Petition Letter
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to respectfully petition to have my Requirement to Withdraw standing waived and to request one final opportunity to continue my studies at Queen’s University.
When I first arrived at Queen’s in 2022, I faced significant challenges adjusting to university life in Canada. As a new immigrant student, I struggled with financial pressures, adapting to independent living, and ongoing personal stress. These circumstances negatively affected my academic engagement and well-being, causing me to gradually withdraw from both my studies and social life.
After previously receiving a Requirement to Withdraw standing, I was grateful for the opportunity to return. However, I had not yet fully addressed the underlying issues affecting my academic performance. Due to language insecurity, anxiety, and a tendency to isolate myself when overwhelmed, I again became disengaged from my studies and ultimately repeated many of the same mistakes during the 2023 academic year.
During my withdrawal period, I attended St. Lawrence College, where I had the opportunity to reflect on my academic habits and long-term goals.
Over the last year, after being permitted to return to Queen’s, I have begun to see meaningful improvements in both my academic performance and personal stability. Although I still experience social anxiety at times, I have made considerably more progress than in previous years. I have attended campus more consistently, developed friendships, and become more engaged academically. One of the most meaningful experiences for me this year was successfully completing an entire semester of laboratory work together with my lab partner and achieving a strong lab grade. This experience helped rebuild my academic confidence and reminded me that I am capable of succeeding academically when I maintain structure, consistency, and connection with others.
One of the most important realizations I have had is that isolation contributed significantly to my academic decline. When overwhelmed, I often withdrew from both academic and social environments, which caused me to lose structure and motivation. To address this, I have begun building stronger academic accountability through regular study partnerships and group study. Through consistent collaboration with classmates and my lab partner during the Fall semester, I remained more engaged with my coursework, attended campus more regularly, and achieved a strong laboratory grade. This experience reinforced the importance of connection, consistency, and accountability in supporting my academic success.
Another major difference between my current situation and previous years is the improvement in my financial and family circumstances. In past academic terms, I spent excessive time working through Instacart deliveries in order to help support my family financially, and this significantly affected my studies. Balancing academic responsibilities with financial pressure became overwhelming for me. However, my common-law partner has now secured a permanent full-time position, which has greatly reduced the financial pressure on our household. As a result, I am now in a much more stable position to focus primarily on academics.
In addition to preparing for future coursework, I am currently enrolled in Summer Term courses and have been approaching these courses with a level of consistency and commitment that I struggled to maintain in previous years. I have been attending to course requirements regularly, keeping up with assignments, and dedicating significant time to reviewing and understanding the material. This summer has provided me with an opportunity to rebuild effective study habits, improve my time management skills, and regain confidence in my academic abilities. I will include evidence of my current summer academic performance as supporting documentation to demonstrate the progress I have begun to make. I do not intend to work during the Fall and Winter academic terms, allowing me to focus fully on academics.
One of the reasons I remain committed to completing my degree at Queen’s is the support I have received from the university community. During periods when I struggled academically and considered withdrawing from campus life, several professors, teaching assistants, and classmates encouraged me to seek help and remain engaged. Their support helped me recognize the importance of addressing my challenges rather than avoiding them, and it remains a significant motivation for me to continue my studies at Queen’s University.
I fully understand that the Faculty has already extended considerable patience and opportunity to me in the past, and I sincerely regret that I was not previously able to fully take advantage of those opportunities. However, I genuinely believe that my current situation is fundamentally different from previous years. The improvements I have made this year, while still imperfect, represent meaningful progress in my academic engagement, emotional stability, social connection, and personal responsibility.
I have also come to understand that my priority should not be completing my degree as quickly as possible, but rather rebuilding a stronger academic foundation and developing the consistency, structure, and habits necessary to successfully complete my studies at Queen’s in a healthy and sustainable way.
If granted one final opportunity to continue my studies, I am fully prepared to follow a detailed academic recovery plan. During the summer, I am already dedicating significant time to improving my study habits and preparing for future coursework. I will also attach supporting materials, including evidence of my current summer academic performance and a structured academic plan outlining how I intend to improve and maintain consistent progress moving forward.
In preparation for a successful return to full academic engagement, I have already begun reviewing and previewing material for courses I plan to take in the upcoming academic year, including CHEM 212 and MATH 126. Throughout the summer, I have been systematically reviewing prerequisite concepts, organizing study notes, and developing summary sheets to strengthen my understanding of key topics. I have also created a structured preview schedule and will include examples of my preparation materials and notes as supporting documentation. By beginning this work before the start of the academic year, I hope to rebuild a stronger academic foundation and reduce the challenges I previously experienced when entering new courses unprepared.
If the Faculty believes it would be more appropriate for my academic recovery, I would also be fully willing to continue my studies under a reduced course load or any probationary conditions deemed necessary in order to rebuild a stable academic foundation and successfully complete my degree over time.
I respectfully ask the Faculty to consider my circumstances, the progress I have begun to make, and my sincere commitment to meaningful change, and to allow me one final opportunity to continue my studies at Queen’s University.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
I am writing to respectfully petition to have my Requirement to Withdraw standing waived and to request one final opportunity to continue my studies at Queen’s University.
When I first arrived at Queen’s in 2022, I faced significant challenges adjusting to university life in Canada. As a new immigrant student, I struggled with financial pressures, adapting to independent living, and ongoing personal stress. These circumstances negatively affected my academic engagement and well-being, causing me to gradually withdraw from both my studies and social life.
After previously receiving a Requirement to Withdraw standing, I was grateful for the opportunity to return. However, I had not yet fully addressed the underlying issues affecting my academic performance. Due to language insecurity, anxiety, and a tendency to isolate myself when overwhelmed, I again became disengaged from my studies and ultimately repeated many of the same mistakes during the 2023 academic year.
During my withdrawal period, I attended St. Lawrence College, where I had the opportunity to reflect on my academic habits and long-term goals.
Over the last year, after being permitted to return to Queen’s, I have begun to see meaningful improvements in both my academic performance and personal stability. Although I still experience social anxiety at times, I have made considerably more progress than in previous years. I have attended campus more consistently, developed friendships, and become more engaged academically. One of the most meaningful experiences for me this year was successfully completing an entire semester of laboratory work together with my lab partner and achieving a strong lab grade. This experience helped rebuild my academic confidence and reminded me that I am capable of succeeding academically when I maintain structure, consistency, and connection with others.
One of the most important realizations I have had is that isolation contributed significantly to my academic decline. When overwhelmed, I often withdrew from both academic and social environments, which caused me to lose structure and motivation. To address this, I have begun building stronger academic accountability through regular study partnerships and group study. Through consistent collaboration with classmates and my lab partner during the Fall semester, I remained more engaged with my coursework, attended campus more regularly, and achieved a strong laboratory grade. This experience reinforced the importance of connection, consistency, and accountability in supporting my academic success.
Another major difference between my current situation and previous years is the improvement in my financial and family circumstances. In past academic terms, I spent excessive time working through Instacart deliveries in order to help support my family financially, and this significantly affected my studies. Balancing academic responsibilities with financial pressure became overwhelming for me. However, my common-law partner has now secured a permanent full-time position, which has greatly reduced the financial pressure on our household. As a result, I am now in a much more stable position to focus primarily on academics.
In addition to preparing for future coursework, I am currently enrolled in Summer Term courses and have been approaching these courses with a level of consistency and commitment that I struggled to maintain in previous years. I have been attending to course requirements regularly, keeping up with assignments, and dedicating significant time to reviewing and understanding the material. This summer has provided me with an opportunity to rebuild effective study habits, improve my time management skills, and regain confidence in my academic abilities. I will include evidence of my current summer academic performance as supporting documentation to demonstrate the progress I have begun to make. I do not intend to work during the Fall and Winter academic terms, allowing me to focus fully on academics.
One of the reasons I remain committed to completing my degree at Queen’s is the support I have received from the university community. During periods when I struggled academically and considered withdrawing from campus life, several professors, teaching assistants, and classmates encouraged me to seek help and remain engaged. Their support helped me recognize the importance of addressing my challenges rather than avoiding them, and it remains a significant motivation for me to continue my studies at Queen’s University.
I fully understand that the Faculty has already extended considerable patience and opportunity to me in the past, and I sincerely regret that I was not previously able to fully take advantage of those opportunities. However, I genuinely believe that my current situation is fundamentally different from previous years. The improvements I have made this year, while still imperfect, represent meaningful progress in my academic engagement, emotional stability, social connection, and personal responsibility.
I have also come to understand that my priority should not be completing my degree as quickly as possible, but rather rebuilding a stronger academic foundation and developing the consistency, structure, and habits necessary to successfully complete my studies at Queen’s in a healthy and sustainable way.
If granted one final opportunity to continue my studies, I am fully prepared to follow a detailed academic recovery plan. During the summer, I am already dedicating significant time to improving my study habits and preparing for future coursework. I will also attach supporting materials, including evidence of my current summer academic performance and a structured academic plan outlining how I intend to improve and maintain consistent progress moving forward.
In preparation for a successful return to full academic engagement, I have already begun reviewing and previewing material for courses I plan to take in the upcoming academic year, including CHEM 212 and MATH 126. Throughout the summer, I have been systematically reviewing prerequisite concepts, organizing study notes, and developing summary sheets to strengthen my understanding of key topics. I have also created a structured preview schedule and will include examples of my preparation materials and notes as supporting documentation. By beginning this work before the start of the academic year, I hope to rebuild a stronger academic foundation and reduce the challenges I previously experienced when entering new courses unprepared.
If the Faculty believes it would be more appropriate for my academic recovery, I would also be fully willing to continue my studies under a reduced course load or any probationary conditions deemed necessary in order to rebuild a stable academic foundation and successfully complete my degree over time.
I respectfully ask the Faculty to consider my circumstances, the progress I have begun to make, and my sincere commitment to meaningful change, and to allow me one final opportunity to continue my studies at Queen’s University.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,