Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,

I am writing this petition letter to request a late drop for my enrollment in PHYS118 from the summer 2022 term. I am requesting this late drop as a result of a poor final grade that I believe does not reflect my efforts in this course, nor as a student in the kinesiology program here at Queen's University. I am a very hardworking student, and I have wishes to continue my education further in physiotherapy after graduating from my undergraduate degree at Queen's, however I am concerned that my final grade from PHYS118 obstructs grad programs to recognize my full potential as a promising candidate for their programs.

In the summer of 2022, I began working full-time in an environment where I was working with children under the age of 8. When I began PHYS118, my employment opportunity had not yet started and I was able to be mentally present to understand the course concepts, and interact online with teaching staff and peers to help me succeed in the course. After the drop date for the summer 2022 term, my employer required me to frequently relocate across multiple cities to continue working with multiple groups of children, which had not been expressed as a demand or requirement prior to signing my employee contract. I truly thought I would be able to continue my studies effectively while working across multiple cities with young children, and continued to perform relatively well on term tests. However, when it came to the exam, I became extremely psychologically drained, as the exam was worth more than half (60%) of my final grade. I understood this exam would be reflected on my final grade more than any of the work I had put in to the course throughout the term. At this point in the term, I felt like I did not have the option to drop the course, nor leave my employment due to a contract and requiring funds to pay for schooling. Despite my efforts to perform well on the final exam, I began feeling overwhelmed and detrimentally anxious where I was unable to perform to my normal capacity. My grade dropped drastically, and I finished the 6.0 credit summer course with a D+. Due to the large weight this course has on my GPA, my overall GPA also dropped quite significantly.

I have felt psychologically challenged in terms of general and performance anxiety ever since the last three-quarters of the summer term, as I have felt additional pressure to make up my poor grade. I am a student who always strives for success, yet struggles to ask for help when it comes to accommodations or mental support. After realizing the effect my psychological state had on my course performance and potentially my future enough to write this petition, I am planning on seeking counselling offered through Queen's University to ensure that I can continue to perform to my possible best, and receive help when needed. My GPA is a crucial aspect for future schooling opportunities to further my career. I would hate for this course to reflect the type of student I am, as I do not require this course as an admission requirement for graduate programs.

I hope that this petition is understood by the committee, from a student who strives for nothing but success, but experienced a psychological challenge that may affect the course of my career. Thank you for taking the time to read and process this request.

Best,
Izabela Polom