Academic Plan
The most important thing for me in achieving academic success is to rid myself of mental illness. The course content¿¿ when I was mentally present, or working from home, was not too difficult to handle; it was my inability to get to lectures and tutorials that ultimately caused me to fail. I believe that there are two things required for me to become a proactive student once again: Time and therapy.
Aside from mental health issues, there are still many changes that need to be made to my academic plan. A change in majors would not only give me a fresher outlook on school subjects but also a chance to lighten my workload as I go through therapy. The fine arts program required many hours of work per week in-class and outside of class (studio time). These extended hours, when combined with other courses proved to be overwhelming for me when dealing with anxiety, especially in such a social setting. I plan to drop out of the BFA and switch majors in order to ease the workload. It will be much easier to find motivation when there is less variety in the types of courses I am taking because I will be able to focus more on specific subjects that I find enjoyable. In the BFA, I found non-BFA courses less interesting since they were in no way related to my major, where the majority of the work was. Creative work is still a passion of mine, however, during my time in the BFA program I also came to the realization that visual art is not my best medium. Creative work is usually enjoyable for me, however, I am the type that needs to work creatively in solitude. I am sure that I can study something more appealing to me, while still keeping up with my creative hobbies on the side.
Although I failed the course, I found The Intellectual Origins of the Contemporary West particularly intriguing. This is a course I would most definitely re-take and consider as a field of study. My academic advisor recommended to me that I take more prerequisite courses in History, to get a better feel for the type of work and follow up on my curiosity. I am a strong believer in doing what you are naturally good at. During those occasions where I was able to focus and engage myself in History, even temporarily, I found myself highly interested and eager to learn more.
I have seen steady improvement in my social anxiety after visiting a psychologist at Student Wellness Services. Should I return to Queen¿¿s in the fall, regular appointments will be made in order to keep progressing. My parents have also referred me to their trusted psychiatrist, who I will continue to visit over the summer. So far, visits with the psychiatrist and cognitive behavioural therapy have helped me get over my Olfactory Reference Syndrome, which was the biggest cause of my social anxiety. Also, simple lifestyle implementations such as going for walks in public and practicing breath control have helped me to remain mentally present and cope with anxious thoughts. Through therapy and continued practice of these lifestyle changes, I truly believe that I can be a mobile, present minded and productive student.
Aside from mental health issues, there are still many changes that need to be made to my academic plan. A change in majors would not only give me a fresher outlook on school subjects but also a chance to lighten my workload as I go through therapy. The fine arts program required many hours of work per week in-class and outside of class (studio time). These extended hours, when combined with other courses proved to be overwhelming for me when dealing with anxiety, especially in such a social setting. I plan to drop out of the BFA and switch majors in order to ease the workload. It will be much easier to find motivation when there is less variety in the types of courses I am taking because I will be able to focus more on specific subjects that I find enjoyable. In the BFA, I found non-BFA courses less interesting since they were in no way related to my major, where the majority of the work was. Creative work is still a passion of mine, however, during my time in the BFA program I also came to the realization that visual art is not my best medium. Creative work is usually enjoyable for me, however, I am the type that needs to work creatively in solitude. I am sure that I can study something more appealing to me, while still keeping up with my creative hobbies on the side.
Although I failed the course, I found The Intellectual Origins of the Contemporary West particularly intriguing. This is a course I would most definitely re-take and consider as a field of study. My academic advisor recommended to me that I take more prerequisite courses in History, to get a better feel for the type of work and follow up on my curiosity. I am a strong believer in doing what you are naturally good at. During those occasions where I was able to focus and engage myself in History, even temporarily, I found myself highly interested and eager to learn more.
I have seen steady improvement in my social anxiety after visiting a psychologist at Student Wellness Services. Should I return to Queen¿¿s in the fall, regular appointments will be made in order to keep progressing. My parents have also referred me to their trusted psychiatrist, who I will continue to visit over the summer. So far, visits with the psychiatrist and cognitive behavioural therapy have helped me get over my Olfactory Reference Syndrome, which was the biggest cause of my social anxiety. Also, simple lifestyle implementations such as going for walks in public and practicing breath control have helped me to remain mentally present and cope with anxious thoughts. Through therapy and continued practice of these lifestyle changes, I truly believe that I can be a mobile, present minded and productive student.