorably.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Young
I am writing in response to your letter informing me that I must withdraw for one year from the Faculty of Arts and Science, effective May 25, 2021.
Its difficult for me to capture just how disappointed I was to receive your letter, and I am writing to appeal this decision based on a number of extenuating circumstances which have impacted my academic performance in the last two years, including my mental health, my learning disability, difficulties adjusting to online learning, and issues with course selection.
In my first year at Queens, I found myself struggling with mental health issues, specifically anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, I didnt seek help at the time for these issues, and this made the already difficult transition to university life even harder for me. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic my anxiety and depression became even more pronounced and prevalent in my life and made everyday functioning very difficult.
My situation is more complicated by the fact that I also suffer from ADHD and find it very difficult to organize myself and take initiative, as my executive function is seriously impaired by this disability.
Although I had an IEP in high school, I have not had academic accommodations throughout my time at Queens. I spoke to accommodations services after first year to begin the process of getting accommodations but do not think I ever received a follow up from them about it. I think that my lack of initiative to get accommodations stems from my executive function deficiency as well as my anxiety, which made it seem as if getting accommodations was an impossible task.
All of these issues compounded themselves this year with the transition to online learning. With a lack of routine and schedule I found myself in a situation that was almost impossible for me to do well in, and anxiety about COVID made focusing on school even more difficult than it already was. As a result I ended up dropping most of my courses in first semester, and still did poorly in the courses I did finish. Then I caught the coronavirus in late December, right before exams, which made studying for and doing well on exams extremely difficult.
Lastly, my academic performance this year was severely impacted by my not being able to choose the courses I wanted on SOLUS. The date of my course selection, August 24th, was very late this past year, and as a result I was unable to take most courses in my program, economics, and was only able to take one econ course. I was also unable to retake any courses I had previously failed, which made it next to impossible to effectively raise my GPA.
Despite my challenges, I did my best to succeed and unfortunately I fell short. I disappointed myself, and my professors, and know that I am capable of so much more.
I am highly motivated to return to Queens in the fall, and to start seeking more help for the things that have been challenging for me. I have already begun to see a therapist who has been a great help, and I believe in my heart of hearts that I can turn things around, and I hope that you look on my appeal favorably.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Young
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Dear Dr. Stephenson,
I have given a great deal of thought to my decision to appeal the academic requirement to withdraw and have developed what I believe is a realistic plan, a detailed roadmap with well defined academic goals that will help get me back on track and position me for success.
My academic plan upon my return to studies will focus on two main areas - taking the right courses in order to ensure my success, and utilizing the resources available to me at Queens in order to help myself develop coping strategies and better executive function skills. Specifically, I will utilize resources to help me better deal with academic demands, my academic interests, and my academic skills and habits.
The focus of my studies upon my return to Queens will be retaking previously failed courses as well as retaking courses which I finished with low grades, which I hope will effectively raise my grade point average. Additionally, I plan on taking third year econ courses, specifically econometrics, which I have wanted to study since I began taking economics in high school. In terms of workload expectations, I believe that with accommodations and other strategies for success at my disposal five courses per semester should not be too much for me to handle, especially if in-class lectures were to return this fall.
Currently, I am happy with my degree plan, but, depending on my academic performance upon my return to studies I may consider switching to an economics major from the general economics plan. For this reason, I would plan on taking third year core econ courses alongside courses that I would be retaking. I believe this is a plan that would set me up for success as I am passionate about economics and am very driven to improve my grades in courses which I have previously done poorly in. With this in mind I believe it is not unreasonable for me to graduate in four or five semesters if I were to take solely economics courses in my fifth year of studies.
In terms of strategies for success, I realize that there have been many things holding me back from succeeding, first and foremost being myself, and my unwillingness to seek help when I need it, which I think is a result of my anxiety, depression and ADHD making it seem like an impossible task. I have come to understand this better since I began seeing a therapist a few months ago, someone I plan to continue seeing on a regular basis moving forward.
With this in mind I will seek to help myself when I return to studies and employ the resources available to me at Queens. First and foremost I will aim to contact QSAS and get accommodations for my ADHD, which I think will greatly help me at succeeding academically, and will lift a burden off my shoulders which has been there since first year. I also believe that my commitment to ongoing therapy for my mental health issues which will help me develop coping strategies and strategies for success.
Some other strategies I will employ to help me with academic demands will be to seek help from my professors and TAs when I need it, as well as attending office hours on a regular basis. Im also committed to engaging tutors when needed to help me with courses that are proving to be challenging, and I will consult with a learning strategist as well as academic advisors to help me with my work habits, something that should help me develop better academic skills.
I recognize that this past year one of the challenges for me was I was not as engaged in the course material as I would have liked to have been. I chalk that up to the fact that they were neither part of my degree nor courses which I wanted to retake, which in my opinion, mixed with all my other problems, created a perfect storm for my failure.
I have done a lot of soul searching since receiving the letter advising me that I need to take a year off of my studies. I know I can do better. And I am extremely disappointed in myself and know that I have let down not only myself, but also my family, and my professors. This coming year I hope to return to Queens and know that with the right supports in place, and a plan that I can stick to, I will be in a much better place to achieve my potential.
Best wishes,
Bill Young
I have given a great deal of thought to my decision to appeal the academic requirement to withdraw and have developed what I believe is a realistic plan, a detailed roadmap with well defined academic goals that will help get me back on track and position me for success.
My academic plan upon my return to studies will focus on two main areas - taking the right courses in order to ensure my success, and utilizing the resources available to me at Queens in order to help myself develop coping strategies and better executive function skills. Specifically, I will utilize resources to help me better deal with academic demands, my academic interests, and my academic skills and habits.
The focus of my studies upon my return to Queens will be retaking previously failed courses as well as retaking courses which I finished with low grades, which I hope will effectively raise my grade point average. Additionally, I plan on taking third year econ courses, specifically econometrics, which I have wanted to study since I began taking economics in high school. In terms of workload expectations, I believe that with accommodations and other strategies for success at my disposal five courses per semester should not be too much for me to handle, especially if in-class lectures were to return this fall.
Currently, I am happy with my degree plan, but, depending on my academic performance upon my return to studies I may consider switching to an economics major from the general economics plan. For this reason, I would plan on taking third year core econ courses alongside courses that I would be retaking. I believe this is a plan that would set me up for success as I am passionate about economics and am very driven to improve my grades in courses which I have previously done poorly in. With this in mind I believe it is not unreasonable for me to graduate in four or five semesters if I were to take solely economics courses in my fifth year of studies.
In terms of strategies for success, I realize that there have been many things holding me back from succeeding, first and foremost being myself, and my unwillingness to seek help when I need it, which I think is a result of my anxiety, depression and ADHD making it seem like an impossible task. I have come to understand this better since I began seeing a therapist a few months ago, someone I plan to continue seeing on a regular basis moving forward.
With this in mind I will seek to help myself when I return to studies and employ the resources available to me at Queens. First and foremost I will aim to contact QSAS and get accommodations for my ADHD, which I think will greatly help me at succeeding academically, and will lift a burden off my shoulders which has been there since first year. I also believe that my commitment to ongoing therapy for my mental health issues which will help me develop coping strategies and strategies for success.
Some other strategies I will employ to help me with academic demands will be to seek help from my professors and TAs when I need it, as well as attending office hours on a regular basis. Im also committed to engaging tutors when needed to help me with courses that are proving to be challenging, and I will consult with a learning strategist as well as academic advisors to help me with my work habits, something that should help me develop better academic skills.
I recognize that this past year one of the challenges for me was I was not as engaged in the course material as I would have liked to have been. I chalk that up to the fact that they were neither part of my degree nor courses which I wanted to retake, which in my opinion, mixed with all my other problems, created a perfect storm for my failure.
I have done a lot of soul searching since receiving the letter advising me that I need to take a year off of my studies. I know I can do better. And I am extremely disappointed in myself and know that I have let down not only myself, but also my family, and my professors. This coming year I hope to return to Queens and know that with the right supports in place, and a plan that I can stick to, I will be in a much better place to achieve my potential.
Best wishes,
Bill Young
Documentation
Professional Letter: WY-Letter-09JUN2021.pdf
Professional Letter Detail: Letter from therapist
Document: Bill Young assessment Dec2015.pdf
Documentation Detail: ADHD assessment
Document: WLY IEP Crescent 17_18.pdf
Documentation Detail: IEP documentation
Decision Letters
History
Originally submitted June 14, 2021 at 11:10:32 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Incomplete | Kerri Andrews | 2021-06-15 8:50:52 AM | |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | In Review | Kerri Andrews | 2021-06-15 5:11:14 PM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Granted with Conditions | Kerri Andrews | 2021-06-28 11:15:07 AM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D. | Kerri Andrews | 2021-06-28 11:15:07 AM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Kerri Andrews | 2021-06-28 11:15:45 AM |