Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
I am writing to petition my requirement to withdraw from the university. Due to unforeseen extenuating circumstances concerning my mental health, I respectfully request reconsideration of this decision.
In the fall term, I began experiencing unexpected mental health challenges that significantly impacted my academics. Specifically, I faced intense anxiety and feelings of isolation, which impaired my ability to concentrate, meet deadlines, and effectively prepare for tests and exams. In the fall term, I began experiencing unexpected mental health challenges that significantly impacted my academics. Specifically, I faced intense anxiety and feelings of isolation, which impaired my ability to concentrate, meet deadlines, and effectively prepare for tests and exams. When I started dealing with these struggles, I fell behind in a couple of classes, and the fear of academic failure often paralyzed me, making studying an overwhelming task. During exams, this anxiety reached levels I’ve never experienced before, which prevented me from thinking straight. On particularly difficult nights, I had trouble sleeping, which left me incredibly fatigued and unfocused the following day. The resulting poor academic performance in the fall semester made my fears into a reality, which greatly impacted my self-esteem. I was dealing with thoughts of feeling like a failure throughout the subsequent winter semester. My low self-esteem coupled with the isolation I was experiencing, I was unable to make friends at all. This meant I had no one to rely on when my mental health got worse. The isolation only further hindered my ability to cope with these struggles, leading me to spiral down further. These issues began around a month into the fall term and persisted through April. Although I continue to manage these issues, I have been making serious progress through the many steps I have been taking.
To address my mental health challenges, I sought support from Student Wellness Services and consulted with a mental health counsellor. Additionally for the first time, I openly communicated with my parents and an old friend about my struggles. Being transparent with them provided me with a solid support system that I did not have before. This alleviated some of the stress and enabled me to begin my recovery. I established healthy lifestyle habits to aid in my recovery. Some examples include, prioritizing sleep, getting daily exercise and going out in nature. All of these things have greatly improved my mood and overall well-being in the past couple weeks. I also learned to be kind to myself, and recognize that setbacks are a natural part of the recovery process.
To make sure that my extenuating circumstances do not continue to affect my academic progress, I have taken and will continue to take several steps. The first being medical and psychological support. I plan to schedule an appointment with my family doctor once I return to my home town. I hope to talk to her about my situation and work together to identify and implement any additional support I may need. I am also considering seeking professional mental health counselling from a licensed therapist. To combat my feelings of isolation, I have joined a small cricket club in my area. I’ve acquainted myself with many of the players and joined them for a couple of matches. I also intend to join the university’s chess club and other group activities to build a sense of community and form bonds. As for academic support, I utilized some of the resources provided by SASS. I went through some guides, like Academic 101 and time management. I also plan to attend every SASS workshop possible, like the “Academic Comeback” workshop. I already began applying these techniques to my summer term courses and use tools like the assignment planner regularly. I will also consult with a mentor through the Peer Mentor Program. For my future academic plans, I will consult with an academic advisor before selecting courses to ensure a balanced and manageable course load. One of my major challenges was taking three math courses simultaneously for both semesters. By spreading these courses more evenly where I can, I believe I can handle the workload more effectively
I would also like to request a late drop for two courses, ECON 110, and STAT 263. The reason I did not drop these courses before the deadline is because I did not want to jeopardize my immigration status. As an international student, my study permit mandates full-time enrolment. Having already dropped two courses, any additional course drops would have rendered me a part-time student, and potentially invalidate my immigration status. Which is why, I reluctantly continued with these courses despite my deteriorating mental health and poor academic performance.
These steps I’ve taken demonstrate my commitment to overcoming my challenges and succeeding academically. I am confident that with the continued support and resources available at the university, I can make a successful return to my studies this coming fall term. Thank you for considering my petition. I am hopeful for a positive resolution that will allow me to continue my education and achieve my academic goals.
Sincerely,
Abishek Gobinath
ST# 20425068
I am writing to petition my requirement to withdraw from the university. Due to unforeseen extenuating circumstances concerning my mental health, I respectfully request reconsideration of this decision.
In the fall term, I began experiencing unexpected mental health challenges that significantly impacted my academics. Specifically, I faced intense anxiety and feelings of isolation, which impaired my ability to concentrate, meet deadlines, and effectively prepare for tests and exams. In the fall term, I began experiencing unexpected mental health challenges that significantly impacted my academics. Specifically, I faced intense anxiety and feelings of isolation, which impaired my ability to concentrate, meet deadlines, and effectively prepare for tests and exams. When I started dealing with these struggles, I fell behind in a couple of classes, and the fear of academic failure often paralyzed me, making studying an overwhelming task. During exams, this anxiety reached levels I’ve never experienced before, which prevented me from thinking straight. On particularly difficult nights, I had trouble sleeping, which left me incredibly fatigued and unfocused the following day. The resulting poor academic performance in the fall semester made my fears into a reality, which greatly impacted my self-esteem. I was dealing with thoughts of feeling like a failure throughout the subsequent winter semester. My low self-esteem coupled with the isolation I was experiencing, I was unable to make friends at all. This meant I had no one to rely on when my mental health got worse. The isolation only further hindered my ability to cope with these struggles, leading me to spiral down further. These issues began around a month into the fall term and persisted through April. Although I continue to manage these issues, I have been making serious progress through the many steps I have been taking.
To address my mental health challenges, I sought support from Student Wellness Services and consulted with a mental health counsellor. Additionally for the first time, I openly communicated with my parents and an old friend about my struggles. Being transparent with them provided me with a solid support system that I did not have before. This alleviated some of the stress and enabled me to begin my recovery. I established healthy lifestyle habits to aid in my recovery. Some examples include, prioritizing sleep, getting daily exercise and going out in nature. All of these things have greatly improved my mood and overall well-being in the past couple weeks. I also learned to be kind to myself, and recognize that setbacks are a natural part of the recovery process.
To make sure that my extenuating circumstances do not continue to affect my academic progress, I have taken and will continue to take several steps. The first being medical and psychological support. I plan to schedule an appointment with my family doctor once I return to my home town. I hope to talk to her about my situation and work together to identify and implement any additional support I may need. I am also considering seeking professional mental health counselling from a licensed therapist. To combat my feelings of isolation, I have joined a small cricket club in my area. I’ve acquainted myself with many of the players and joined them for a couple of matches. I also intend to join the university’s chess club and other group activities to build a sense of community and form bonds. As for academic support, I utilized some of the resources provided by SASS. I went through some guides, like Academic 101 and time management. I also plan to attend every SASS workshop possible, like the “Academic Comeback” workshop. I already began applying these techniques to my summer term courses and use tools like the assignment planner regularly. I will also consult with a mentor through the Peer Mentor Program. For my future academic plans, I will consult with an academic advisor before selecting courses to ensure a balanced and manageable course load. One of my major challenges was taking three math courses simultaneously for both semesters. By spreading these courses more evenly where I can, I believe I can handle the workload more effectively
I would also like to request a late drop for two courses, ECON 110, and STAT 263. The reason I did not drop these courses before the deadline is because I did not want to jeopardize my immigration status. As an international student, my study permit mandates full-time enrolment. Having already dropped two courses, any additional course drops would have rendered me a part-time student, and potentially invalidate my immigration status. Which is why, I reluctantly continued with these courses despite my deteriorating mental health and poor academic performance.
These steps I’ve taken demonstrate my commitment to overcoming my challenges and succeeding academically. I am confident that with the continued support and resources available at the university, I can make a successful return to my studies this coming fall term. Thank you for considering my petition. I am hopeful for a positive resolution that will allow me to continue my education and achieve my academic goals.
Sincerely,
Abishek Gobinath
ST# 20425068