Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Stephenson,
I am writing in response to your letter informing me that I must withdraw for one year from the Faculty of Arts and Science, effective May 25, 2021.
Its difficult for me to capture just how disappointed I was to receive your letter, and I am writing to appeal this decision based on a number of extenuating circumstances which have impacted my academic performance in the last two years, including my mental health, my learning disability, difficulties adjusting to online learning, and issues with course selection.
In my first year at Queens, I found myself struggling with mental health issues, specifically anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, I didnt seek help at the time for these issues, and this made the already difficult transition to university life even harder for me. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic my anxiety and depression became even more pronounced and prevalent in my life and made everyday functioning very difficult.
My situation is more complicated by the fact that I also suffer from ADHD and find it very difficult to organize myself and take initiative, as my executive function is seriously impaired by this disability.
Although I had an IEP in high school, I have not had academic accommodations throughout my time at Queens. I spoke to accommodations services after first year to begin the process of getting accommodations but do not think I ever received a follow up from them about it. I think that my lack of initiative to get accommodations stems from my executive function deficiency as well as my anxiety, which made it seem as if getting accommodations was an impossible task.
All of these issues compounded themselves this year with the transition to online learning. With a lack of routine and schedule I found myself in a situation that was almost impossible for me to do well in, and anxiety about COVID made focusing on school even more difficult than it already was. As a result I ended up dropping most of my courses in first semester, and still did poorly in the courses I did finish. Then I caught the coronavirus in late December, right before exams, which made studying for and doing well on exams extremely difficult.
Lastly, my academic performance this year was severely impacted by my not being able to choose the courses I wanted on SOLUS. The date of my course selection, August 24th, was very late this past year, and as a result I was unable to take most courses in my program, economics, and was only able to take one econ course. I was also unable to retake any courses I had previously failed, which made it next to impossible to effectively raise my GPA.
Despite my challenges, I did my best to succeed and unfortunately I fell short. I disappointed myself, and my professors, and know that I am capable of so much more.
I am highly motivated to return to Queens in the fall, and to start seeking more help for the things that have been challenging for me. I have already begun to see a therapist who has been a great help, and I believe in my heart of hearts that I can turn things around, and I hope that you look on my appeal favorably.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Young
I am writing in response to your letter informing me that I must withdraw for one year from the Faculty of Arts and Science, effective May 25, 2021.
Its difficult for me to capture just how disappointed I was to receive your letter, and I am writing to appeal this decision based on a number of extenuating circumstances which have impacted my academic performance in the last two years, including my mental health, my learning disability, difficulties adjusting to online learning, and issues with course selection.
In my first year at Queens, I found myself struggling with mental health issues, specifically anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, I didnt seek help at the time for these issues, and this made the already difficult transition to university life even harder for me. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic my anxiety and depression became even more pronounced and prevalent in my life and made everyday functioning very difficult.
My situation is more complicated by the fact that I also suffer from ADHD and find it very difficult to organize myself and take initiative, as my executive function is seriously impaired by this disability.
Although I had an IEP in high school, I have not had academic accommodations throughout my time at Queens. I spoke to accommodations services after first year to begin the process of getting accommodations but do not think I ever received a follow up from them about it. I think that my lack of initiative to get accommodations stems from my executive function deficiency as well as my anxiety, which made it seem as if getting accommodations was an impossible task.
All of these issues compounded themselves this year with the transition to online learning. With a lack of routine and schedule I found myself in a situation that was almost impossible for me to do well in, and anxiety about COVID made focusing on school even more difficult than it already was. As a result I ended up dropping most of my courses in first semester, and still did poorly in the courses I did finish. Then I caught the coronavirus in late December, right before exams, which made studying for and doing well on exams extremely difficult.
Lastly, my academic performance this year was severely impacted by my not being able to choose the courses I wanted on SOLUS. The date of my course selection, August 24th, was very late this past year, and as a result I was unable to take most courses in my program, economics, and was only able to take one econ course. I was also unable to retake any courses I had previously failed, which made it next to impossible to effectively raise my GPA.
Despite my challenges, I did my best to succeed and unfortunately I fell short. I disappointed myself, and my professors, and know that I am capable of so much more.
I am highly motivated to return to Queens in the fall, and to start seeking more help for the things that have been challenging for me. I have already begun to see a therapist who has been a great help, and I believe in my heart of hearts that I can turn things around, and I hope that you look on my appeal favorably.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Young