Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Atkinson and Dr. Bénard,
I am appealing to drop HIST 246 The Soviet Experiment, POLS 332 Post-Communist Politics, and POLS 405 International Relations: Questions and Challenges, which I took during the Winter 2017 academic semester.
During the Fall 2016 semester, I was suffering from mental health issues, mainly anxiety and depression, which severely impacted my academic performance. My anxiety and depression continued into the Winter 2017 term, and grew worse as my would-be final semester at Queen¿¿s progressed. These ailments hurt my confidence in my ability to succeed in my classes, and kept me away from lectures and group work. In particular, I struggled to participate in POLS 332 group presentations and assignments and failed to participate in my POLS 405 class module. More generally, I did not contribute during my seminar courses, avoided my professors, and near the end of the term, neglected to attend courses altogether. As a result of my struggles with mental illness, I suffered from damaged motivation and problems with concentration which critically affected my ability to complete my course work. A negative home environment while living with other students in Kingston left me without a place wherein which I could effectively try to work past my mental health struggles. During the school year, I neglected to seek help, but after failing three of my courses, I sought professional assistance from a counsellor and psychologist. In May, I began seeing counsellor Reila Saleem through my parents¿¿ Employee Assistance Program. Beginning in June, I also sought help from psychologist Dr. Sadia Saleem. Throughout the summer I saw both professionals every two to three weeks, and have been making progress towards better dealing with my anxiety and depression. I will be continuing to see them in the coming months as I return to my studies at Queen¿¿s.
As you may note from my transcript, I have maintained a grade point average of about 2.9 prior to the Winter 2017 semester, and an even higher GPA while only considering the classes of my major and minor. Despite my struggles last winter term, I have enjoyed my studies a Queen¿¿s and am looking forward to finishing my degree this Fall. Returning to Queen¿¿s and taking a new set of classes are not without some challenges for me, however, I have done all that I can this summer to help and prepare myself for these challenges. In addition to continuing to consult with medical professionals, I will be living at home with the support of my family rather than living in a house off-campus. Simply being at home with my family over the summer has helped me move forward in confronting my mental illnesses. I anticipate that attending school while living in a healthier and more empowering home environment will allow me to better devote myself to my classes, and strengthen my ability to address my mental health issues as they relate to school. I will also be taking a smaller course load, including two online courses, to try and facilitate my academic success. I am eager to try and make the most out of potentially my last semester at Queen¿¿s, especially as I am interested in pursuing a Master¿¿s program. I believe my academic track record prior to the Winter 2017 semester indicates that my failures last term are anomalous, and I have taken the steps that I can to try and ensure that I can now complete my degree to the best of my ability.
I am appealing to drop HIST 246 The Soviet Experiment, POLS 332 Post-Communist Politics, and POLS 405 International Relations: Questions and Challenges, which I took during the Winter 2017 academic semester.
During the Fall 2016 semester, I was suffering from mental health issues, mainly anxiety and depression, which severely impacted my academic performance. My anxiety and depression continued into the Winter 2017 term, and grew worse as my would-be final semester at Queen¿¿s progressed. These ailments hurt my confidence in my ability to succeed in my classes, and kept me away from lectures and group work. In particular, I struggled to participate in POLS 332 group presentations and assignments and failed to participate in my POLS 405 class module. More generally, I did not contribute during my seminar courses, avoided my professors, and near the end of the term, neglected to attend courses altogether. As a result of my struggles with mental illness, I suffered from damaged motivation and problems with concentration which critically affected my ability to complete my course work. A negative home environment while living with other students in Kingston left me without a place wherein which I could effectively try to work past my mental health struggles. During the school year, I neglected to seek help, but after failing three of my courses, I sought professional assistance from a counsellor and psychologist. In May, I began seeing counsellor Reila Saleem through my parents¿¿ Employee Assistance Program. Beginning in June, I also sought help from psychologist Dr. Sadia Saleem. Throughout the summer I saw both professionals every two to three weeks, and have been making progress towards better dealing with my anxiety and depression. I will be continuing to see them in the coming months as I return to my studies at Queen¿¿s.
As you may note from my transcript, I have maintained a grade point average of about 2.9 prior to the Winter 2017 semester, and an even higher GPA while only considering the classes of my major and minor. Despite my struggles last winter term, I have enjoyed my studies a Queen¿¿s and am looking forward to finishing my degree this Fall. Returning to Queen¿¿s and taking a new set of classes are not without some challenges for me, however, I have done all that I can this summer to help and prepare myself for these challenges. In addition to continuing to consult with medical professionals, I will be living at home with the support of my family rather than living in a house off-campus. Simply being at home with my family over the summer has helped me move forward in confronting my mental illnesses. I anticipate that attending school while living in a healthier and more empowering home environment will allow me to better devote myself to my classes, and strengthen my ability to address my mental health issues as they relate to school. I will also be taking a smaller course load, including two online courses, to try and facilitate my academic success. I am eager to try and make the most out of potentially my last semester at Queen¿¿s, especially as I am interested in pursuing a Master¿¿s program. I believe my academic track record prior to the Winter 2017 semester indicates that my failures last term are anomalous, and I have taken the steps that I can to try and ensure that I can now complete my degree to the best of my ability.