Academic Plan
Since I have been able to accept the idea of dying, and knowing that the value of life stems from the experiences you have while alive, I have outlined an academic plan to help me achieve academic success in my current program.
I am currently enrolled into the bachelors of science program and I hope to apply for the Life Sciences plan in my second year, and eventually specialize in the field of neuroscience as that is my preferred field of science. The strategies for success are as follows:
The sciences are very content heavy studies that rely on learning a lot of content and the concepts they orbit around, and then being able to use and apply them in problems that require a thorough understanding of the material to complete. In all sincerity I feel comfortable with the content of the sciences, I felt comfortable with them and the area that I can think to improve on is to better familiarize myself with the structure of OnQ and online learning programs like MasteringChemistry and MasteringBiology. Another thing I could improve on is having a work-oriented study group perhaps, where I could make friends with other students and work with each other to mix study with social friends.
In terms of academic preparation, I am certain that science is the avenue of study that I want to pursue. My uncles death to brain cancer has cemented my goal to study neuroscience, and I wholeheartedly believe that Queens University is the right place to study and foster the skills needed to work in that field. The courses I took were all interesting and although I didnt perform the best to my abilities, I learned a lot from them. Perhaps one area that I could improve is to substitute my Linear Algebra course with something like psychology as Linear Algebra yields information more in line of computing and engineering than the neuroscience that I seek; instead I would take Psychology.
In terms of motivation and by extension situational demands, this is the area that I suffered most in the past academic year. The anxiety I felt and the hopelessness I felt due to near constant thoughts of death and fearing of dying, really mutilated my motivation to study. I was overwhelmed with the falling feeling of despair as I thought of how I would eventually cease to exist, and although my views on the subject have changed for the better, if i were to ever feel that same sinking feeling I know to ask Queens staff for help, anything to maintain that sense of grip on reality; that there is reason for being, that the odds of death at any corner is incredibly slim. Ultimately I learned that this fight is not one that is meant to be engaged alone, and that I should look for help instead of assuming that its inappropriate to look. Another area where I really want to improve is to be more social, I think that if i was not so isolated and had people to socialize with, I would have fared better. Lastly I plan to begin having conversations with my parents about this subject as I think having the support of my parents will be important in confronting my fears of death.
In terms of financial and personal resources I have been working hard helping my father in his drywall construction job, and thankfully from that work, my family is able to support me in my academic endeavors. I want to repay their efforts by excelling at my studies, and due to my past performances I am very ashamed that I let those anxieties overwhelm me.
Ultimately, I feel terrible that I was unable to overcome my fears of death and I feel worse knowing that I let it affect my studies at Queens University. I want to succeed and repay my parents for the great sacrifices they have done to get me to where I am, and I want to achieve academic excellence at Queens University as I am confident that this institution is the right place to help teach and develop the skills needed to help me achieve a place in the workforce in the field of neuroscience.
I sincerely thank you for your time in reading this appeal, Associate Dean of Studies.
I am currently enrolled into the bachelors of science program and I hope to apply for the Life Sciences plan in my second year, and eventually specialize in the field of neuroscience as that is my preferred field of science. The strategies for success are as follows:
The sciences are very content heavy studies that rely on learning a lot of content and the concepts they orbit around, and then being able to use and apply them in problems that require a thorough understanding of the material to complete. In all sincerity I feel comfortable with the content of the sciences, I felt comfortable with them and the area that I can think to improve on is to better familiarize myself with the structure of OnQ and online learning programs like MasteringChemistry and MasteringBiology. Another thing I could improve on is having a work-oriented study group perhaps, where I could make friends with other students and work with each other to mix study with social friends.
In terms of academic preparation, I am certain that science is the avenue of study that I want to pursue. My uncles death to brain cancer has cemented my goal to study neuroscience, and I wholeheartedly believe that Queens University is the right place to study and foster the skills needed to work in that field. The courses I took were all interesting and although I didnt perform the best to my abilities, I learned a lot from them. Perhaps one area that I could improve is to substitute my Linear Algebra course with something like psychology as Linear Algebra yields information more in line of computing and engineering than the neuroscience that I seek; instead I would take Psychology.
In terms of motivation and by extension situational demands, this is the area that I suffered most in the past academic year. The anxiety I felt and the hopelessness I felt due to near constant thoughts of death and fearing of dying, really mutilated my motivation to study. I was overwhelmed with the falling feeling of despair as I thought of how I would eventually cease to exist, and although my views on the subject have changed for the better, if i were to ever feel that same sinking feeling I know to ask Queens staff for help, anything to maintain that sense of grip on reality; that there is reason for being, that the odds of death at any corner is incredibly slim. Ultimately I learned that this fight is not one that is meant to be engaged alone, and that I should look for help instead of assuming that its inappropriate to look. Another area where I really want to improve is to be more social, I think that if i was not so isolated and had people to socialize with, I would have fared better. Lastly I plan to begin having conversations with my parents about this subject as I think having the support of my parents will be important in confronting my fears of death.
In terms of financial and personal resources I have been working hard helping my father in his drywall construction job, and thankfully from that work, my family is able to support me in my academic endeavors. I want to repay their efforts by excelling at my studies, and due to my past performances I am very ashamed that I let those anxieties overwhelm me.
Ultimately, I feel terrible that I was unable to overcome my fears of death and I feel worse knowing that I let it affect my studies at Queens University. I want to succeed and repay my parents for the great sacrifices they have done to get me to where I am, and I want to achieve academic excellence at Queens University as I am confident that this institution is the right place to help teach and develop the skills needed to help me achieve a place in the workforce in the field of neuroscience.
I sincerely thank you for your time in reading this appeal, Associate Dean of Studies.