Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Bénard
My name is Laura Kim, and I am currently a fourth year Life Science student. I would like to appeal the 21 day appeal deadline, and if this is accepted, I would like to appeal for my second year grades in Physiology 214 and Microbiology 221 to acquire Credit Standing rather than marks on the transcript. The grades of those courses are C and D+ respectively.
The reason I could not appeal within after 21 days of receiving these grades is because I did not know that I could appeal grades because of my extenuating circumstances and that is why I took Biochemistry 218 again. At that time, in second year, I was not yet fully adjusted to living on my own, and I was unaware of the academic regulations and appeal process largely because I did not spend my first year in residence, and did not have access to a don's resources. My extenuating circumstances were chronic medical conditions, chronic gastritis, initial symptoms of depression, and a lot of intensive preparation for my treatment and exchange program to Korea University at the same time. I was severely ill during the period through January to August, 2014, during which I was enrolled in those two courses. I was in chronic disease condition throughout that period. It was started as acute medical condition in October 2013, but it ended up being a chronic disease. It started as bad digestive system issue with bad bowl movements that caused vomiting and severe headaches, ultimately resulting in chronic gastritis. This caused me to lose 25 pounds and to experience malnutrition. Because of my condition I could not perform at my normal level. During the 21 days of appeal deadline, my family and I decided to treat my medical condition in Korea so I could receive family support. During this time, I was very busy with figuring out the best treatment for my medical condition in Korea. There was significant preparation required for both my medical treatment and exchange program. I had to meet my family doctor to transfer my records and arrange appointments with specialists if I need any extra medical tests before I left. This is also why I chose Korea University for my exchange program. Even if I knew I was aware about the appeal process at that time, it would have been challenging to apply for appeal during that deadline as the priority at that time was taking care of myself. In terms of exchange program, since I was the first student went to Korea University from my family, I had to translate all possible courses I might take in Korea University and receive approval from Queen's University for each course. In Korea, I received regular treatment and stayed with my family for four months. Once I knew about the appeal process, I tried prepare all my documents by contacting walk in clinics I visited in Kingston and family doctor in Korea. The earliest time I could have an appointment with my family doctor in Toronto was January 29th, 2016 to receive a letter regarding my past medical condition. Also the Kingston walk in clinics did not transfer my records to my family physician until March 8th.
The courses I mentioned above are core courses for my major and attendance was required in order to fully understand the materials. Unlike the other two courses I took at the same which were Geology 106 and Classics 201, the difficulty level was very high for microbiology and physiology, so in order to fully understand the material, attending lectures was the essential to do well in those course. However, my illness prevented me from physically attending class. I could do well on my other two courses, Geology 106 and Classics 201 because they had several different components for evaluations other than midterm and final exam including assignments and in-class tests. Also, textbooks were enough to learn materials, so it was not necessary to attend classes. Since the only evaluation components of courses I would like to appeal were midterms and finals, if I was not able to do well in either of those then my grades were negatively affected. With my illness, I had less ability to control my stress level, so that stimulated my illness again making me even more sick during the exam period.
Granting of this appeal would open up more options for my future studies. I value my education and I see myself with higher level of education in life sciences field in the future. My future plan is to apply to professional schools, however, with my current cumulative GPA, it narrows down to very few options such as applying to schools in the Caribbean or Australia which are significantly more expensive for me. I would wish to continue my education in professional schools in Canada, and I believe the help of receiving Credit Standing for the courses I took while affected by my condition will help me achieve my goals.
Sincerely,
Laura Kim
My name is Laura Kim, and I am currently a fourth year Life Science student. I would like to appeal the 21 day appeal deadline, and if this is accepted, I would like to appeal for my second year grades in Physiology 214 and Microbiology 221 to acquire Credit Standing rather than marks on the transcript. The grades of those courses are C and D+ respectively.
The reason I could not appeal within after 21 days of receiving these grades is because I did not know that I could appeal grades because of my extenuating circumstances and that is why I took Biochemistry 218 again. At that time, in second year, I was not yet fully adjusted to living on my own, and I was unaware of the academic regulations and appeal process largely because I did not spend my first year in residence, and did not have access to a don's resources. My extenuating circumstances were chronic medical conditions, chronic gastritis, initial symptoms of depression, and a lot of intensive preparation for my treatment and exchange program to Korea University at the same time. I was severely ill during the period through January to August, 2014, during which I was enrolled in those two courses. I was in chronic disease condition throughout that period. It was started as acute medical condition in October 2013, but it ended up being a chronic disease. It started as bad digestive system issue with bad bowl movements that caused vomiting and severe headaches, ultimately resulting in chronic gastritis. This caused me to lose 25 pounds and to experience malnutrition. Because of my condition I could not perform at my normal level. During the 21 days of appeal deadline, my family and I decided to treat my medical condition in Korea so I could receive family support. During this time, I was very busy with figuring out the best treatment for my medical condition in Korea. There was significant preparation required for both my medical treatment and exchange program. I had to meet my family doctor to transfer my records and arrange appointments with specialists if I need any extra medical tests before I left. This is also why I chose Korea University for my exchange program. Even if I knew I was aware about the appeal process at that time, it would have been challenging to apply for appeal during that deadline as the priority at that time was taking care of myself. In terms of exchange program, since I was the first student went to Korea University from my family, I had to translate all possible courses I might take in Korea University and receive approval from Queen's University for each course. In Korea, I received regular treatment and stayed with my family for four months. Once I knew about the appeal process, I tried prepare all my documents by contacting walk in clinics I visited in Kingston and family doctor in Korea. The earliest time I could have an appointment with my family doctor in Toronto was January 29th, 2016 to receive a letter regarding my past medical condition. Also the Kingston walk in clinics did not transfer my records to my family physician until March 8th.
The courses I mentioned above are core courses for my major and attendance was required in order to fully understand the materials. Unlike the other two courses I took at the same which were Geology 106 and Classics 201, the difficulty level was very high for microbiology and physiology, so in order to fully understand the material, attending lectures was the essential to do well in those course. However, my illness prevented me from physically attending class. I could do well on my other two courses, Geology 106 and Classics 201 because they had several different components for evaluations other than midterm and final exam including assignments and in-class tests. Also, textbooks were enough to learn materials, so it was not necessary to attend classes. Since the only evaluation components of courses I would like to appeal were midterms and finals, if I was not able to do well in either of those then my grades were negatively affected. With my illness, I had less ability to control my stress level, so that stimulated my illness again making me even more sick during the exam period.
Granting of this appeal would open up more options for my future studies. I value my education and I see myself with higher level of education in life sciences field in the future. My future plan is to apply to professional schools, however, with my current cumulative GPA, it narrows down to very few options such as applying to schools in the Caribbean or Australia which are significantly more expensive for me. I would wish to continue my education in professional schools in Canada, and I believe the help of receiving Credit Standing for the courses I took while affected by my condition will help me achieve my goals.
Sincerely,
Laura Kim