Petition Letter
Mark Chester V. Dumbrique
286 Johnson Street
Kingston, Ontario K7L 1Y4
613 329 9736
mark.dumbrique@queensu.ca
Dr. Johanne Bédard
Dr. J. Hugh Horton
Associate Deans of Studies
Faculty of Arts and Science
Queen¿¿s University
June 16, 2014
Dear Drs. Bédard and Horton:
My name is Mark Chester V. Dumbrique and I am a second year B.Sc. student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. In my transcript, I am listed as a B.Sc. General in Mathematics, but through consultation, my goal was ¿¿ and is ¿¿ to pursue a B.Sc. General in Life Sciences. I am appealing the faculty¿¿s decision that I must withdraw from Queen¿¿s University for one year.
My difficulty in writing multiple choice exams has directly affected my academic performance. Over the past academic year, I failed three multiple choice final exams
and four multiple choice midterm exams. It has been a significant psychological challenge to write multiple exams well for two reasons: 1) failing multiple exams has been a stressful experience and 2) despite implementing and revising exam preparation strategies, immediate results ¿¿ passed exams ¿¿ were not evident. I have always generally done worse on multiple choice than written exams, so upon arriving at Queen¿¿s University, I availed of the resources available for exam preparations. I attended exam tutorials and workshops, consulted Student Services in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences about my difficulties, participated in study groups, and used practice exams on top of the ¿¿regular¿ academic expectations of attending lectures, completing readings, and taking thorough notes. Despite these measures, I still struggled with multiple choice exams. After I failed CHEM 281 in the fall term, I took the additional measure of consulting with my mentor, Father Raymond J. de Souza, who suggested that if I was not struggling with staying on top of the course material ¿¿ which I was not ¿¿ that I spend significantly more time working through practice exams when I study. I implemented this strategy heavily in the winter term, but again, the results of my multiple choice exams did not improve. While the results of my multiple choice exams have been disheartening, to say the least, I genuinely believe that this is not because of a lack of effort, but rather because of a fundamental psychological challenge with this particular exam format. My problem is not a general academic problem, but specifically an exam format problem. This is something that, with more professional support, can be appropriately addressed.
I have attached a detailed academic plan with various aspects demonstrating my difficulty in writing multiple choice exams. However, the most important part of this plan is what I will implement should I be allowed to return to studies. In particular, I would like to highlight two central aspects of my plan: 1) I intend to reduce my course load, placing particular emphasis on re-taking the second year courses that I failed and 2) I will consult with Health, Counseling and Disability Services to professionally determine why it is such a psychological challenge to write multiple choice exams. I genuinely desire to not only return to my studies ¿¿ especially to re-take my failed second year courses ¿¿ but to immediately address my difficulties that I may succeed in my studies. Maintaining a balanced lifestyle will also be an important part of this process.
I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of my academic appeal.
Sincerely,
Mark Chester V. Dumbrique
286 Johnson Street
Kingston, Ontario K7L 1Y4
613 329 9736
mark.dumbrique@queensu.ca
Dr. Johanne Bédard
Dr. J. Hugh Horton
Associate Deans of Studies
Faculty of Arts and Science
Queen¿¿s University
June 16, 2014
Dear Drs. Bédard and Horton:
My name is Mark Chester V. Dumbrique and I am a second year B.Sc. student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. In my transcript, I am listed as a B.Sc. General in Mathematics, but through consultation, my goal was ¿¿ and is ¿¿ to pursue a B.Sc. General in Life Sciences. I am appealing the faculty¿¿s decision that I must withdraw from Queen¿¿s University for one year.
My difficulty in writing multiple choice exams has directly affected my academic performance. Over the past academic year, I failed three multiple choice final exams
and four multiple choice midterm exams. It has been a significant psychological challenge to write multiple exams well for two reasons: 1) failing multiple exams has been a stressful experience and 2) despite implementing and revising exam preparation strategies, immediate results ¿¿ passed exams ¿¿ were not evident. I have always generally done worse on multiple choice than written exams, so upon arriving at Queen¿¿s University, I availed of the resources available for exam preparations. I attended exam tutorials and workshops, consulted Student Services in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences about my difficulties, participated in study groups, and used practice exams on top of the ¿¿regular¿ academic expectations of attending lectures, completing readings, and taking thorough notes. Despite these measures, I still struggled with multiple choice exams. After I failed CHEM 281 in the fall term, I took the additional measure of consulting with my mentor, Father Raymond J. de Souza, who suggested that if I was not struggling with staying on top of the course material ¿¿ which I was not ¿¿ that I spend significantly more time working through practice exams when I study. I implemented this strategy heavily in the winter term, but again, the results of my multiple choice exams did not improve. While the results of my multiple choice exams have been disheartening, to say the least, I genuinely believe that this is not because of a lack of effort, but rather because of a fundamental psychological challenge with this particular exam format. My problem is not a general academic problem, but specifically an exam format problem. This is something that, with more professional support, can be appropriately addressed.
I have attached a detailed academic plan with various aspects demonstrating my difficulty in writing multiple choice exams. However, the most important part of this plan is what I will implement should I be allowed to return to studies. In particular, I would like to highlight two central aspects of my plan: 1) I intend to reduce my course load, placing particular emphasis on re-taking the second year courses that I failed and 2) I will consult with Health, Counseling and Disability Services to professionally determine why it is such a psychological challenge to write multiple choice exams. I genuinely desire to not only return to my studies ¿¿ especially to re-take my failed second year courses ¿¿ but to immediately address my difficulties that I may succeed in my studies. Maintaining a balanced lifestyle will also be an important part of this process.
I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of my academic appeal.
Sincerely,
Mark Chester V. Dumbrique