Petition Letter
Queen¿¿s University
Faculty of Arts and Science
94 University Avenue
Kingston, ON Canada
K7L3N6
Re: Appeal Letter for James Koehler - Student 10192053
Dear Associate Deans (Studies),
This is a letter to confirm that I wish to submit an appeal to drop a course after the academic deadline and to waive the requirement to withdraw for one year. The courses I am appealing to drop are BIOL 103 Intro Biology of Organisms, CHEM 112A & CHEM 112B General Chemistry, MATH 121A & MATH 121B Diff & Integral Calculus, GPHY 101 Human Geography.
During my first year of post-secondary education at Queen's University I had full intentions of performing at my best. Initially in the fall term, I noticed that I was having difficulty with my studies within the first month and reached out to Queens to resolve the issues. In September, I registered with QSuccess and attended all the courses. I also made appointments with Student Academic Success Services and attended several meetings with councillors. Although I found the support and information to be helpful, I was not able to implement the recommendations provided to improve my academic standing or achieve a balanced student lifestyle.
I attribute my unacceptable level of performance to not being able to cope with my new environment. I became depressed due to living away from home for the first time and not having family and friends close to me. I felt very isolated and alone not having anyone to talk to. This caused a great deal of mental stress for me. It also impacted my physical well-being. By the time I reached the winter term I lost a significant amount of weight and was always fatigued. I was not able to focus on my studies and my grades suffered a great deal.
I wanted to drop out before the end of the school year but I wanted to turn everything around. I worked as hard as I possibly could but unfortunately I was not able to achieve the level of academic performance to be successful.
Isolation was a major problem I went through. To address this issue I would work with councillors to be more outgoing and join clubs that I would be interested in. This would include finding a study partner in each of my major courses in order to work together in order to succeed. This will help me to become more social with other people and feel less isolated. It will also keep me motivated to do work in the course and get things done on time. I also plan on engaging tutors in any courses that I need help in and getting to know my professors and TA¿¿s on a personal level.
I am planning to take summer courses and taking fewer courses during the school year to lighten my course load. As well, I will make personal adjustments to my study habits by analysing my strengths and weaknesses. This would include my work ethic and reducing or eliminating procrastination. One of the most important things I have learned is that I need to improve my time management so that I can keep track of important dates and deadlines. I plan to do this by better time management technics that I can use to help me keep track of my homework and assignments. I would also start each term by setting academic goals that I would wish to achieve. This is important because this will give me the drive I need to succeed.
If this appeal were accepted my plan is to retake the courses where I was unsuccessful. I would take most of my courses during the school year and leave one or two for the summer months. I greatly appreciate your consideration.
Yours Sincerely,
James Koehler
Faculty of Arts and Science
94 University Avenue
Kingston, ON Canada
K7L3N6
Re: Appeal Letter for James Koehler - Student 10192053
Dear Associate Deans (Studies),
This is a letter to confirm that I wish to submit an appeal to drop a course after the academic deadline and to waive the requirement to withdraw for one year. The courses I am appealing to drop are BIOL 103 Intro Biology of Organisms, CHEM 112A & CHEM 112B General Chemistry, MATH 121A & MATH 121B Diff & Integral Calculus, GPHY 101 Human Geography.
During my first year of post-secondary education at Queen's University I had full intentions of performing at my best. Initially in the fall term, I noticed that I was having difficulty with my studies within the first month and reached out to Queens to resolve the issues. In September, I registered with QSuccess and attended all the courses. I also made appointments with Student Academic Success Services and attended several meetings with councillors. Although I found the support and information to be helpful, I was not able to implement the recommendations provided to improve my academic standing or achieve a balanced student lifestyle.
I attribute my unacceptable level of performance to not being able to cope with my new environment. I became depressed due to living away from home for the first time and not having family and friends close to me. I felt very isolated and alone not having anyone to talk to. This caused a great deal of mental stress for me. It also impacted my physical well-being. By the time I reached the winter term I lost a significant amount of weight and was always fatigued. I was not able to focus on my studies and my grades suffered a great deal.
I wanted to drop out before the end of the school year but I wanted to turn everything around. I worked as hard as I possibly could but unfortunately I was not able to achieve the level of academic performance to be successful.
Isolation was a major problem I went through. To address this issue I would work with councillors to be more outgoing and join clubs that I would be interested in. This would include finding a study partner in each of my major courses in order to work together in order to succeed. This will help me to become more social with other people and feel less isolated. It will also keep me motivated to do work in the course and get things done on time. I also plan on engaging tutors in any courses that I need help in and getting to know my professors and TA¿¿s on a personal level.
I am planning to take summer courses and taking fewer courses during the school year to lighten my course load. As well, I will make personal adjustments to my study habits by analysing my strengths and weaknesses. This would include my work ethic and reducing or eliminating procrastination. One of the most important things I have learned is that I need to improve my time management so that I can keep track of important dates and deadlines. I plan to do this by better time management technics that I can use to help me keep track of my homework and assignments. I would also start each term by setting academic goals that I would wish to achieve. This is important because this will give me the drive I need to succeed.
If this appeal were accepted my plan is to retake the courses where I was unsuccessful. I would take most of my courses during the school year and leave one or two for the summer months. I greatly appreciate your consideration.
Yours Sincerely,
James Koehler