Academic Plan
Course of Study
In my academic plan, I plan on pursuing a Bachelor¿¿s degree in Political Studies. I plan on repeating courses that I have failed and received very low marks in. I will be retaking POLS280, ECON212, and POLS250 as well as the prerequisite courses needed for third year Politics students. This year, in taking MATH126 and ECON212, I realize that pursuing an economics minor is not right for me which is why I have decided to only pursue a major plan only. I will also be taking a lighter course load hence I will be enrolling in another summer course during the summer term July ¿¿ August.
Strategies for Success
In strategies for success, I have identified the problems that stood in the way of my academic success in the past. One of the main problems is that I procrastinated and failed in time management. I would not keep up with the readings and only did assignments right before it was due. To mitigate this problem of mine, my plan is to find a peer mentor that I can meet up with once a week to keep me on track and help me design my own study schedule during the week. Another problem that prevented me from academic success was also that I rarely seek help from the professors or teaching assistants. I will plan to go to office hours once a week to get help from my professors or teaching assistants. Specifically, for the courses that I am repeating, I will be going every week to get down to the root of the problem as to why I underperformed in the first place. In addition to this, I will properly make use of all the resources that are available such as having consultations with student academic success services and attending writing center tutorials to improve my writing skills. As well, I will be attending on-campus workshops once a week to support and aid me in becoming an effective learner. Motivation was another issue that led to my failures. To help with motivation, throughout this summer, I will consult with my academic advisor Kathryn Morrissey to help me come up with a plan of the right courses for next year as well as a lighter course load. I will also meet with a learning strategist to assess my strengths, weaknesses, and skills to help me in coursework. As well, meet with a career counsellor to help me find what is appealing to me and what I can gain in certain courses.
Situational Demands
This past year, I have suffered from extenuating circumstances with my health but as well with the break-up of my family that demanded much of me mentally and physically which prevented me from succeeding in my academics. At first, my knee diagnosis took some adjustment in the beginning in which I greatly struggled with. Although, as I began to get into a strict routine of keeping up with my physiotherapy, I have noticed a great difference in my knee and have completely adjusted to this new part in my daily life. With the separation and pending divorce of my parents, it was a complete shock at first which took up most of my thoughts and drained me both mentally and physically. Being the eldest child, more responsibilities fell into my lap as my dad was no longer in the picture and I panicked. Yet, what I truly learned from this is that it takes time and asking for help in which I can overcome anything as there is always a solution to any problem. It has now been six months since my dad left and it just took time and acceptance for me to get use to my family situation. What helped me to overcome this part in my life, was that I started to plan for what is to come next for me, my mom, and my sister. Instead of dwelling on the past, I planned for my future and new adventures to come. Towards the end of second year, I honestly found out more about myself and found my place at Queen¿¿s. In joining a club and being on an executive team for the first time, I have many things to look forward to. I also seek help and advice by openly talking about my feelings, hurt, and thoughts to the people that are closest to me. For me to be able to talk to others and for them to listen, this helped a great deal for me to be mentally sane. Therefore, seeking professional counselling would do a great deal of good for me and I plan to use the mental health resources available to continue with my success of overcoming the situational demands I faced with this past year.
In my academic plan, I plan on pursuing a Bachelor¿¿s degree in Political Studies. I plan on repeating courses that I have failed and received very low marks in. I will be retaking POLS280, ECON212, and POLS250 as well as the prerequisite courses needed for third year Politics students. This year, in taking MATH126 and ECON212, I realize that pursuing an economics minor is not right for me which is why I have decided to only pursue a major plan only. I will also be taking a lighter course load hence I will be enrolling in another summer course during the summer term July ¿¿ August.
Strategies for Success
In strategies for success, I have identified the problems that stood in the way of my academic success in the past. One of the main problems is that I procrastinated and failed in time management. I would not keep up with the readings and only did assignments right before it was due. To mitigate this problem of mine, my plan is to find a peer mentor that I can meet up with once a week to keep me on track and help me design my own study schedule during the week. Another problem that prevented me from academic success was also that I rarely seek help from the professors or teaching assistants. I will plan to go to office hours once a week to get help from my professors or teaching assistants. Specifically, for the courses that I am repeating, I will be going every week to get down to the root of the problem as to why I underperformed in the first place. In addition to this, I will properly make use of all the resources that are available such as having consultations with student academic success services and attending writing center tutorials to improve my writing skills. As well, I will be attending on-campus workshops once a week to support and aid me in becoming an effective learner. Motivation was another issue that led to my failures. To help with motivation, throughout this summer, I will consult with my academic advisor Kathryn Morrissey to help me come up with a plan of the right courses for next year as well as a lighter course load. I will also meet with a learning strategist to assess my strengths, weaknesses, and skills to help me in coursework. As well, meet with a career counsellor to help me find what is appealing to me and what I can gain in certain courses.
Situational Demands
This past year, I have suffered from extenuating circumstances with my health but as well with the break-up of my family that demanded much of me mentally and physically which prevented me from succeeding in my academics. At first, my knee diagnosis took some adjustment in the beginning in which I greatly struggled with. Although, as I began to get into a strict routine of keeping up with my physiotherapy, I have noticed a great difference in my knee and have completely adjusted to this new part in my daily life. With the separation and pending divorce of my parents, it was a complete shock at first which took up most of my thoughts and drained me both mentally and physically. Being the eldest child, more responsibilities fell into my lap as my dad was no longer in the picture and I panicked. Yet, what I truly learned from this is that it takes time and asking for help in which I can overcome anything as there is always a solution to any problem. It has now been six months since my dad left and it just took time and acceptance for me to get use to my family situation. What helped me to overcome this part in my life, was that I started to plan for what is to come next for me, my mom, and my sister. Instead of dwelling on the past, I planned for my future and new adventures to come. Towards the end of second year, I honestly found out more about myself and found my place at Queen¿¿s. In joining a club and being on an executive team for the first time, I have many things to look forward to. I also seek help and advice by openly talking about my feelings, hurt, and thoughts to the people that are closest to me. For me to be able to talk to others and for them to listen, this helped a great deal for me to be mentally sane. Therefore, seeking professional counselling would do a great deal of good for me and I plan to use the mental health resources available to continue with my success of overcoming the situational demands I faced with this past year.