Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean,
My name is Ella Breen, and I am a fourth year Health Studies major at Queen??s. I am appealing to drop a course I am currently enrolled in, PSYC271: Brain and Behaviour (Fall 2021).
I have diagnosed anxiety that has strongly presented itself throughout this semester. I have felt moderately anxious about my exams since the middle-to-end of November 2021, but these feelings have become overwhelming within the last week due to this specific course. I did not drop the course before the Week 8 deadline because I did not anticipate such an extreme shift in my mental state. I believed that my lingering anxiety was normal, but the onset of extreme symptoms has truly been an extenuating circumstance that I cannot seem to control. I have worked with my counsellor, Danielle Stanton, for months to develop coping mechanisms that I use to deal with anxiety. Danielle has also provided a letter that outlines this concept more thoroughly.
The structure of this course has affected my academic performance and overall wellbeing to a much greater extent than I anticipated. Specifically, the weighing of the final exam as 50% of my grade has caused me to feel great amounts of pressure and become completely overwhelmed. I have never taken a course with such a significant final exam before. I feel that the pressure to perform well on such a heavily weighed exam will cause me to not perform to the academic standard that I know I am capable of. It is for this reason that I am appealing to drop PSYC271 only, and not the other courses I am enrolled in.
To ensure that I am not in this situation again, I will consider the weighing of assessments when considering my courses in the future. If that means enrolling in courses, examining the syllabi, and adjusting my timetable all within the first two weeks of future semesters, then I am prepared to do that. Additionally, I will continue to work on my mental health alongside Danielle to prevent this scenario in the future. I plan to direct more of our future discussions towards academics and continuing the development of coping mechanisms that I can use in future stressful situations.
Your consideration is very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ella Breen
My name is Ella Breen, and I am a fourth year Health Studies major at Queen??s. I am appealing to drop a course I am currently enrolled in, PSYC271: Brain and Behaviour (Fall 2021).
I have diagnosed anxiety that has strongly presented itself throughout this semester. I have felt moderately anxious about my exams since the middle-to-end of November 2021, but these feelings have become overwhelming within the last week due to this specific course. I did not drop the course before the Week 8 deadline because I did not anticipate such an extreme shift in my mental state. I believed that my lingering anxiety was normal, but the onset of extreme symptoms has truly been an extenuating circumstance that I cannot seem to control. I have worked with my counsellor, Danielle Stanton, for months to develop coping mechanisms that I use to deal with anxiety. Danielle has also provided a letter that outlines this concept more thoroughly.
The structure of this course has affected my academic performance and overall wellbeing to a much greater extent than I anticipated. Specifically, the weighing of the final exam as 50% of my grade has caused me to feel great amounts of pressure and become completely overwhelmed. I have never taken a course with such a significant final exam before. I feel that the pressure to perform well on such a heavily weighed exam will cause me to not perform to the academic standard that I know I am capable of. It is for this reason that I am appealing to drop PSYC271 only, and not the other courses I am enrolled in.
To ensure that I am not in this situation again, I will consider the weighing of assessments when considering my courses in the future. If that means enrolling in courses, examining the syllabi, and adjusting my timetable all within the first two weeks of future semesters, then I am prepared to do that. Additionally, I will continue to work on my mental health alongside Danielle to prevent this scenario in the future. I plan to direct more of our future discussions towards academics and continuing the development of coping mechanisms that I can use in future stressful situations.
Your consideration is very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ella Breen