Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Stephenson,
I hope this message finds you well. Firstly, I would like to extend my gratitude for the opportunity to continue my pursuit of a Queen’s degree. While I am truly grateful, I also think that reducing my course load to 3 courses is far below my capability and commitment. I believe I am now ready for a full course load of five courses. I also believe my situation is unique and my performance last term should provide confidence that I can handle the workload.
The reason I believe my situation is unique is as follows. Typically, students required to withdraw come back to school in September and have the full fall and winter terms, or approximately ten classes (30 credits), to demonstrate their ability to meet academic standards before being reassessed. In contrast, I returned in January and have completed just six classes (18 credits). Therefore, I had four fewer classes (12 credits) than students are typically given to meet the same requirements.
My performance last term should also provide confidence that I can handle the workload. In the Winter term, I achieved a term GPA of 2.680, which is my best performance since my first term in Fall 2019 and by far my best term in the last four years. My two best grades ever at Queen's were in this past term and I managed to raise my cumulative GPA from 1.08 to 1.53, marking a clear upward trend and demonstrating my potential for continued improvement. Notably, the classes I did poorly in during the winter term are considered some of the harder required courses in the Applied Economics degree, which underscores the progress I have made despite the challenges.
Looking back, it might have been ambitious for me to take six courses upon my return, but given the small margin by which I missed the 1.60 GPA requirement to get off academic probation, 0.07 away, and the fact that I missed the fall semester and had fewer classes than the typical reassessment period, I truly believe that my performance has proven I am ready to take on a full course load of five classes per term starting in the fall. The extenuating circumstances that affected my performance are now in the past, and I am fully committed to my academics. I am confident that with this renewed commitment and dedication, I can continue to improve and achieve even greater success moving forward.
Looking ahead, I anticipate that my upcoming fall semester will be more manageable than the winter semester I just completed. I will be taking five classes not six and the classes I will be taking will be less demanding. I still need to fulfill my 200-level economics history requirement and I am unable to take 400-level economic seminar courses until I complete ECON 310 in the fall. Additionally, I will focus on electives, which is the area where I am most behind. Having completed a semester with a full course load after a significant break, I am better acclimated to the academic routine, which I believe will further contribute to my success.
Thank you for your consideration and support. I eagerly anticipate discussing this further and continuing my studies at Queen's University.
Sincerely,
Daniel Lambert (20132149)
I hope this message finds you well. Firstly, I would like to extend my gratitude for the opportunity to continue my pursuit of a Queen’s degree. While I am truly grateful, I also think that reducing my course load to 3 courses is far below my capability and commitment. I believe I am now ready for a full course load of five courses. I also believe my situation is unique and my performance last term should provide confidence that I can handle the workload.
The reason I believe my situation is unique is as follows. Typically, students required to withdraw come back to school in September and have the full fall and winter terms, or approximately ten classes (30 credits), to demonstrate their ability to meet academic standards before being reassessed. In contrast, I returned in January and have completed just six classes (18 credits). Therefore, I had four fewer classes (12 credits) than students are typically given to meet the same requirements.
My performance last term should also provide confidence that I can handle the workload. In the Winter term, I achieved a term GPA of 2.680, which is my best performance since my first term in Fall 2019 and by far my best term in the last four years. My two best grades ever at Queen's were in this past term and I managed to raise my cumulative GPA from 1.08 to 1.53, marking a clear upward trend and demonstrating my potential for continued improvement. Notably, the classes I did poorly in during the winter term are considered some of the harder required courses in the Applied Economics degree, which underscores the progress I have made despite the challenges.
Looking back, it might have been ambitious for me to take six courses upon my return, but given the small margin by which I missed the 1.60 GPA requirement to get off academic probation, 0.07 away, and the fact that I missed the fall semester and had fewer classes than the typical reassessment period, I truly believe that my performance has proven I am ready to take on a full course load of five classes per term starting in the fall. The extenuating circumstances that affected my performance are now in the past, and I am fully committed to my academics. I am confident that with this renewed commitment and dedication, I can continue to improve and achieve even greater success moving forward.
Looking ahead, I anticipate that my upcoming fall semester will be more manageable than the winter semester I just completed. I will be taking five classes not six and the classes I will be taking will be less demanding. I still need to fulfill my 200-level economics history requirement and I am unable to take 400-level economic seminar courses until I complete ECON 310 in the fall. Additionally, I will focus on electives, which is the area where I am most behind. Having completed a semester with a full course load after a significant break, I am better acclimated to the academic routine, which I believe will further contribute to my success.
Thank you for your consideration and support. I eagerly anticipate discussing this further and continuing my studies at Queen's University.
Sincerely,
Daniel Lambert (20132149)