Petition Letter
I am writing to request to a late drop of ANAT 101 and a possible appeal for credit standing in STAT 263, BIOL 331 and PHIL 201 due to medical reasons. Specifically, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder April 2015 and again diagnosed more specifically, with OSFED of late summer 2015, at Hotel Dieu Hospital.
Early Fall Term of 2015, I was undergoing treatment as an outpatient in the Adult Eating Disorder's Clinic at HDH (12-week program). At the start of the program, I put equal efforts into the program and my schooling. However, as the program progressed my symptoms worsened and it became harder to balance the demands of my medical condition, treatment, and academic curriculum. These demands physically and mentally translated into depressive-like symptoms, confirmed by the HDH ED Clinic's team and resulted in me being prescribed anti-depressants (fluoxetine). By November 2016 my mental health had further deteriorated and I was unable to balance my treatment and schooling which led to my decision to continue the medication, drop the outpatient OSFED course and my affiliations with the Hotel Dieu Hospital, thus trying to focus solely on my Queen's education.
The problem with my decision to leave the ED Clinic was that I no longer had a counsellor to assist me with my mental health concerns. I felt isolated and alone and my mental health spiraled further. During the late half of my 3rd year, without the outpatient treatment and support, I was unable to cope and as a result dropped out of MATH 225, missed deadlines for PHIL 201 assignments, submitted BIOL 331 assignments passed the due date, missed lectures or missed doing the recommended homework problems in STAT 263 - readily impacting my academic standing in these courses during that time.
Apart from my poor academic performance in these courses of Winter 2016, I also missed several labs in ANAT 101 in both Fall and Winter Terms. I found myself sleeping in, staying secluded, and avoiding my studies as I chose to sleep at home and not eat - a poor decision on my part but one that was influenced by my OSFED and depression. I would also like to note that during mid-term seasons of Winter 2016 my OSFED symptoms got worse, so much so that I looked to my family physician to get a re-referral into the program, confirmed by HDH in March 2016. I knew the HDH course would not start until September 2016 and since they reached out during exam period, I chose to not reply to their contact attempts at that time. I would also like to state that my inability to contact them dealt with the shame I felt from leaving the program in the first place. I really needed that emotional familial support (I got later in summer 2016) to help me get my life back on track. In April 2016, I chose to continue using the course package to track my eating habits and pursue the course material by myself, just until exams were done to suppress the OSFED symptoms. Unfortunately, due to the negative impact, OSFED had on my life throughout the entire year, my exam marks were not enough to salvage my grades.
These explanations confirm that OSFED hindered my overall academic performance in the 2015-2016 year, but after being home for summer 2016, as mentioned, my most recent grades from Fall Term of 2016 have improved. During the summer, I was able to use what I learned from HDH ED clinic (including their course package) and have that familial support I needed and lost after leaving the program. I also had time, away from school, to focus on my disorder and self-reflect. I have worked really hard to get to the mental and emotional state I am at now, thus being reflected in my grades for the 2016 year. I do not think that my academic standing in ANAT 101, PHIL 201, BIOL 331 and STAT 263 were accurate representations of my knowledge and I think with this appeal, my GPA will finally be able to reflect my true efforts and the hard work I put in here at Queen's University. I am looking to pursue graduate studies and with this appeal, I will be able to improve my cumulative GPA in order to better my chances at being accepted into the programs I desire.
Please see the medical documentation from my family physician, Dr. Afsar, and Hotel Dieu Hospital's Adult Eating Disorder Clinic Team supporting the described events including referral dates, enrolment, prescriptions, and any other important events stated. Also, please feel free to contact my family doctor, the HDH ED team, or myself if you have any questions. Thank you for taking the time to consider my request.
Early Fall Term of 2015, I was undergoing treatment as an outpatient in the Adult Eating Disorder's Clinic at HDH (12-week program). At the start of the program, I put equal efforts into the program and my schooling. However, as the program progressed my symptoms worsened and it became harder to balance the demands of my medical condition, treatment, and academic curriculum. These demands physically and mentally translated into depressive-like symptoms, confirmed by the HDH ED Clinic's team and resulted in me being prescribed anti-depressants (fluoxetine). By November 2016 my mental health had further deteriorated and I was unable to balance my treatment and schooling which led to my decision to continue the medication, drop the outpatient OSFED course and my affiliations with the Hotel Dieu Hospital, thus trying to focus solely on my Queen's education.
The problem with my decision to leave the ED Clinic was that I no longer had a counsellor to assist me with my mental health concerns. I felt isolated and alone and my mental health spiraled further. During the late half of my 3rd year, without the outpatient treatment and support, I was unable to cope and as a result dropped out of MATH 225, missed deadlines for PHIL 201 assignments, submitted BIOL 331 assignments passed the due date, missed lectures or missed doing the recommended homework problems in STAT 263 - readily impacting my academic standing in these courses during that time.
Apart from my poor academic performance in these courses of Winter 2016, I also missed several labs in ANAT 101 in both Fall and Winter Terms. I found myself sleeping in, staying secluded, and avoiding my studies as I chose to sleep at home and not eat - a poor decision on my part but one that was influenced by my OSFED and depression. I would also like to note that during mid-term seasons of Winter 2016 my OSFED symptoms got worse, so much so that I looked to my family physician to get a re-referral into the program, confirmed by HDH in March 2016. I knew the HDH course would not start until September 2016 and since they reached out during exam period, I chose to not reply to their contact attempts at that time. I would also like to state that my inability to contact them dealt with the shame I felt from leaving the program in the first place. I really needed that emotional familial support (I got later in summer 2016) to help me get my life back on track. In April 2016, I chose to continue using the course package to track my eating habits and pursue the course material by myself, just until exams were done to suppress the OSFED symptoms. Unfortunately, due to the negative impact, OSFED had on my life throughout the entire year, my exam marks were not enough to salvage my grades.
These explanations confirm that OSFED hindered my overall academic performance in the 2015-2016 year, but after being home for summer 2016, as mentioned, my most recent grades from Fall Term of 2016 have improved. During the summer, I was able to use what I learned from HDH ED clinic (including their course package) and have that familial support I needed and lost after leaving the program. I also had time, away from school, to focus on my disorder and self-reflect. I have worked really hard to get to the mental and emotional state I am at now, thus being reflected in my grades for the 2016 year. I do not think that my academic standing in ANAT 101, PHIL 201, BIOL 331 and STAT 263 were accurate representations of my knowledge and I think with this appeal, my GPA will finally be able to reflect my true efforts and the hard work I put in here at Queen's University. I am looking to pursue graduate studies and with this appeal, I will be able to improve my cumulative GPA in order to better my chances at being accepted into the programs I desire.
Please see the medical documentation from my family physician, Dr. Afsar, and Hotel Dieu Hospital's Adult Eating Disorder Clinic Team supporting the described events including referral dates, enrolment, prescriptions, and any other important events stated. Also, please feel free to contact my family doctor, the HDH ED team, or myself if you have any questions. Thank you for taking the time to consider my request.