Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom it may concern,
?
This past academic year I struggled greatly with many aspects of my mental health. Over the past year, the relationship in which I was previously involved became abusive both physically and mentally which took a massive toll on my life. I had previously struggled with depression but had gone through the therapy process and seemed to learn how to cope and continue with my life. In October, this changed suddenly and very unexpectedly. I fell into a very deep spell of depression for the next 5 months and was truly unable to function and carry out daily tasks such as getting out of bed in the morning. During the summer of 2021, I was also diagnosed with social anxiety which was very consuming while at school. I attempted to use the few techniques I had learned but the illness overcame me. Through first term my mental health deteriorated very suddenly and rapidly. I was very unsure of how to cope and what to do. As a result, I stopped going to any classes or tutorials and was truly unable to find the motivation to log onto classes which were held online. I found myself struggling to sleep, eating and do daily tasks to remain healthy and functioning. By the end of first term, I was able to see and begin to identify what I was dealing with. I reached out to and met with all my professors virtually and attempted to craft plan to save my academic marks and try to regain my academic standing to finish the term. Unfortunately, due to the increase in severity with my mental health I was unable to do so with 4 out of the 5 courses in which I was enrolled. I developed severe anorexia dropping around 30 pounds and finding myself completely unable to eat most days. I also developed severe insomnia preventing me from maintaining a proper sleep schedule. This carried on heavily into second term. I found no motivation or thought being put towards my academics, and although I knew that reaching out for help was needed, I was unable to do so. I made a few attempts to attend classes and tutorials and attempted a few assignments and exams across my classes but was unable to maintain proper performance and engagement. I had wanted to attend Queen??s University for many years and seeing the state I was in took an even deeper toll on my mental state. I wanted to do well and not being able to was very difficult for me. I completely lost the desire to learn during this academic year. I am pleading for a second chance and would very much want to be given a chance to redo this year and continue my studies at Queen??s. I am committed to improving my performance and succeeding in my endeavours. I hope that the committee will give me the opportunity to do so.