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Petition Letter: Dear Faculty of Arts and Sciences,

My name is Carys Collie and my student number is 20272123. I am reaching out to update you on my first year of studies.

I enrolled at Queen's in one of the best programs offered, Life Sciences. I made this decision after being accepted at many of the leading universities across Canada including McGill, UBC, Western, and the University of Toronto. In looking back at that decision, I am happy I made this choice. My second year will continue to have me with Queen's Student Housing as well as enrollment as a student.

In finishing my first year in Life Sciences at the University, I successfully completed first year studies in Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and my electives. As tough as these courses were, and as challenging as it was to navigate a major change from 100% online learning at my high school in Grade 12, I felt great to have completed these first-year courses, as a part of my Life Sciences requirements. Unfortunately, I did receive a failing grade in PHYS 117, which is a 6.0 unit first-year course that is required for my degree.

Personally, I chose to enrol at Queen's because academics is my number one priority in university. I certainly did not get off to the best start in this course during the Fall Term. My other courses were being managed well and I was picking up and learning the material quickly, through the lectures, labs and study groups. However, adapting to residence and the course load as well as other stressors really took a toll on me for PHYS 117.

When I realized I was struggling in this course, I immediately took action to get help to seek out resources from the school and other areas and turn around the situation. In mentioning my struggle to adapt to the new environment and finding my place, I looked for many resources in order to advocate for myself.

One of the resources I had reached out to was Student Wellness Services and I connected with a therapist. Through another close school contact, they recommended Becky Haist and I reached out to her as well for guidance to get back on the right path.

It was clear that all of these resources and people, as well as the actions I took, helped me significantly. I adjusted all my routines to give myself the best chance to turn the situation around. I also 'found my way' a lot more in the Winter Term and this was evident in all my grades.

Specifically for the PHYS 117 course, the exams weighed 30% each term, which I personally felt a lot of pressure and anxiety towards this portion of my final mark. For both terms, I needed to do extremely well learning the course content knowing that the final exams had such a heavy weight. I prioritized listening attentively during tutorials and asking questions during the in-person labs, to fully understand the course content and prepare myself for the final exams.

From the weight, and my poor performance in the first part of the Fall Term, the exams became such a stressor for me. I simply could not focus on remembering what I learned in class but instead, I became focused on the fact that if I did not do well on the final exam, that I would fail the entire course.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed to learn that despite improving my learning habits and routines, and also improving my marks for PHYS 117 in the Winter Term, it was not enough to overcome my poor performance at the start of the academic year. If there was another 10% or 15% left in the course after final exams, I know I would have achieved the marks to pass one of the toughest courses Life Sciences has to offer.

In terms of next steps, I have taken several important actions.

Firstly, for my second year at Queen's, I am considering reducing my course load to 4 courses to take advantage of the positive momentum I was able to achieve across all my courses in the Winter Term. I will see how I manage my second year, and will plan to take a Summer 2023 courses to continue to make up for the lost credit.

Secondly, I am planning on retaking this full year course PHYS 117 this Fall Term, as it is a priority for myself. Growing up I have consistently put my academics first, and always strive for success, as well as growth in everything I put my mind to. It is extremely important for me to retake this course and pass it in my second year.

Summary

It has been a challenging Year 1, but filled with improvements, and promise for Year 2 at Queen's University. I am looking forward to the year ahead, even more than Year 1 I feel much more confident in what's ahead for me and how I can give myself the best chance for success with the support and help from all the resources and programs the school has to offer.

With all that said, and to better reflect all the positive areas of my Year 1 academics, I would kindly ask your consideration in removing my final grade for PHYS 117 from my Year 1 transcript.

If there is anything else I can share to help make a decision on this request, please let me know at your convenience.

Thank you for your consideration and time,

Carys Collie