Petition Letter
Dear, Associate Dean,
My name is Shezil Asaf and I am currently a second year student (undeclared major). Over the past year I have been battling difficult circumstances in my personal life which have left me unable to prevail in my studies. As such I would like to submit an appeal for credit standing and to drop my first year grades from my GPA. I understand that this is required to be completed within 21 days of the grades being issued; however I am writing this letter as an appeal to waive the 21-day/one term deadline. In this letter I hope to convey the reasons for which I had been negligent to write my appeal within the acceptable time bracket.
In order to be well understood I must begin by stating that my grandmother has deeply impacted my life for as long as I can remember ¿¿ more so than anyone else I have ever known. As her only granddaughter we shared a special bond and it was to her I relentlessly went in times of hardship. She was my entire source of strength; with no disrespect to my own parents, who have always had a lot on their plate, she was like the mother I never had. Moving to Kingston in September of 2015 my excitement was interrupted by a phone call indicating to me that my grandmother¿¿s health was on a sudden decline. As the weeks progressed so did her Alzheimer¿¿s. I wanted nothing more than to visit my grandmother, though as she has spent her life in Pakistan it was impossible for me to see her. Alzheimer¿¿s had reached the point where she no longer recognised me, and suddenly I had no one to turn to. After I returned to school in January I immediately booked a flight to Pakistan in May; however as she passed before I had written my year-end exams I never had a chance to say my final good-bye.
I could never have guessed how much my grandmother¿¿s death would affect my spirit. When I returned from Pakistan after the funeral I had continued closing myself off from everyone around me and hardly left the house. I understand now that I had fallen into a deep depression: my own health declined and the vicious cycle took hold of my life. Returning to school this past September, I found I have had none of the passion or strength of will which my grandmother inspired in me. As much as my grades have been top priority throughout my life, my academic aspirations felt hopeless. I knew there were resources at school to help me through this difficult time in my life, but I could not even bring myself to seek out these resources until recently. It seems a stroke of luck that I got in touch with my academic advisor over the past few weeks, whereupon I learned I still had a chance to recover from my shortcomings. With the looming cost of repeated courses preventing me from taking that route I sincerely hope that my personal challenges do not permanently affect my future. With your permission I will write an appeal to thoroughly explain all extenuating circumstances which have led me to request credit standing and oversight of the first-year grades, which do not demonstrate my academic potential. I very much appreciate you taking the time to read this letter, and I await your compassionate decision.
Shezil Asaf
My name is Shezil Asaf and I am currently a second year student (undeclared major). Over the past year I have been battling difficult circumstances in my personal life which have left me unable to prevail in my studies. As such I would like to submit an appeal for credit standing and to drop my first year grades from my GPA. I understand that this is required to be completed within 21 days of the grades being issued; however I am writing this letter as an appeal to waive the 21-day/one term deadline. In this letter I hope to convey the reasons for which I had been negligent to write my appeal within the acceptable time bracket.
In order to be well understood I must begin by stating that my grandmother has deeply impacted my life for as long as I can remember ¿¿ more so than anyone else I have ever known. As her only granddaughter we shared a special bond and it was to her I relentlessly went in times of hardship. She was my entire source of strength; with no disrespect to my own parents, who have always had a lot on their plate, she was like the mother I never had. Moving to Kingston in September of 2015 my excitement was interrupted by a phone call indicating to me that my grandmother¿¿s health was on a sudden decline. As the weeks progressed so did her Alzheimer¿¿s. I wanted nothing more than to visit my grandmother, though as she has spent her life in Pakistan it was impossible for me to see her. Alzheimer¿¿s had reached the point where she no longer recognised me, and suddenly I had no one to turn to. After I returned to school in January I immediately booked a flight to Pakistan in May; however as she passed before I had written my year-end exams I never had a chance to say my final good-bye.
I could never have guessed how much my grandmother¿¿s death would affect my spirit. When I returned from Pakistan after the funeral I had continued closing myself off from everyone around me and hardly left the house. I understand now that I had fallen into a deep depression: my own health declined and the vicious cycle took hold of my life. Returning to school this past September, I found I have had none of the passion or strength of will which my grandmother inspired in me. As much as my grades have been top priority throughout my life, my academic aspirations felt hopeless. I knew there were resources at school to help me through this difficult time in my life, but I could not even bring myself to seek out these resources until recently. It seems a stroke of luck that I got in touch with my academic advisor over the past few weeks, whereupon I learned I still had a chance to recover from my shortcomings. With the looming cost of repeated courses preventing me from taking that route I sincerely hope that my personal challenges do not permanently affect my future. With your permission I will write an appeal to thoroughly explain all extenuating circumstances which have led me to request credit standing and oversight of the first-year grades, which do not demonstrate my academic potential. I very much appreciate you taking the time to read this letter, and I await your compassionate decision.
Shezil Asaf