Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies):

My name is Christina Holmes and I am a fourth year Psychology student here at Queen??s University. I am appealing for a credit standing (CR) mark in ITLN 111 (Beginning Italian) for the current term; Summer 2021.

The past few months, I have been struggling with unforeseen mental health issues that are beyond my control and it has taken a negative toll on my academic performance. My marks from first semester to second semester of the 2020-2021 school year dropped as I struggled with increasing mental health issues while balancing a full course load. I thought that participating in a single course over the summer would be manageable, but I have watched my mark steadily decline through the course due to myself juggling a full-time job, the class and suffering mental health. I have had to ask for an extension on an assignment within the class already and fear for the reproductions of the poor mark on my grad school plans. I knew going into the summer that my mental health was less than ideal and have continued seeking help from my therapist and doctor to sort out hormone imbalances and medication issues. I would like to continue the class as I have been trying to take the course for the last few years but was never able to work it into my schedule. Therefore, I kindly ask my appeal to make the course a credit standing course be granted, so I can continue to learn and study at my pace without the additional stress of a poor mark damaging my GPA for future grad school applications. I did apply to make the class a pass/fail but unfortunately, I missed the deadline. I did not apply at an earlier date because the beginning of the course was strong for me, but additional personal issues and increased work stress have resulted in a rapid deterioration of my academic performance. My mental health has been somewhat of a rollercoaster for the past year and a half and I have been trying everything in my power to continue on an uphill trajectory. However, I unfortunately suffer from issues outside of my control and have no power over when the bad times hit. Removing the additional stress of this ITLN 111 course dramatically effecting my overall GPA will aid in helping me get back to positively improving my mental health.

With regards to my future plans, I plan to continue taking my required PSYC courses and have already secured a supervisor for the PSYC 570 directed lab. I will continue to monitor my mental health and work with my mental health professionals to determine if I should take 4 or 5 courses in the fall. I am continuing to work with my fantastic health care team to get my mental health back where I would like it to be. I am continuing to prioritize my mental health and in doing so will be making every effort to set myself up in a way that will allow me to positively improve my mental states. I greatly appreciate your time and consideration.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Christina Holmes