Petition Letter
To The Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing to drop PSYC 241 for the Fall 2018 Semester due to extenuating circumstances which have severely affected my mental health and performance on the midterm exam.
Two consecutive traumatic events occurring three days before the midterm exam terminated my work in all courses. These two events significantly impacted my mental health causing me to go into a severe panic attack. As I have never encountered a panic attack in my life, it was incredibly difficult to cope with the conditions I was put through. As a result I was unable to mentally and physically function, nor complete mundane activities such as eating and getting out of bed. The mental pressure and grief placed upon me in the middle of a stressful academic period severely impaired my ability to study and focus on academics. Under these mental conditions I requested extended deadlines on all of my assignments, yet was unable to request a deferred midterm exam. It was incredibly difficult to balance an immense amount of grief and maintain the level of focus I have put towards my academics. Nevertheless, I was required to write the midterm exam under severe mental pressure and grievance. As a result I have failed the psychology midterm at 31. Psychology is a subject that I have passion towards, however, due to the extenuating circumstances I was unable to apply the amount of dedication I have tirelessly put towards my studies due to mental conditions out of my own control.
I believe that the outcome of the events on my mental health and the repercussions on my grade are an inaccurate representation of myself as an academic. I personally cannot bare the thought of having failed the exam for a course I continue to love and have a passion for. The timing of the mental breakdown and the exam was too short for me to recuperate and function properly, as the events occurred on the 20th and 21st of October, and the Midterm exam was on the 22nd of October. The final mark confirming my failure was posted on November 24th of 2018.
My plan moving forward is to meet with a professional psychologist and therapist so that I am mentally equipped with the resources in the event of another mental breakdown and panic attack. In addition, I will keep close contact with a personal counsellor so that I am able to communicate and reach out for help as soon as an issue arises. I hope to retake PSYC 241 come the 2019 spring semester so that I am able to redeem my credits and stay on track for academic success. Therefore in dropping the course, I am able to mentally heal and recover so that I am given a fair opportunity to showcase my ability and level of academic on a subject which I hold dear to my heart.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Nicolette Shwarzman
I am appealing to drop PSYC 241 for the Fall 2018 Semester due to extenuating circumstances which have severely affected my mental health and performance on the midterm exam.
Two consecutive traumatic events occurring three days before the midterm exam terminated my work in all courses. These two events significantly impacted my mental health causing me to go into a severe panic attack. As I have never encountered a panic attack in my life, it was incredibly difficult to cope with the conditions I was put through. As a result I was unable to mentally and physically function, nor complete mundane activities such as eating and getting out of bed. The mental pressure and grief placed upon me in the middle of a stressful academic period severely impaired my ability to study and focus on academics. Under these mental conditions I requested extended deadlines on all of my assignments, yet was unable to request a deferred midterm exam. It was incredibly difficult to balance an immense amount of grief and maintain the level of focus I have put towards my academics. Nevertheless, I was required to write the midterm exam under severe mental pressure and grievance. As a result I have failed the psychology midterm at 31. Psychology is a subject that I have passion towards, however, due to the extenuating circumstances I was unable to apply the amount of dedication I have tirelessly put towards my studies due to mental conditions out of my own control.
I believe that the outcome of the events on my mental health and the repercussions on my grade are an inaccurate representation of myself as an academic. I personally cannot bare the thought of having failed the exam for a course I continue to love and have a passion for. The timing of the mental breakdown and the exam was too short for me to recuperate and function properly, as the events occurred on the 20th and 21st of October, and the Midterm exam was on the 22nd of October. The final mark confirming my failure was posted on November 24th of 2018.
My plan moving forward is to meet with a professional psychologist and therapist so that I am mentally equipped with the resources in the event of another mental breakdown and panic attack. In addition, I will keep close contact with a personal counsellor so that I am able to communicate and reach out for help as soon as an issue arises. I hope to retake PSYC 241 come the 2019 spring semester so that I am able to redeem my credits and stay on track for academic success. Therefore in dropping the course, I am able to mentally heal and recover so that I am given a fair opportunity to showcase my ability and level of academic on a subject which I hold dear to my heart.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Nicolette Shwarzman