Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Academic Plan: I am currently enrolled as a BSH Geography student with a minor in Geology. Geography is my desired degree plan and I intend to continue my studies within the department. However, I would like to transfer from a BSH to a general BSC, I believe that receiving a general Bachelor's Degree is the best course of action to maintain my mental health by reducing my course load and still obtain a degree in my preferred field. Whether I am granted the opportunity to transfer from a BSH to a BSC or not, I intend to drop my minor in Geology in order to focus my efforts towards my major. The minimum GPA to graduate with a BSC is 1.6, currently, I have a GPA of 1.52, however should my request for the appeal of GPHY 250 and GPHY 319 in Summer 2021 as well as GPHY 305 and GPHY 312 in Winter 2021 be granted my new GPA will be 1.726, above the 1.6 minimum for graduation and to be considered in good academic standing.

If I am allowed to transfer to a BSC my remaining courses are as follows, according to the Queens University Department of Geography Website;
GPHY 208 (3u)
6 units from GPHY_Human at the 200 level or above
6 units from GPHY_Physical; GPHY_Tech/Methods at the 300 level or above
The above courses would complete 15 of my remaining 21 units needed to complete a General Bachelor's Degree (total of 90 units). My plan is to complete 9 units in the Winter 2022 semester and 12 units in the Fall 2022 semester.

If I remain enrolled in a BSH my remaining courses are as follows, according to the Queens University Department of Geography Website;
GPHY 208 (3u)
6 units from GPHY_Human at the 200 level or above
3 units from GPHY_Physical; GPHY_Tech/Methods at the 300 level or above
3 units from GPHY_Physical; GPHY_Tech/Methods at the 100 level or above
6 units from GPHY_Physical; GPHY_Tech/Methods or GISC at the 300 level or above
6 units from ASC Sciences (Excluding GPHY) at the 200 level or above
GPHY 415 (6u)
The above courses would complete 33 of my remaining 51 units needed to complete an Honours Bachelor's Degree (total of 120 units). My plan would be to complete 12 units in each of the Winter 2022, Fall 2022, and Winter 2023 semesters, 3 units in the Summer 2023 semester and finish my remaining 12 units in the Fall 2023 semester.

I have attached a rough draft of a weekly schedule, using the template provided on the SASS website. This version of my weekly schedule was created with a switch to BSC in mind (3 courses/9 units in Winter 2022), should I remain in a BSH I will add a course that completes one of my ASC Sciences (Excluding GPHY) at the 200 level or above requirements. I have checked SOLUS and all lectures and labs/practicums included in my schedule are currently available, should one become unavailable I will either add another ASC Science course or GPHY 230 or 312 (both have conflicting class times with GPHY 315). Either of these alternatives add to finishing both a BSC or BSH requirement.

My current plan is to remain as a full-time student but take a lighter course load. I plan on starting with 3 courses during my first semester back in order to slowly re-adjust to academic life after time off and a full year of online learning during the 2020/2021 academic year. Taking a lighter course load will also allow me more time to focus on my mental health and make it easier to fit counselling appointments into my class schedule.

In the future, I plan on never exceeding 4 courses (12 units) per semester in order to maintain my goal of managing my mental illness. In some cases there is the possibility of my mental illness causing debilitating side effects, especially related to focus, time management and motivation. For this reason, minimizing my course load to make time for mental wellness is essential. In both my plan to complete a BSC and my plan to complete a BSH, I am prepared to add an additional semester (Summer 2022 or Winter 2023 for a BSC/Winter 2024 for a BSH) should I find that 3 courses per semester is a more realistic goal.

The main challenge I have encountered is my clinical depression, which can have acute episodes triggered by large amounts of stress. I plan on addressing it in the future by continuing to receive regular counselling sessions from a trained and certified mental health professional and to continue with prescribed medication as myself and my physician see fit. I will also be mindful of the stress in my life, in the past I have taken on too much early in the semester and quickly fallen behind, which caused me to feel overwhelmed and could result in a depressive episode. I plan on limiting my courses each semester in order to reduce the amount of stress and to better focus my time and efforts into both my school work and mental wellness. Along with limiting my course load, I have learned time management skills and mechanisms to identify when stress is beginning to negatively affect my mental health, I believe that these tools will be incredibly beneficial to my study habits. I plan to continue growing on these new skills and developing additional ones with a councillor or therapist. I have researched therapists in Kingston and have found 2 that I believe could be a good fit for myself, I plan on making in-take appointments with both when I return to Kingston so I can continue in-person sessions and set up continuous long-term management of my mental illness.

Additionally, I plan to utilize resources on campus, such as booking an academic skills appointment during my first few weeks back in Kingston to review and adjust my weekly schedule, as well as to discuss ways in which I can better prevent procrastination. In the past I have failed to recognize the importance of establishing positive habits early in the semester, I am determined to establish them this year and believe that the many SASS resources (academic skills appointments, time management matrix, the ABC method, workshops, etc.) will be excellent resources in helping me do so.