Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,
I hope you are doing well. I am petitioning for a late course drop for the following course: CISC 365 (Winter, 2025). I thank you for all your time and patience in considering my request and extenuating circumstances. These last few months I have been attending multiple appointments with my family physician as I am currently undergoing a depressive episode and I have been experiencing issues with insomnia, lethargy, anxiety, concentration, and rapid fluctuations in my mood and physical health that have been exacerbated by previous trauma; I am currently still undergoing diagnostics and assessments as I have been referred to a mental health evaluation by a psychiatrist yet these extenuating circumstances have impacted my ability to continue to participate and complete CISC 365. My family physician has prescribed me Lisdexamfetamine (ADHD medication) in increasing doses, and the adjustment to the stimulant has left me restless with a suppressed appetite and unable to sleep for many weeks. There have been times where my focus has improved due to the medication, yet with exacerbating sleeping and nutrition issues and the current depressive episode, there have been more times than not that concentrating on studies and classes has been overwhelming and extremely stressful as my brain has not felt adequately rested. Due to this, my family physician has considered that I may have another mental health illness related to depression or anxiety on top of ADHD and has sent the referral to a specialist where I may be assessed and further treated, possibly with antidepressants such as Fluoxetine. I have taken multiple steps to effectively manage my health and studies, and I met on March 3rd, 2025, with a QSAS mental health advisor to discuss my mental health and QSAS accommodations. As I had a hectic month with multiple assessments, the advisor recommended and provided me with a one-month academic consideration until March 31st, 2025 to provide me sufficient time to obtain QSAS documentation from my family physician as I am only able to reach him every couple of weeks due to his schedule; I finally received the paperwork back today and I am fortunately starting the process with QSAS accommodations. I notified Professor Ting Hu of my situation on March 3rd and I asked if it may be possible to reschedule a test that I was unable to attend and she said that due to syllabus guidelines she is unable to accommodate and she recommended that I drop the course, letting me know that she is available to vouch for me and support me through this process. I have taken the necessary precautions as I am planning to graduate next year and pursue a master’s in data science or bioinformatics and work in the healthcare field before applying to medical school and as such, I have been accepted by the office for a transfer credit over the summer at Athabasca University for COMP 372, the CISC 365 equivalent, in addition to a summer course. I have chosen to drop only this course this semester as I know with ongoing treatment and diagnostics I can excel, and I have been unable to complete the assessments for the past month. I would have preferred to complete CISC 365 this term but due to my extenuating circumstances affecting my performance and the course policy, I was unable to be accommodated. I cannot drop all my courses as I require my remaining CISC courses for prerequisites or graduation for the next term and I do not want to delay my graduation any further. Moreover, I spoke with CS Advising who provided me with multiple degree audits so that I am on track with course selection for next year. I plan to continue implementing SASS learning strategies, following up with my physician and therapist for treatment, seeking QSAS resources and counseling, and following a reduced course load so I can manage my studies and health issues. I am working in data science as a clinical researcher at the Kingston General Hospital this summer as well which is very exciting. With your consideration, I would be in a much better place to apply for graduate schools as these final courses are critical for my GPA requirements, and it would mean the world to me. Thank you for all your time and help.
I hope you are doing well. I am petitioning for a late course drop for the following course: CISC 365 (Winter, 2025). I thank you for all your time and patience in considering my request and extenuating circumstances. These last few months I have been attending multiple appointments with my family physician as I am currently undergoing a depressive episode and I have been experiencing issues with insomnia, lethargy, anxiety, concentration, and rapid fluctuations in my mood and physical health that have been exacerbated by previous trauma; I am currently still undergoing diagnostics and assessments as I have been referred to a mental health evaluation by a psychiatrist yet these extenuating circumstances have impacted my ability to continue to participate and complete CISC 365. My family physician has prescribed me Lisdexamfetamine (ADHD medication) in increasing doses, and the adjustment to the stimulant has left me restless with a suppressed appetite and unable to sleep for many weeks. There have been times where my focus has improved due to the medication, yet with exacerbating sleeping and nutrition issues and the current depressive episode, there have been more times than not that concentrating on studies and classes has been overwhelming and extremely stressful as my brain has not felt adequately rested. Due to this, my family physician has considered that I may have another mental health illness related to depression or anxiety on top of ADHD and has sent the referral to a specialist where I may be assessed and further treated, possibly with antidepressants such as Fluoxetine. I have taken multiple steps to effectively manage my health and studies, and I met on March 3rd, 2025, with a QSAS mental health advisor to discuss my mental health and QSAS accommodations. As I had a hectic month with multiple assessments, the advisor recommended and provided me with a one-month academic consideration until March 31st, 2025 to provide me sufficient time to obtain QSAS documentation from my family physician as I am only able to reach him every couple of weeks due to his schedule; I finally received the paperwork back today and I am fortunately starting the process with QSAS accommodations. I notified Professor Ting Hu of my situation on March 3rd and I asked if it may be possible to reschedule a test that I was unable to attend and she said that due to syllabus guidelines she is unable to accommodate and she recommended that I drop the course, letting me know that she is available to vouch for me and support me through this process. I have taken the necessary precautions as I am planning to graduate next year and pursue a master’s in data science or bioinformatics and work in the healthcare field before applying to medical school and as such, I have been accepted by the office for a transfer credit over the summer at Athabasca University for COMP 372, the CISC 365 equivalent, in addition to a summer course. I have chosen to drop only this course this semester as I know with ongoing treatment and diagnostics I can excel, and I have been unable to complete the assessments for the past month. I would have preferred to complete CISC 365 this term but due to my extenuating circumstances affecting my performance and the course policy, I was unable to be accommodated. I cannot drop all my courses as I require my remaining CISC courses for prerequisites or graduation for the next term and I do not want to delay my graduation any further. Moreover, I spoke with CS Advising who provided me with multiple degree audits so that I am on track with course selection for next year. I plan to continue implementing SASS learning strategies, following up with my physician and therapist for treatment, seeking QSAS resources and counseling, and following a reduced course load so I can manage my studies and health issues. I am working in data science as a clinical researcher at the Kingston General Hospital this summer as well which is very exciting. With your consideration, I would be in a much better place to apply for graduate schools as these final courses are critical for my GPA requirements, and it would mean the world to me. Thank you for all your time and help.