Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to have ENGL 281, Legends OF King Arthur: Medieval to Modern dropped from my record. Seeing how poorly I performed academically this semester I am not surprised by my final grades in the course however, I am disappointed in my performance. My final grade in this course was a direct result of the struggles I went through with my mental health in Fall 2022. Being able to attend Queen??s University is a privilege I hold highly, I am grateful that after years of struggling academically I was able to get to a place where I felt comfortable transferring to Queen??s. After being diagnosed with a learning disability after my first year of university, I spent the next few years at Toronto Metropolitan University navigating how to learn with a disability. For the first time in my life, I was given resources and tools to succeed academically however, I often did have to fight to be given equal opportunity and a fair shot as my able peers. I started at TMU with a GPA below 1.6 and had the goal in mind to reach a 3.0, I am proud to say that at the time of my transfer to Queen??s University my record did show that I had successfully achieved a 3.0 and above. That being said, I know my capabilities and I know that I am able to succeed academically when given the proper support.

The grades I received in ENGL 281 are not representative of my intelligence nor my ability to succeed in university-level courses but are the results of the struggles I went through with my mental health in the Fall of 2022. In the summer of 2022, I made the big move to Vancouver with my partner who is pursuing a career in academia. The move was convenient as I had just transitioned to a fully online academic environment. I did not anticipate this move to be mentally straining but it, unfortunately, triggered a long period of anxiety and depression, I struggled to find both the motivation and the will to be productive in all aspects of my life including my schooling. Subsequently, I started to see my grades plummet. I poorly performed in my summer courses but had convinced myself that I would get out of this rut and improve in the Fall however, my anxiety and depression took a turn for the worse in the following months. I started off strong in the semester and felt positive about the direction I wanted to go to improve my GPA, as the weeks progressed I found it difficult to get myself to focus which has always been a common symptom of my anxiety. With extreme brain fog, I continued to go through the course work knowing that the quality of my work could be improved. When it came to essays I followed the accommodations procedures and requested additional time but continued to struggle to meet the extended deadlines therefore, continuously got marks taken off. I felt embarrassed and ashamed to reach out. In the past, I have been made to feel lesser than by professors and have been rejected my accommodations. In fear of further rejection, I struggled in silence not asking for additional help from professors.

Long periods of anxiety and depression in my life have been triggered by a variety of events but I have not gone through this since 2017. On October 20th, I found some strength within me and made the decision that I needed to get out of this depressive episode as there were certain elements such as extreme brain fog, self-harm thoughts, and excessive sleeping that were becoming increasingly more intensified making my daily life hard to navigate. I reached out to my psychotherapist to book the earliest appointment she had as I needed immediate help and was booked for November 25th. I spent an entire month waiting for an urgent appointment struggling more and more. At times, my anxiety became so severe that it was physically not possible for me to hand in assignments. My depression made it hard for me to think clearly, therefore, impacting my overall performance. The thought of sending in an assignment that was poorly written sent me down a spiral of anxious and negative self-thoughts therefore, I would let the assignment sit on my computer never sending it through. I was incapable of blocking out the negative feelings which fed my fear of failure.

As a student with a learning disability, I know that I have to hold myself to an extremely high academic standard. Using accommodation resources puts me in a position where I should be successful in my courses and I feel the pressure from the institution to perform highly since I??m given these tools and resources. The expectations that I have for myself to perform becomes a vicious cycle worsening my anxious thoughts. Although I have proven time and time again that I am just as capable as my able peers, moments like these make me extremely disappointed. I have a genuine passion for learning and in the last few years, I have successfully taken 50 courses across a variety of disciplines gaining two professional certificates. I have chosen to continue my academic journey at Queen??s University because of its reputation and would love to have the ability to successfully continue on this journey.

Altogether, I am highly disappointed in myself and would like to have a chance to redeem myself and improve my GPA. With another failed course, however, it will be extremely hard to bring up my GPA in the winter term and I don??t want to be academically dismissed because of the circumstances I went through in the Fall. My goal is to improve my GPA to where it was when I transferred to Queen??s University and I strongly believe I can achieve this with my new strategy. I am working with my therapist to ensure that I don??t spiral into episodes again. Additionally, personally, I am working through the Mind over Mood workbook to ensure that I can keep my anxious thoughts at bay. In regards to my academics, I have reached out to find out who I can connect with within the institution to help navigate choosing my courses more strategically to ensure that I am successfully completing all my classes with grades that I am proud of. I will be in contact with the accommodations team to ensure that I can tweak certain aspects of my accommodations that I need a bit more support on.

I am asking to have ENGL281 removed from my record as it will highly affect my overall GPA. Since the two other courses that I took this semester are full-year courses, I believe that I can improve from the fall semester and come out on top in the winter term. ENGL100 and ENGL200 have definitely been impacted in the fall semester but I am actively working to increase my grades to finish with better final grades. Finally, I hope that this appeal can be a testament to my willingness to succeed academically, I have always been highly adaptable in front of obstacles and I know that I will continue to do so until I am awarded my degree.

Best Regards,
Marie Julia Caroline Favory