Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: June 16, 2021 Sokolowski,Trevor
447 Alfred
Kingston, ON K7K 4J2

Dear Associate Deans for Academics,
My name is Trevor Sokolowski and am appealing to drop GPHY 310 and GPHY 336 (Fall, 2019) and appeal for credit standing for GEOL 200, and PSYC 205 (Fall, 2019).

The reason I am appealing the semester of Fall 2019 is because of the circumstances in which I completed it under. It was extremely difficult to complete anything as I was in a dark place from a mental health standpoint. When I was in this dark place I failed to complete many day-to-day activities such as proper nourishment, minuscule assignments, and simple quizzes. These difficulties compiled to result in habits that would not result in desired grades of the university or my own personal standards. These habits would result in: having a poor sleep schedule causing tiredness when copying notes, poor nutrition which resulted in low energy and thus not putting my best effort forward in assignments or quizzes. This period lasted for a large portion of the middle of the semester and continued to the end of the semester. After becoming aware of failing simple tasks, a feeling of hopelessness settled which caused each assignment to be a small fraction of my true potential. Since I carried myself with so much pride I sadly did not seek proper help in a professional manner, but luckily found refuge in talking to my older bother (Jason). Jason managed to get me out of this dark hole that I had been in for the Fall 2019 semester and back on my feet ready to pull up the grades that suffered immensely (grades of Fall of 2019). Jason talked with me when I came back home during the Christmas break after the Fall 2019 semester which changed my perspective on many thoughts that were plaguing my mind.

The start of the Winter 2020 semester was extremely important to fix the errors and difficulties of the Fall 2019 semester. Despite starting off strong, the rapid changes of COVID-19 posed a new challenge that I found difficulty adjusting to. The changes to virtual teaching was a barrier that took time to adjust to. However, time was not on my side and the exam season was too difficult for me to overcome. This resulted in another semester of poor grades forcing courses to be dropped so my CGPA did not get affected so harshly once again. After the tough Fall 2019 semester, my academic standing was in a difficult spot to pull up my grades but I was still going to try to bring my CGPA up. The following semester I had my bearings set for online learning and was in a healthy mental state to stay motivated and bring my CGPA up. I accomplished this goal by going from a 0.860 GPA in Fall 2019 to a 2.760 in Fall 2020 and a 2.670 in Winter 2021. I have shown promise and worked much harder for both academics and mental health which show the difficulty that the semester had brought upon me. I have come to a better understanding of setting my pride aside and seeking the help that is there for people in my situation which is why I am making sure that I appeal the semester of Fall 2019. Ignoring the difficulties that I had faced that semester did not help anyone and has caused me to reflect on how to fix these difficulties when they arise. I thought I could solve all my problems by myself but I have realized that seeking help from others makes the journey less daunting and much more manageable. Thank you for allowing me to explain the difficult circumstances that I have went through. It is difficult to bring these thoughts forward again but I have learned that people are human and understand many circumstances.

Since the semester of Fall 2019, I have developed strategies to ensure that I never reach this point academically and mentally. I have changed my priorities to better suit what is important in short and long timelines. Changes to my lifestyle include: putting my academic priorities first, putting values to certain tasks (diet, and exercise have helped immensely), having regular talks with family and friends to remind myself that I am not alone in my journey. I have had bi-monthly discussions with my brother to create a schedule and a safety net of reaching out so if I miss one it is realized and is a red flag that I need help. Academically I have adjusted sleep habits, manually writing notes to better retain information (even in virtual settings), and created full schedules to better track each assignment and its weight. I hope to continue to show what I am capable of despite the mistake of the Fall 2019 semester.
Sincerely,
-Trevor Sokolowski (20061824)