Petition Letter
To Dr. Stephenson, Associate Dean of Studies,
I hope this letter finds all who read it in good health. I am writing in response to the ruling placed on my record stating that I am ineligible to proceed to an Honours degree.
I am appealing to drop the following courses past the academic deadline: CHEM 321 (Winter 2018), BIOL 201, BIOL 205, BIOL 339, BIOL 360, CHEM 211 (all from Fall 2018), and CHEM 223, CHEM 321 (both from Winter 2019). I am also appealing for credit standing in BIOL 303 and aegrotat standing in ENSC 301 and BIOL 350 all taken during the Winter of 2018.
For the past few years I have been struggling with my mental health. Up until the fall of 2017 I had been able to manage my moderate depression and anxiety and perform academically at a satisfactory level, albeit not as successfully as before. That fall I began taking courses to complete my chemistry minor while continuing to take courses towards my biology major. During this semester it became apparent that this course load would be more challenging than previous years, however I was confident in my ability to succeed. Unfortunately, my anxiety symptoms became quite severe during this period and grew progressively worse in the winter semester. I could hardly sleep nor eat, and I experienced incapacitating heartburn that resulted in me losing around a quarter of my body weight within the end of the year. I struggled to leave my house, let alone attend my classes without experiencing panic attacks. By the end of the winter of 2018 I was unable to even complete my assignments without breaking down. After the end of the 2017-18 academic year I sought out professional help for my anxiety symptoms. I was prescribed an anti-anxiety medication, one of the side effects of which being worsened depression. That summer, away from my main anxiety triggers, my symptoms dropped to a manageable level, for which I credited the new medication. I returned to Queen's in the fall of 2018 hopeful that I would be in a better mental state than the previous year. Within a few weeks of being back in Kingston I found myself in a worse place than the year before. I was sleeping over 16 hours a day, and frankly, I did not care that I was failing all my classes. I couldn't even bring myself to attend the majority of my exams that semester. I was mentally checked out, in a deep depression that I had no idea how to escape. This continued to worsen until a few weeks into the winter semester of 2019 when I ran out of refills on my prescription. I stopped taking my medication, being unable to get myself to a doctor. Within a couple weeks I was sleeping less and caring more about my well-being. I was still experiencing symptoms of depression and my anxiety was worsened but I was able to work on course content and salvage some of my grades. Upon returning home for the summer I have been seeing a therapist regularly and I have learned how to cope with my mental illnesses, as well as what to do if I feel myself sinking back into a dark place.
Should my appeal be granted I am planning on dropping my chemistry minor. This will allow me to finish my Honours degree in biology as a part time student. I believe that the reduced course load will significantly lessen the impact that my mental health struggles have had on my academic performance. Additionally, I will be continuing therapy while in Kingston to ensure that my mental health continues to improve. I will be taking the advice of my academic counsellor and registering with Queen's accessibility services in order to receive the support that I need to finish my degree.
For the first time in a while I am excited for the future. I know that there is no way to get back the time that I have lost to mental illness, but I truly hope that I haven't lost the opportunity to graduate with my Honours degree from Queen's.
Sincerely,
Maddison LeBlanc
I hope this letter finds all who read it in good health. I am writing in response to the ruling placed on my record stating that I am ineligible to proceed to an Honours degree.
I am appealing to drop the following courses past the academic deadline: CHEM 321 (Winter 2018), BIOL 201, BIOL 205, BIOL 339, BIOL 360, CHEM 211 (all from Fall 2018), and CHEM 223, CHEM 321 (both from Winter 2019). I am also appealing for credit standing in BIOL 303 and aegrotat standing in ENSC 301 and BIOL 350 all taken during the Winter of 2018.
For the past few years I have been struggling with my mental health. Up until the fall of 2017 I had been able to manage my moderate depression and anxiety and perform academically at a satisfactory level, albeit not as successfully as before. That fall I began taking courses to complete my chemistry minor while continuing to take courses towards my biology major. During this semester it became apparent that this course load would be more challenging than previous years, however I was confident in my ability to succeed. Unfortunately, my anxiety symptoms became quite severe during this period and grew progressively worse in the winter semester. I could hardly sleep nor eat, and I experienced incapacitating heartburn that resulted in me losing around a quarter of my body weight within the end of the year. I struggled to leave my house, let alone attend my classes without experiencing panic attacks. By the end of the winter of 2018 I was unable to even complete my assignments without breaking down. After the end of the 2017-18 academic year I sought out professional help for my anxiety symptoms. I was prescribed an anti-anxiety medication, one of the side effects of which being worsened depression. That summer, away from my main anxiety triggers, my symptoms dropped to a manageable level, for which I credited the new medication. I returned to Queen's in the fall of 2018 hopeful that I would be in a better mental state than the previous year. Within a few weeks of being back in Kingston I found myself in a worse place than the year before. I was sleeping over 16 hours a day, and frankly, I did not care that I was failing all my classes. I couldn't even bring myself to attend the majority of my exams that semester. I was mentally checked out, in a deep depression that I had no idea how to escape. This continued to worsen until a few weeks into the winter semester of 2019 when I ran out of refills on my prescription. I stopped taking my medication, being unable to get myself to a doctor. Within a couple weeks I was sleeping less and caring more about my well-being. I was still experiencing symptoms of depression and my anxiety was worsened but I was able to work on course content and salvage some of my grades. Upon returning home for the summer I have been seeing a therapist regularly and I have learned how to cope with my mental illnesses, as well as what to do if I feel myself sinking back into a dark place.
Should my appeal be granted I am planning on dropping my chemistry minor. This will allow me to finish my Honours degree in biology as a part time student. I believe that the reduced course load will significantly lessen the impact that my mental health struggles have had on my academic performance. Additionally, I will be continuing therapy while in Kingston to ensure that my mental health continues to improve. I will be taking the advice of my academic counsellor and registering with Queen's accessibility services in order to receive the support that I need to finish my degree.
For the first time in a while I am excited for the future. I know that there is no way to get back the time that I have lost to mental illness, but I truly hope that I haven't lost the opportunity to graduate with my Honours degree from Queen's.
Sincerely,
Maddison LeBlanc