Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

I am submitting an academic appeal to request a credit (CR) standing in MICR 451 which I took during the last semester of my studies in 2020. This was during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the unforeseen changes that were a result of the pandemic, I was not able to perform to the best of my abilities academically. The feelings of uncertainty that the pandemic brought on, paired with disappointment in the fact that my last few months of my undergraduate degree would be compromised, severely affected my mental health and motivation. I was not able to properly prepare for the final, which was worth a big portion of my overall grade in the course. Unfortunately, the struggles with my mental health continued into the later months of 2020, as I was not comfortable reaching out to get professional help. I felt a lot of shame and embarrassment opening up about the severity of my mental health condition that I could not get myself to seek help from a professional, nor did I have the relationship with my family doctor that would encourage me reaching out. In addition to this, getting into contact with a doctor was very inaccessible at the time. I was not able to meet my commitments and my mental state continued to worsen due to the isolation the pandemic brought on. This is the same reason I applied for an appeal to drop MATH 121 after the drop date later that year. I worked extremely hard during my academic career, and I believe that my performance/grades represents that for the most part. It would be a shame for that to be misrepresented due to circumstances that are simply out of my control.

At the onset of the pandemic, we were given the option to make courses pass/fail based on the detrimental effects of the pandemic on academic performance. I had reached out to members of the team multiple times via e-mail in June of 2020 (which went unanswered), merely a week or two after the deadline. I reached out again February 2021 to inquire about whether anything can be done. I will attach screenshots of this correspondence as supporting documents. My normal self would have been diligent in pursuing this option before the deadline, however, the mental state I was in at the time completely severed motivation. This was at the height of my mental battle; I was depressed and frankly unable to get out of bed, let alone keep up with any academic deadlines. I believe that I should have been granted a little more leniency given the circumstance of the pandemic or at least encouraged to pursue an appeal (an option I did not know was possible for this at the time) where I could explain why I was not able to request the change to pass/fail grading within the allotted time frame. Even once my mental health improved, I found it difficult to submit this appeal as this period in time is accompanied by a lot of shame and I avoided harping on these circumstances to protect my mental health.

I take pride in my academic performance throughout my time at Queens and I care deeply about my academic future. That being said, my academic pursuits are not complete. I would like to pursue graduate school and I believe that my current grade in MICR 451 is misrepresenting my abilities due to circumstances that were beyond my control. I also believe I should have been given the same opportunity as others who were able to make these changes to pass/fail at the onset of the pandemic. Due to the fact that I was battling very poor mental health, I was not diligent in meeting deadlines at the time and that I deeply regret. I am extremely responsible and managed to keep up with my studies throughout my academic career, however, life happens, and I would truly appreciate if one mistake would not override the years of dedication and hard work I put towards my degree.

I hope that this letter accurately conveyed how desperately I would appreciate for this issue to be resolved so that I am able to regain the confidence I need to continue my studies. This specific course is particularly relevant to the topics I would like to explore within the scope of future academia, and therefore, it would be extremely helpful for this appeal to be granted.

Thank you for your empathy, time, and understanding.

Kind regards,

Mariam Al-Hadeethi