Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter in hopes of dropping PHIL 206 and CLST 205 this semester. Unfortunately, I encountered many traumatic incidents this semester that were out of my control and prevented me from succeeding to the best of my abilities in my academics. I contacted QSAS in late October requesting academic consideration which was granted until November 12th. I also met with a counsellor from student wellness on two occasions along with a private therapist during this time. I thought that after 3-4 weeks to process and heal from what had happened I would be able to resume my studies normally, however, this was not the case. I have been deeply traumatized and upset due to what happened and have been unable to function at my best over the last couple of months.

I met with an academic advisor who recommended dropping the course if I felt that I would not be able to finish these courses or receive good grades in either. I am hoping to apply to law school in the coming year and per the academic advisor's recommendations, it is not optimal to have a bad grade on one's transcript when applying to law school. I have also decided to enroll in four courses next semester rather than five to lighten my load and hopefully find more success in my courses.

I am happy to provide any supporting documentation that I can to help with this process. I hope that my explanation has compelled whoever will be reading this letter that I am an ambitious student who has faced adversity this semester. I am eager to spend time over the holidays resting and recovering so that I can come back stronger next semester.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Best,

Emma Donnelly