Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean,

I am petitioning to drop a course after the academic deadline because due to the lasting effects of grief from the recent death of a loved one and the suddenly worsening symptoms of a mental disorder, my academic performance has suffered greatly. Especially in the course BADR 101.

A few weeks into the winter semester, I began to experience symptoms of a mental health disorder and as the semester progressed, so did my symptoms in severity. Including: forgetfulness, lack of concentration, difficulties with time management, depression, and more. These symptoms manifested in a way that made it feel physically impossible to complete assignments and meet deadlines. My inability to complete schoolwork on time only exacerbated my symptoms even more and I fell into a shameful cycle of trying to submit assignments that were already late and neglecting assignments I could still submit on time. I work significantly slower than my peers and I cannot focus on more than one task at a time. This combined with the symptoms of a mental disorder and the anniversary of the death of a very close loved one, culminated in nothing getting accomplished and I experienced a mental breakdown. Both smaller weekly responses and much larger assignments from my classes were affected quite severely. Recently, I was able to submit those assignments late with a penalty, but in BADR 101, I was not. I was only able to submit the first assignment in that course before my symptoms and the effects of them began to snowball. This is why I am only petitioning to drop BADR 101 late.

I have recognized that my circumstances will continue to affect my academic performance in the future if I ignore them and am trying to get help. I did not seek help sooner because I didn't think I deserved it. I thought I had to suffer in silence because someone else had it worse and deserved it more than I did. I have consulted with my doctor and am currently undergoing medical treatment for my condition. I am also in the process of applying for academic accommodations for the 2023-24 school year to prevent this from happening again.

Thank you for your consideration,

Sam Firlotte