Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Academic),
In February of 2022, I displayed symptoms of an illness that is aggravated by times of extreme stress. These symptoms sometimes leave me bedridden for days, if not initially managed properly. 2 hours before my Chem 112 final exam I received a personal phone call that made me reach a level of stress high enough to trigger symptoms. These symptoms are unique from everyday stress, which I can manage, and instead trigger a deeper anxiety which makes it difficult for me to see, think rationally, breathe and makes my senses go into overdrive, which often gives me migraines. I've found myself getting more impulsive and extreme during these states.
Therefore, as my exam was about to begin and I was physically unable to rationalise my actions, I decided to go ahead with it. As the exam progressed my condition worsened. From what I can remember, I submitted the exam early as it grew difficult to read the words on the screen and I couldn??t think through and understand the questions and couldn't breathe. Immediately after the exam I called my parents who then contacted my psychologist and I was able to get myself back under control for the remainder of my finals. The day itself is difficult to remember, as I was not all together there mentally.
I have also submitted a doctor??s note from one of my doctors in Bahrain. She has been there from the very start and I thought she would be best able to relay and validate my condition.
These circumstances were entirely out of my control as I know that had I not received that phone call I would have performed much better in chemistry overall. At the end of the first semester I was sitting at an A-/A (just on the border) and I ended up receiving a B after my final. I worked twice as hard during the semester to secure a better grade, and as a result to receive a letter grade of B would mean that I did significantly worse on the final specifically, relative to my other submissions. I am an otherwise good student, typically only getting As and A+s in other subjects of equal difficulty. Therefore, relative to my current grades, this B is an extreme outlier and much lower than what I would deem as an accurate indication of my capabilities. I feel as though including this grade in my GPA calculations is unjust as had that day gone differently I know I would have secured a grade 2 or 3 grades higher. I am aware that the CR is typically reserved for cases of receiving a C grade of lower, but my GPA has been skewed significantly by this grade all because of one phone call. A year of hard work sabotaged. And now it will be on my transcript forever. Additionally, it would have been mathematically unlikely for me to receive lower than a C grade as I mentioned previously, my grades were already good and the final was worth 30%, meaning that I would have had to receive a 0 on the final to get a grade lower than C. As I worked hard that year and had an established foundation, I still did the best I could with the final with whatever I could remember.
Had I had the skills I do now in the middle of April, I would have been better able to manage my symptoms before they exacerbated. Ultimately, it was a physiological response, and it is difficult to fight one's own biology.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration, I look forward to hearing what you decide.
All the best,
Elsa Kureshi