Petition Letter
I am appealing to be granted permission for a late drop for three 2020 Fall semester courses ¿¿ Film 220, Film 343 and Film 389 ¿¿ from my transcript.
I previously submitted an appeal letter to drop a course (History 244) that I had failed in the Spring 2019 semester. I had just returned from the Queen¿¿s University exchange program at the University of Glasgow the previous term and, although I had had difficulties in Scotland, I had hoped that the familiar setting back in Canada would help me to adjust and resume my normal routine and continue to perform at a high level (I had been on the Dean¿¿s honour roll the previous academic year). However, I was unable to adjust as I had hoped and continued to experience challenges. In support of that appeal, I submitted documentation prepared by a psychiatrist, Dr. Anna Lisa Reisman, who diagnosed me with severe depression and anxiety.
After Dr. Reisman¿¿s diagnosis, I sought out appropriate medical treatment. I was put on a waiting list and eventually commenced treatment with a psychiatrist, Dr. Matthew Boyle, at Sunnybrook Hospital. I am still a patient of Dr. Boyle and am on a regimen of antidepressants. I have tried a number of different medications but none have been entirely successful. Consequently, I am finding that I continue to have significant difficulties.
The reason that I submitted the appeal of History 244 in Spring 2019 was that I thought at the time that it was an aberration (given my previously strong academic record) and that once I was under the treatment of a psychiatrist, my academic performance would improve. However, it is never that simple; I continued to underestimate both the severity of my condition and my ability to master the situation, despite my eagerness to remain enrolled in hope of my eventual success.
I have sought out mental health and academic assistance at Queen¿¿s University on several occasions in the past but, unfortunately, I found both access and outcomes to be unhelpful and ineffective.
I had hoped to graduate this academic year and registered for three courses in my program for the Fall 2020 semester. Unfortunately, I was again unable to focus on my academic requirements and was further disrupted by the COVID pandemic. I did not physically return to campus for the Fall 2020 semester and, as a result, I was even less engaged than usual in the academic atmosphere. The lack of social interaction and forced confinement only increased the strain on my mental health, and I began to (finally) realize how my previously undiagnosed ADHD had become a major impediment on my recent academic career. As such, I should have dropped the courses on or before the date of November 2, 2020 but was unable to function at a level that would allow me to contemplate taking action of any kind. I was, however, able to drop my pre-registered Winter 2021 semester courses before the deadline.
Please note that tuition and student activity fees were paid in September, in full and on time, in contemplation of completing the requirements of the courses, but I am not asking for a refund, merely the recognition and acknowledgement on my transcript that special circumstances exist. I will continue to seek out medical treatment and counselling and I am hopeful that I will be able to successfully return to classes and graduate in the near future.
Thank you for your consideration of my appeal.
I previously submitted an appeal letter to drop a course (History 244) that I had failed in the Spring 2019 semester. I had just returned from the Queen¿¿s University exchange program at the University of Glasgow the previous term and, although I had had difficulties in Scotland, I had hoped that the familiar setting back in Canada would help me to adjust and resume my normal routine and continue to perform at a high level (I had been on the Dean¿¿s honour roll the previous academic year). However, I was unable to adjust as I had hoped and continued to experience challenges. In support of that appeal, I submitted documentation prepared by a psychiatrist, Dr. Anna Lisa Reisman, who diagnosed me with severe depression and anxiety.
After Dr. Reisman¿¿s diagnosis, I sought out appropriate medical treatment. I was put on a waiting list and eventually commenced treatment with a psychiatrist, Dr. Matthew Boyle, at Sunnybrook Hospital. I am still a patient of Dr. Boyle and am on a regimen of antidepressants. I have tried a number of different medications but none have been entirely successful. Consequently, I am finding that I continue to have significant difficulties.
The reason that I submitted the appeal of History 244 in Spring 2019 was that I thought at the time that it was an aberration (given my previously strong academic record) and that once I was under the treatment of a psychiatrist, my academic performance would improve. However, it is never that simple; I continued to underestimate both the severity of my condition and my ability to master the situation, despite my eagerness to remain enrolled in hope of my eventual success.
I have sought out mental health and academic assistance at Queen¿¿s University on several occasions in the past but, unfortunately, I found both access and outcomes to be unhelpful and ineffective.
I had hoped to graduate this academic year and registered for three courses in my program for the Fall 2020 semester. Unfortunately, I was again unable to focus on my academic requirements and was further disrupted by the COVID pandemic. I did not physically return to campus for the Fall 2020 semester and, as a result, I was even less engaged than usual in the academic atmosphere. The lack of social interaction and forced confinement only increased the strain on my mental health, and I began to (finally) realize how my previously undiagnosed ADHD had become a major impediment on my recent academic career. As such, I should have dropped the courses on or before the date of November 2, 2020 but was unable to function at a level that would allow me to contemplate taking action of any kind. I was, however, able to drop my pre-registered Winter 2021 semester courses before the deadline.
Please note that tuition and student activity fees were paid in September, in full and on time, in contemplation of completing the requirements of the courses, but I am not asking for a refund, merely the recognition and acknowledgement on my transcript that special circumstances exist. I will continue to seek out medical treatment and counselling and I am hopeful that I will be able to successfully return to classes and graduate in the near future.
Thank you for your consideration of my appeal.