Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am appealing to drop three courses: BIOL 206 (Winter 2020), BCHM 218 (Fall 2019) and BCHM 218 (Summer 2021). I had failed these three courses in the past due to the extenuating circumstances of an undiagnosed learning disorder and the worsening of a mental health disorder which made it challenging for me to reach my full academic potential.

Throughout university, I have had difficulty with maintaining a good GPA due to my issues with attention and anxiety. As I entered university, I had transitioned from the support of several private tutors and family to independent work. I had trouble focusing in lectures and tutorials, handing in work before deadlines and difficulty with organization. This was especially evident in my second year; I happened to fail three courses including BCHM 218 (Fall 2019) and BIOL 206 (Winter 2020) because the amount of content was too difficult for me to process. Not only were those courses too difficult, but my study habits were heavily affected by the severity of my anxiety. I had a consultation with a doctor after the Winter semester to obtain documentation to appeal to drop two Summer courses after the deadline as my anxiety was too intense for me to complete those courses. After this episode, I managed to ease my anxiety with the help of school and private counsellors continuing to this day. In Summer 2021, I chose to take three courses to complete more units and to attempt to pass BCHM 218, which was unsuccessful. The course content was, once again, too difficult for me to process and I was unable to stay updated with the content. It was at this point where I decided to consult with one of the school??s psychologists to undergo the Queen??s Psychoeducational Assessment for ADHD. During this semester, I was granted Accommodations, consulted with counsellors and the Learning Strategist, and had access to proper medication which benefitted me greatly; this was evident in my transcript where I achieved my highest term GPA of 3.1. After consulting with the psychologist, she had determined a provisional diagnosis of mild-ADHD. I will hopefully be undertaking further testing through Queen??s RARC to gain further information during this semester ?? this is currently uncertain due to financial reasons.

If this appeal is granted, it would help to minimize the negative impacts on my GPA because of an undiagnosed learning disorder as well as a severe anxiety episode. I was unaware of the strategies that would help me succeed throughout my university career as I had last semester, with help from medical professionals, accommodations, and medication. One day, I aspire to be enrolled in a Master??s program to immerse myself in further education which would make me a competitive candidate for a future role in Sustainability Management. I will continue to meet with my doctor, counsellors and use the appropriate medication for a strong finish to my undergraduate degree. Thank you for taking the time to consider my appeal; granting me this appeal would allow for me to further succeed in my future endeavours without being held back by such extenuating circumstances.

Kind regards,

Emma Wensley
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