Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom this may concern,

My name is Abigail Klianis and I am a second-year student at Queen's, currently in a Plan for a major in Applied Economics and a minor in Political Studies. I am writing this letter in regards to my appeal to drop one of my courses for Fall 2021.

I want to begin by explaining that it was a difficult decision for me to allow myself to take the action to drop this course. I have always been a very academically driven individual, always enjoyed school and have always taken pride in my work. It is very out of character for me to drop a course as I have never been in a position where I was unhappy with my academics or overwhelmed in regards to my coursework in the past. Unfortunately, over the course of the past couple of months, I have noticed this motivation and pleasure, that school has always been for me, has slowly drained off. My current circumstance has taken a great toll on me, and are not fully conducive to my academic success or academic satisfaction. But, I believe a change of direction, to a path more suitable for my strengths and passions, will allow for an opportunity to prosper in the Queen??s community.

I have been struggling with a number of issues in my personal life over the past couple of months that have made it increasingly difficult for me as an individual to remain motivated at all. I have struggled with anxiety for years now, but have always been very proactive and do everything in my control to manage it, so it has never been an issue that I felt I needed to get help for.

I began to struggle greatly with my anxiety and depression right around the time of midterms, and was also very sick at the same time and could not manage to get better. With the lack of energy I had due to being sick, the lack of passion I possessed for my academics due to my dissatisfaction with my major choice, as well as the lack of motivation as a cause of my struggles with anxiety and depression, it became increasingly difficult to thrive academically.

I decided I was in need of help, contacted my doctor and have recently started on antidepressants and anxiety medication. I have also come to the realization that my lack of satisfaction and motivation towards my academics may be correlated to the fact that I am not truly enjoying my classes. I have always had a great love for writing, and strongly enjoy all of my Political Studies courses, and as a result, have decided to change my Plan for the coming semester, and am hoping to get more involved in the school community, through joining clubs and taking part in school activities. I have spoken to academic advising through Queen??s Services, and have been taking all the steps to be on track for my change of Plan.

I know this decision is the right decision for me, and I wish I was able to drop the course earlier in the semester, but unfortunately, everything progressed to this point following the Fall term drop date.

As mentioned before, I have always been a good student, with great academic motivation, and a passion for my academics. I know that all of these decisions, from getting help for dealing with my anxiety and depression through medication and weekly psychotherapy sessions, to making the decision to change my major, will all improve my future academic success, as well as my overall mental state and happiness. I love Queen??s, and I am looking forward to becoming more involved as a member of the community, as well as joining the Political Science Department.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kindest Regards,
Abigail Klianis