Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to you to request a credit standing (CR) in the course STATS263, as I had a migraine during the final exam and could not complete it to the best of my abilities. I have suffered from migraines for years and have been prescribed medication to manage them. However, if the medication is not taken at the onset of the migraine, it does not work. Before the exam, I felt a migraine beginning, so, I took my medication and decided to take the exam. Part of the reason I was so keen on continuing is that I had already deferred this exam once due to having Covid-19, and I did not want to reschedule for a second time. Although I had taken the medication, it had not been soon enough, and it did not kick in.
Along with being extremely painful, my migraines also cause me to be sensitive to light, and I experience aura (spots in my visions) and vomiting. Because of this, it was challenging for me to look at my computer screen and focus on the exam. Usually, when I get a migraine, the protocol is to lie in a dark room and attempt to sleep it off. Since I had already started the exam, I tried a couple of questions and then randomly entered numbers for the rest, as I couldn't handle the bright light of my computer screen and spots in my vision. My migraine that day lasted for five hours and I experienced it during the entire duration of my exam.

I am unsure of my exact mark on the exam however, I can assume it was well under fifty percent as I entered random values for most of the exam. Additionally, I can estimate my grade going into the exam was a B- / C+ (quiz average was a B and mid-term mark was a C+), and I finished the course with a D-. This mark is not consistent with the rest of my work in the course, nor does it reflect my knowledge of the content. I have learned not to attempt an exam in the future if I am feeling unwell.