Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean of Geography
I recently received notification that I am being required to withdraw for one year. I am writing to you to appeal that sanction.
When I began my first year at Queen¿¿s, my goal was to pursue sciences, specifically, chemistry. I quickly realized that I made a mistake in choosing science. I did not enjoy my courses, which affected both my grades and my mental health significantly. Because of my poor grades, I was placed on academic probation. That was a huge wake up call for me so I decided to change my focus and decided to pursue a program in geography. Switching into geography was the best decision I have ever made. I have found that I am truly passionate about what I am learning and I am happy. I have excelled in geography this year and have been very successful. I believe that I am now on the right path academically and mentally and am excited about continuing my studies.
Throughout high school, I was given academic accommodations, which gave me extra time on tests and exams. When I began my studies at Queen¿¿s, I felt that using my accommodations would lead to me being singled out, so I naively chose to opt out. I now realize that this was a big mistake as I suspect that I may have been more successful in first year had I had accommodations in place then. Going forward, I do plan to work with Accessibility Services to determine appropriate accommodations in order to ensure that I continue to be successful in my studies. I believe that receiving help by way of exam accommodations will be extremely useful since I have very bad test anxiety, which was a factor that contributed to failing GEOL200. I believe it was a combination of how this course was structured and the lack of accommodations that resulted in me failing this course. Looking forward, I am confident that I will be successful in my studies with appropriate accommodations in place getting in touch with QSAS. Furthermore, I will use the study habits that I have developed this past year; I plan to make use of my instructors and TAs office hours as needed; I plan to attend sessions offered by the Student Academic Success Services and I plan to take advantage of the support offered by Student Services.
While I was not able to achieve the required GPA this year, my GPA has improved significantly. I am making significant progress and am worried that taking a year off will slow down the momentum that I have going right now. I feel that this past year, just by being in the right program, I was able to get my academics back on track. My brother, who lives in Kingston, has been a great support to me this year. His continued support and the support of my friends in Kingston will help keep me on track going forward. I have shown great improvement from first to second year and I am confident that I will continue to improve my performance. I have found a program in which I am happy and feel confident. I am confident that my third year at Queen¿¿s will result in continued academic success.
Thank you for your consideration.
Warmly,
Rachel Thomson
20008207
I recently received notification that I am being required to withdraw for one year. I am writing to you to appeal that sanction.
When I began my first year at Queen¿¿s, my goal was to pursue sciences, specifically, chemistry. I quickly realized that I made a mistake in choosing science. I did not enjoy my courses, which affected both my grades and my mental health significantly. Because of my poor grades, I was placed on academic probation. That was a huge wake up call for me so I decided to change my focus and decided to pursue a program in geography. Switching into geography was the best decision I have ever made. I have found that I am truly passionate about what I am learning and I am happy. I have excelled in geography this year and have been very successful. I believe that I am now on the right path academically and mentally and am excited about continuing my studies.
Throughout high school, I was given academic accommodations, which gave me extra time on tests and exams. When I began my studies at Queen¿¿s, I felt that using my accommodations would lead to me being singled out, so I naively chose to opt out. I now realize that this was a big mistake as I suspect that I may have been more successful in first year had I had accommodations in place then. Going forward, I do plan to work with Accessibility Services to determine appropriate accommodations in order to ensure that I continue to be successful in my studies. I believe that receiving help by way of exam accommodations will be extremely useful since I have very bad test anxiety, which was a factor that contributed to failing GEOL200. I believe it was a combination of how this course was structured and the lack of accommodations that resulted in me failing this course. Looking forward, I am confident that I will be successful in my studies with appropriate accommodations in place getting in touch with QSAS. Furthermore, I will use the study habits that I have developed this past year; I plan to make use of my instructors and TAs office hours as needed; I plan to attend sessions offered by the Student Academic Success Services and I plan to take advantage of the support offered by Student Services.
While I was not able to achieve the required GPA this year, my GPA has improved significantly. I am making significant progress and am worried that taking a year off will slow down the momentum that I have going right now. I feel that this past year, just by being in the right program, I was able to get my academics back on track. My brother, who lives in Kingston, has been a great support to me this year. His continued support and the support of my friends in Kingston will help keep me on track going forward. I have shown great improvement from first to second year and I am confident that I will continue to improve my performance. I have found a program in which I am happy and feel confident. I am confident that my third year at Queen¿¿s will result in continued academic success.
Thank you for your consideration.
Warmly,
Rachel Thomson
20008207