Petition Letter
Respected Sir/Ma'am,
I received your letter dated May 26, 2026 that informed me that I have to withdraw from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for one year due to my academic performance this past year. As advised in your letter I’m writing this petition letter to highlight the context behind my academic performance over the past year and formally request a waiver for the requirement to withdraw for a year.
When I enrolled at Queen's in September 2025, I knew within the first few weeks that I was in the wrong place. I didn't choose the Bachelor of Computing program for myself. My father forced me to study computer science in the hope of preparing me to establish a technology company to diversify our family’s business portfolio that currently comprises of companies in chemicals, textiles, energy, and real estate sectors. This plan made sense on paper, even though it negated my personal desire to pursue a degree in Economics or Business Management, which better aligned with my own interest and passion for problem solving and entrepreneurial innovation.
My peers at Queens were genuinely excited about algorithms and building applications. However, I would sit in those same rooms thinking about a supply chain problem I had come across weeks ago, or how technological innovation has been disrupting traditional businesses all across the globe. My lack of interest was obvious and when I shared this concern with my parents, a conflict erupted between my father and myself; as he viewed my desire to pursue my interest as a rebellion against his carefully crafted plan for the family business’s evolution. This conflict triggered a lot of stress and anxiety which coupled with my lack of interest in the course I was pursuing, impacted my academic performance at Queens severely.
I want to be careful here because I am not trying to excuse a bad result, I am trying to explain it honestly. Before Queen's I had completed Advanced Placement examinations at Lahore American School in Micro Economics, Macro Economics, Calculus AB, and Physics, so I knew that the academic capability was there. What was missing last year was any genuine engagement with what I was actually studying. What I could not manufacture was genuine interest in what I was studying. In a technically demanding program like computing, where each concept builds on the last and the work requires real engagement outside of class. The absence of that interest compounds quickly and there is nowhere to hide.
Then in October, my grandmother's health took a terrible turn. I grew up in a household where family was not a background element, it was the whole structure of daily life. The calls home became heavier each week. Being thousands of miles away while my grandmother fought for her life and not being able to be with my loved ones during their hour of need took a toll on my emotional health. Both these issues along with the fact that I had never lived independently, away from home, before made my situation extremely challenging and led to a significant deterioration in my academic performance. Throughout this time, I regularly engaged with my therapist in Pakistan, who was aware of this entire situation and helped me focus on improving my mental health. I have attached a detailed letter from my therapist along with this appeal for your reference.
My grandmother finally stabilized after her prolonged illness in April, and last month I had another conversation with my family about what had happened and why. They listened and finally came around. They understood that putting me in a program I had no real connection to had produced exactly what should have been expected. It is in this context that now, with my parent’s blessings, I hope to switch to Economics major from Computing if my appeal is accepted. I have also discussed this decision with my therapist, who is confident that if I pursue a degree I’m genuinely interested in, I will be able to do well academically since my ability to compartmentalize issues and focus on tasks at hand has significantly improved.
The inter-connected nature of the fields of Economics and Business Management is what intrigues me. A degree in Economics will allow me to explore my intellectual interests and prepare for my professional career. This will be a completely different proposition from what I was doing before. I remain committed to my education and assure you that if given this relaxation I will put in my best effort to recover from the setback of being on academic probation and ensure that I remain in good academic standing throughout the entire duration of my education at Queens.
I hope that you will take the extenuating circumstances explained above into consideration when evaluating my request.
Regards,
Ibrahim Imran
20557710
I received your letter dated May 26, 2026 that informed me that I have to withdraw from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for one year due to my academic performance this past year. As advised in your letter I’m writing this petition letter to highlight the context behind my academic performance over the past year and formally request a waiver for the requirement to withdraw for a year.
When I enrolled at Queen's in September 2025, I knew within the first few weeks that I was in the wrong place. I didn't choose the Bachelor of Computing program for myself. My father forced me to study computer science in the hope of preparing me to establish a technology company to diversify our family’s business portfolio that currently comprises of companies in chemicals, textiles, energy, and real estate sectors. This plan made sense on paper, even though it negated my personal desire to pursue a degree in Economics or Business Management, which better aligned with my own interest and passion for problem solving and entrepreneurial innovation.
My peers at Queens were genuinely excited about algorithms and building applications. However, I would sit in those same rooms thinking about a supply chain problem I had come across weeks ago, or how technological innovation has been disrupting traditional businesses all across the globe. My lack of interest was obvious and when I shared this concern with my parents, a conflict erupted between my father and myself; as he viewed my desire to pursue my interest as a rebellion against his carefully crafted plan for the family business’s evolution. This conflict triggered a lot of stress and anxiety which coupled with my lack of interest in the course I was pursuing, impacted my academic performance at Queens severely.
I want to be careful here because I am not trying to excuse a bad result, I am trying to explain it honestly. Before Queen's I had completed Advanced Placement examinations at Lahore American School in Micro Economics, Macro Economics, Calculus AB, and Physics, so I knew that the academic capability was there. What was missing last year was any genuine engagement with what I was actually studying. What I could not manufacture was genuine interest in what I was studying. In a technically demanding program like computing, where each concept builds on the last and the work requires real engagement outside of class. The absence of that interest compounds quickly and there is nowhere to hide.
Then in October, my grandmother's health took a terrible turn. I grew up in a household where family was not a background element, it was the whole structure of daily life. The calls home became heavier each week. Being thousands of miles away while my grandmother fought for her life and not being able to be with my loved ones during their hour of need took a toll on my emotional health. Both these issues along with the fact that I had never lived independently, away from home, before made my situation extremely challenging and led to a significant deterioration in my academic performance. Throughout this time, I regularly engaged with my therapist in Pakistan, who was aware of this entire situation and helped me focus on improving my mental health. I have attached a detailed letter from my therapist along with this appeal for your reference.
My grandmother finally stabilized after her prolonged illness in April, and last month I had another conversation with my family about what had happened and why. They listened and finally came around. They understood that putting me in a program I had no real connection to had produced exactly what should have been expected. It is in this context that now, with my parent’s blessings, I hope to switch to Economics major from Computing if my appeal is accepted. I have also discussed this decision with my therapist, who is confident that if I pursue a degree I’m genuinely interested in, I will be able to do well academically since my ability to compartmentalize issues and focus on tasks at hand has significantly improved.
The inter-connected nature of the fields of Economics and Business Management is what intrigues me. A degree in Economics will allow me to explore my intellectual interests and prepare for my professional career. This will be a completely different proposition from what I was doing before. I remain committed to my education and assure you that if given this relaxation I will put in my best effort to recover from the setback of being on academic probation and ensure that I remain in good academic standing throughout the entire duration of my education at Queens.
I hope that you will take the extenuating circumstances explained above into consideration when evaluating my request.
Regards,
Ibrahim Imran
20557710