Academic Plan
Academic Plan
Keerthy Raja 20011171
After being informed that I would be required to withdraw from studies for a year, I knew I did not want this to be my reality. Outlined in my appeal, the circumstances that led to my current situation would require taking advantage of the opportunities and services Queen's offers to ensure academic success for their students. In my academic plan, I will propose my goals I have set for myself and how I intend on achieving them.
Major: Gender Studies
I explored a variety of options when deciding on a major. Although Gender Studies was not my first choice when beginning university, I have come to realize that they are the courses I have most enjoyed throughout my years here and seems that it is the perfect fit for my goal of going into the Public Relations career field. When I had the opportunity to choose elective Genders courses, I did considerably better those than my prerequisite classes. In this upcoming year, I plan on retaking two of the prerequisite courses as well as the courses I had failed in order to raise my GPA. I would like to continue as a full-time student, but not exceed the 5-course load option because I do not want to over-extend myself during the year. I realize that I have the option to take less courses as well, but I would like to begin with the normal course load and work with an academic advisor throughout the year to track my progress and adjust my plan if needed.
One of the biggest mistakes I made throughout the years since beginning university was not asking for help when I needed it. I was never comfortable asking for help because I was embarrassed that my work was never good enough and I was intimidated. I have only went to visit a professor or teaching assistant a handful of times during the years and that was probably because I needed an extension on a paper. However, at the end of my third year, I began consistent communication with one of my professors, Nancy Butler. It really felt like she wants me to succeed and worked with me to be able to do well in her class. It was through the interactions I had with her that I realized that professors are much more understanding than I originally thought, and they want to see me be successful in their class as much as I do. I needed to start more academic related communications with more of professors which is why in the upcoming school year I will plan and make the time to consult the teaching team for a course regularly when I am unsure about assignments or content. Even if Prof. Butler is no longer my professor for a course, I will continue to consult her on my academics because I place such a high value on her advice and support.
Much of the work that is evaluated in Gender Studies comes from academic essays and there is likely no exam. There is so much weight put on these papers so doing well on those is key to doing well in the class. One of my issues this year was that although I think that I am a great writer, my thoughts can get really messy when written into a paper. I think that I can have hit or miss essays, but I think that if I am able to get more advice before handing it in, I would be able to do much better. In the upcoming year I plan on going to the Writing Centre to get consultations on some of my papers to see how I would be able to improve it overall. I would also be communicating more with teaching assistants and professors to ensure that the direction I have chosen for my paper is along the lines of what they are looking for.
My motivation and my mental health go hand in hand. Although my academics may not be my biggest gift, I was always considered a bright student and excellent writer. For many years I thought that I wanted to be a lawyer but when I started university, I realized that it was certainly not the direction I wanted to go into. I thought I wanted to be a Politics major, but I could not get into the program due to my low GPA, so I defaulted into a Genders Studies Major. My goal for the next year was to become an English major, but as I took ENGL100, I realized I had very little interest in studying literature. I was directionless for the first 2 years of university. Not knowing what I wanted to do at the end of my undergraduate degree really shunted my motivation and energy to do well. It felt as if I had exhausted all my options because it was getting too late to restart everything and at the time, I did not want to become a Genders Studies major. I had considered switching universities because I thought that another school would offer a better program more suitable but as I started my third year and took only Genders courses, it made me appreciate the faculty much more and realize that Gender Studies is the major I am supposed to be in.
Although I feel good about my decision continue with Gender Studies, this did not come easy. As I said in my appeal letter, I did not grow up which much of a support system at home. I learned to be independent and that failure was not an option. I think it was because these things were engrained into my head that I hated asking for help, whether that be in my academics or my personal life. Not knowing what I wanted to do mixed with the enormous pressure to succeed put a lot of weight on my shoulders. To this day I still consider my first year at Queen's the most regrettable academically. My GPA was so low at the end of the year that I put on the weight of having to do extremely well the next year if I did not want to get kicked out of school. To me, having that pressure created so much anxiety for me because I constantly thought that one mistake and I risk being a university drop out. I do not like talking about this kind of thing with anyone, I feel so embarrassed and ashamed by my grades and my status as a student that I kept it internalized for so long. It was not until I actually began to open up to one of my friends and, as I mentioned, Prof. Butler, that I finally felt that I was able to breathe. Prof. Butler's encouragement and advice allowed me to feel hopeful again. It was through these interactions that I realized that things are only going to get better if I take the step to go out and talk to someone. For my academics, I mentioned earlier that I plan on beginning to communicate with the Teaching Teams of my courses for further advice on assignments and content. As for my mental health, I never want it to get as bad as it did during my third year again. I want to begin going to counselling services offered on campus. I was always aware that they existed, but I never had the courage to go. I would like to start seeking advice for the Student Wellness Services Centre to see what they are able to do to help me cope with issues that I struggle with mentally. However, I am open to accessing professionals outside the university if needed. My parents may not approve but I believe that the only way I will be able to succeed in studies is if I had a healthy outlet to express my issues to be able to clear my head for my academics.
I hope that my academic plan gives you an insight into my goals for the upcoming year if my appeal is granted. As I said in my letter, I will not let my final opportunity go to waste. Now that I know what I want to do and I have this plan to guide me, I know that the barriers I faced in previous years will no longer be an issue and I will reach for the appropriate resources to help me throughout this year.
Keerthy Raja 20011171
After being informed that I would be required to withdraw from studies for a year, I knew I did not want this to be my reality. Outlined in my appeal, the circumstances that led to my current situation would require taking advantage of the opportunities and services Queen's offers to ensure academic success for their students. In my academic plan, I will propose my goals I have set for myself and how I intend on achieving them.
Major: Gender Studies
I explored a variety of options when deciding on a major. Although Gender Studies was not my first choice when beginning university, I have come to realize that they are the courses I have most enjoyed throughout my years here and seems that it is the perfect fit for my goal of going into the Public Relations career field. When I had the opportunity to choose elective Genders courses, I did considerably better those than my prerequisite classes. In this upcoming year, I plan on retaking two of the prerequisite courses as well as the courses I had failed in order to raise my GPA. I would like to continue as a full-time student, but not exceed the 5-course load option because I do not want to over-extend myself during the year. I realize that I have the option to take less courses as well, but I would like to begin with the normal course load and work with an academic advisor throughout the year to track my progress and adjust my plan if needed.
One of the biggest mistakes I made throughout the years since beginning university was not asking for help when I needed it. I was never comfortable asking for help because I was embarrassed that my work was never good enough and I was intimidated. I have only went to visit a professor or teaching assistant a handful of times during the years and that was probably because I needed an extension on a paper. However, at the end of my third year, I began consistent communication with one of my professors, Nancy Butler. It really felt like she wants me to succeed and worked with me to be able to do well in her class. It was through the interactions I had with her that I realized that professors are much more understanding than I originally thought, and they want to see me be successful in their class as much as I do. I needed to start more academic related communications with more of professors which is why in the upcoming school year I will plan and make the time to consult the teaching team for a course regularly when I am unsure about assignments or content. Even if Prof. Butler is no longer my professor for a course, I will continue to consult her on my academics because I place such a high value on her advice and support.
Much of the work that is evaluated in Gender Studies comes from academic essays and there is likely no exam. There is so much weight put on these papers so doing well on those is key to doing well in the class. One of my issues this year was that although I think that I am a great writer, my thoughts can get really messy when written into a paper. I think that I can have hit or miss essays, but I think that if I am able to get more advice before handing it in, I would be able to do much better. In the upcoming year I plan on going to the Writing Centre to get consultations on some of my papers to see how I would be able to improve it overall. I would also be communicating more with teaching assistants and professors to ensure that the direction I have chosen for my paper is along the lines of what they are looking for.
My motivation and my mental health go hand in hand. Although my academics may not be my biggest gift, I was always considered a bright student and excellent writer. For many years I thought that I wanted to be a lawyer but when I started university, I realized that it was certainly not the direction I wanted to go into. I thought I wanted to be a Politics major, but I could not get into the program due to my low GPA, so I defaulted into a Genders Studies Major. My goal for the next year was to become an English major, but as I took ENGL100, I realized I had very little interest in studying literature. I was directionless for the first 2 years of university. Not knowing what I wanted to do at the end of my undergraduate degree really shunted my motivation and energy to do well. It felt as if I had exhausted all my options because it was getting too late to restart everything and at the time, I did not want to become a Genders Studies major. I had considered switching universities because I thought that another school would offer a better program more suitable but as I started my third year and took only Genders courses, it made me appreciate the faculty much more and realize that Gender Studies is the major I am supposed to be in.
Although I feel good about my decision continue with Gender Studies, this did not come easy. As I said in my appeal letter, I did not grow up which much of a support system at home. I learned to be independent and that failure was not an option. I think it was because these things were engrained into my head that I hated asking for help, whether that be in my academics or my personal life. Not knowing what I wanted to do mixed with the enormous pressure to succeed put a lot of weight on my shoulders. To this day I still consider my first year at Queen's the most regrettable academically. My GPA was so low at the end of the year that I put on the weight of having to do extremely well the next year if I did not want to get kicked out of school. To me, having that pressure created so much anxiety for me because I constantly thought that one mistake and I risk being a university drop out. I do not like talking about this kind of thing with anyone, I feel so embarrassed and ashamed by my grades and my status as a student that I kept it internalized for so long. It was not until I actually began to open up to one of my friends and, as I mentioned, Prof. Butler, that I finally felt that I was able to breathe. Prof. Butler's encouragement and advice allowed me to feel hopeful again. It was through these interactions that I realized that things are only going to get better if I take the step to go out and talk to someone. For my academics, I mentioned earlier that I plan on beginning to communicate with the Teaching Teams of my courses for further advice on assignments and content. As for my mental health, I never want it to get as bad as it did during my third year again. I want to begin going to counselling services offered on campus. I was always aware that they existed, but I never had the courage to go. I would like to start seeking advice for the Student Wellness Services Centre to see what they are able to do to help me cope with issues that I struggle with mentally. However, I am open to accessing professionals outside the university if needed. My parents may not approve but I believe that the only way I will be able to succeed in studies is if I had a healthy outlet to express my issues to be able to clear my head for my academics.
I hope that my academic plan gives you an insight into my goals for the upcoming year if my appeal is granted. As I said in my letter, I will not let my final opportunity go to waste. Now that I know what I want to do and I have this plan to guide me, I know that the barriers I faced in previous years will no longer be an issue and I will reach for the appropriate resources to help me throughout this year.