Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Nikola Harricharan (20112318)
17nah6@queensu.ca
August 31, 2022

Dunning Hall - First Floor,
94 University Avenue
Queen's University
Kingston, ON Canada
K7L 3N6

Dear Associate Academic Dean,
I am writing to appeal the Faculty??s decision that I must withdraw from Queen??s for a minimum of 1 year. The decision for this did not come as a surprise as there were several factors that contributed to my academic progress. I am writing in hope that there is a chance I can be reinstated for the upcoming semester as a student at Queen??s University. I am grateful for this opportunity, and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to explain my extenuating circumstances.

I admit the past school year has been difficult however, since the end of 2020, amidst my third year at Queen??s University I've been experiencing debilitating mental health issues that had progressed to the point of being unable to function as a academically strong student, let alone a satisfactory one. My goals had been out of reach as per my mental health state and finding help was challenging as I was unable to make clear decisions. I had intended on seeing a mental health professional at Queen??s but had trouble finding consistent healthy aid, as it was a struggle to get ongoing help at the time of need. The severity of it increased, until I had professional help and found a consistent therapist. The impact of my mental health made it troublesome to write reports, exams and anything in that scope for a little while. I had communicated as best as I could at the time, but it was not good enough because of my mental state. I acknowledge this has all happened since my third year, and I was still dealing with my hindered mental health up until earlier this year. I understand now that I should??ve been more communicative and asked for more help, or even taken a leave of absence. At that time I thought I could handle all of these mental health issues, and I tried my best but was mistaken.

To create a good environment to succeed, I have consistently been attending a therapist who specializes in my area of mental health issues, and we??ve created a plan to overcome this past year and a half, in order to prosper as well as have a healthy year. In this plan we have gone through courses I need to take to graduate as well as tips and little tricks to help me accomplish tasks. There are goals of my own I really would be grateful to work for and I know I am ready to persevere and be resilient because at the end of the day this education means everything to me. I will focus on my school work, manage my time accordingly. I will also be in touch with an advisor for my academics as well. Please know my low GPA that led to this decision doesn??t make me a bad student, as I am a very passionate and determined student. Thank you for your time and I hope you??re able to provide me a second chance.