Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean (Academic),
I am appealing for Aegrotat standing in DEVS 220 (Fall 2021), as I was unable to complete two assignments in this course due to extenuating circumstances out of my control. My inability to complete these two assignments has led to my final adjusted grade in this course being an F (24).
At the end of September, I experienced a sudden traumatic event in my personal life that was completely unforeseen and greatly impacted my mental health. I experienced high levels of conflict and stress revolving many of the relationships I hold close to me in my personal life, and this was a distressing experience that stood as a major trigger for my anxiety and depression. Throughout the year in previous semesters, I had a strong focus on my academic work and was able to complete all assignments in my courses, regularly attend lectures/seminars, and had a passion for striving to work hard in my courses to increase my grades before I graduate. After this experience I had in late September, I began to notice that my outlook on my academic studies completely shifted and was clouded heavily by my mental health, which was increasingly growing worse. I had a sudden loss of interest in most activities I would passionately engage in before, I faced disturbances in my sleep schedule which included insomnia, I found it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time, and I would have regular anxiety attacks, and I would have recurring anxious/depressive thoughts that took up a large portion of my headspace and was a significant distraction for me from my focus on academic assignments.
I began to grow a lot of anxiety around how I would be able to successfully meet academic deadlines and the weekly expectations of my courses in order to maintain passing grades in my courses. I turned to using the TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) service offered by Queen's Mental Health Services to try and combat the barriers to academic success I was facing as a result of my mental health. I saw little improvement in my mental health after utilising this service, so I turned to seeking a medical professional that I could visit in-person and talk to about my problems. After a few sessions, an understanding was made clear that I have faced anxiety and depression disorders for many years, but the extremity of both had skyrocketed, particularly in October, since the personal event I had experienced.
I was registered in four courses in total over the Fall 2021 semester. I tried my best to complete assignments before deadlines, however, I noticed that I was falling behind severely in two courses in particular. I reached out to the two professors of these courses explaining my circumstances, one of which advised that I reach out to QSAS. I followed their advice and with the assistance of my health provider, I was able to successfully retrieve a letter of accommodation. Unfortunately, while I was waiting to get the documentation to apply for this letter of accommodation, the time period that had surpassed since I had missed the two assignments in DEVS 220 was too long and I was unable to submit an assignment without receiving a failing grade. I was able to receive a 7-day extension on the assignments in my other courses, however, and this is the sole reason why I received passing grades in those courses as opposed to this specific course.
The biggest mistake I can acknowledge in how I handled this situation is my failure to apply for an academic accommodation with QSAS sooner. I had never applied for an accommodation before, and rather than research what options I had in terms of academic accommodations, the majority of my focus was applied to searching for an appropriate mental health service that could provide me with the support I needed to better handle the extremely unhealthy levels my anxiety and depression had reached. The reason for this course of action was because I believed that if I could get professional help as soon as possible, the high levels of stress that I was facing would be eased and I would be able to return to a healthier mental headspace that would allow me to better maintain focus and consistency in applying myself to my academic responsibilities. This experience has taught me that in the future, if I were to be faced with a situation similar to this one again, it is best for me to either drop a course or two and retake them at a later date to reduce my levels of stress, or reach out to my professors and services available to me at Queen's for advice sooner instead of placing a large focus on the belief that I can figure out all of my problems on my own.
I am appealing for Aegrotat standing in DEVS 220 (Fall 2021), as I was unable to complete two assignments in this course due to extenuating circumstances out of my control. My inability to complete these two assignments has led to my final adjusted grade in this course being an F (24).
At the end of September, I experienced a sudden traumatic event in my personal life that was completely unforeseen and greatly impacted my mental health. I experienced high levels of conflict and stress revolving many of the relationships I hold close to me in my personal life, and this was a distressing experience that stood as a major trigger for my anxiety and depression. Throughout the year in previous semesters, I had a strong focus on my academic work and was able to complete all assignments in my courses, regularly attend lectures/seminars, and had a passion for striving to work hard in my courses to increase my grades before I graduate. After this experience I had in late September, I began to notice that my outlook on my academic studies completely shifted and was clouded heavily by my mental health, which was increasingly growing worse. I had a sudden loss of interest in most activities I would passionately engage in before, I faced disturbances in my sleep schedule which included insomnia, I found it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time, and I would have regular anxiety attacks, and I would have recurring anxious/depressive thoughts that took up a large portion of my headspace and was a significant distraction for me from my focus on academic assignments.
I began to grow a lot of anxiety around how I would be able to successfully meet academic deadlines and the weekly expectations of my courses in order to maintain passing grades in my courses. I turned to using the TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) service offered by Queen's Mental Health Services to try and combat the barriers to academic success I was facing as a result of my mental health. I saw little improvement in my mental health after utilising this service, so I turned to seeking a medical professional that I could visit in-person and talk to about my problems. After a few sessions, an understanding was made clear that I have faced anxiety and depression disorders for many years, but the extremity of both had skyrocketed, particularly in October, since the personal event I had experienced.
I was registered in four courses in total over the Fall 2021 semester. I tried my best to complete assignments before deadlines, however, I noticed that I was falling behind severely in two courses in particular. I reached out to the two professors of these courses explaining my circumstances, one of which advised that I reach out to QSAS. I followed their advice and with the assistance of my health provider, I was able to successfully retrieve a letter of accommodation. Unfortunately, while I was waiting to get the documentation to apply for this letter of accommodation, the time period that had surpassed since I had missed the two assignments in DEVS 220 was too long and I was unable to submit an assignment without receiving a failing grade. I was able to receive a 7-day extension on the assignments in my other courses, however, and this is the sole reason why I received passing grades in those courses as opposed to this specific course.
The biggest mistake I can acknowledge in how I handled this situation is my failure to apply for an academic accommodation with QSAS sooner. I had never applied for an accommodation before, and rather than research what options I had in terms of academic accommodations, the majority of my focus was applied to searching for an appropriate mental health service that could provide me with the support I needed to better handle the extremely unhealthy levels my anxiety and depression had reached. The reason for this course of action was because I believed that if I could get professional help as soon as possible, the high levels of stress that I was facing would be eased and I would be able to return to a healthier mental headspace that would allow me to better maintain focus and consistency in applying myself to my academic responsibilities. This experience has taught me that in the future, if I were to be faced with a situation similar to this one again, it is best for me to either drop a course or two and retake them at a later date to reduce my levels of stress, or reach out to my professors and services available to me at Queen's for advice sooner instead of placing a large focus on the belief that I can figure out all of my problems on my own.