Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 10551
Submitted: May 22, 2023 at 10:13:43 PM
First Name: Trevor
Last Name: Sokolowski
Pronoun: He/Him
Preferred Name: Trevor
Student Number: 20061824
Email: 16ts51@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BSCH
Plan: GPHY
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Code: PHYS 216
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Sarah Sadavoy
Section/Class Number: 001
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: May 22, 2023
Sokolowski, Trevor
27 Francis St
Kingston, ON K7M 1L8
Dear Associate Dean of Academics,
My name is Trevor Sokolowski and I am writing to appeal for credit standing for PHYS 216 (Winter 2022).
The reason I am appealing this course from the Winter 2022 semester is because of the circumstances I underwent during the semester. With courses being ran online and in person due to frequent changing COVID-19 restrictions, some strain on my study patterns and note taking took place. When class transitioned to online I went back home to share my time with family because of the difficulties between family members. Experiencing the family difficulties first hand, took my mind out of the academic setting and environment, which Queen??s fosters so well. The habits that I have formed and nurtured in the years prior: academic prioritization, valuing daily tasks, and family discussions to help put me in a strong mental space; were all starting to deteriorate. The fail-safe that I had set up within my family to ensure that I never got into such a poor mental space in my life again was under immense strain. In previous semesters I confided with my brother (Jason) about struggles in academic, financial, and family life. Difficulties within the family caused our discussions to be much more focused on a single aspect distracting from the academic year in progress. Unfortunately, with the in-person changes occurring during my return to Kingston; the family strains were still on my mind occupying my day. The in-person return for exams was the worst timing due to the family tension being at an all time high. The assignments showed a deteriorating performance as the family situation worsened. The heavy weight of the exam was at the worst point as that was when I was most disconnected from my studious environment and headspace. The shift in my priorities show a diversion from my previous academic patterns.
Leading up to the Winter 2022 semester, I had brought my GPA, CGPA, and teachable GPA requirements all to the their respective requirements in the past 4 semesters with better and better academic performances. I had a disastrous Fall 2019 semester which I mentally recouped from and showed resilience by improving my GPA from a 0.860 (Fall 2019) to a 2.0 in Winter 2020. Each semester I put more and more work to fix the wrongs of my academic start, going from a 2.0 GPA in Winter 2020, into a 2.760 GPA in Fall 2020, to a 2.67 GPA in Winter 2021 to a 3.15 GPA in Fall 2021. This pattern of growth and change is hit by the outlier of Winter 2022 with an uncharacteristic 1.53. My GPHY teachable went from a 2.10 to a 3.21 in my years of change (Fall 2019 to present). My PHYS teachable was at a 2.075 and went to a 3.00 before Winter 2022. I hope that I have illustrated how far I have come from my poor Fall 2019 semester and how much of an outlier this grade is. As I look to graduate from Arts and Science, this grade is pulling down my PHYS teachable tremendous amounts making me not meet the Con-Ed criteria. I tried to work as hard as I could the following semester by achieving a 3.70 in a previous 1.0 course (ASTRO 101). I did not want to load multiple courses while I was working full time on campus and result in a semester that would hurt my PHYS teachable GPA more than it would help. The reason I am asking for just the one course (PHYS 216) is because I have outworked my previous academic mistakes, except for this one. I was hoping to put in the work and show that I could achieve the grades required but I still fell short. I was studying hard in hopes that I would not have to go this route in order to progress in academics.
As I look to graduate and advance to my B.Ed, I have found my previous studying strategies as a massive contribution to my success in recent years. However, despite my work I still fall short and could not fix my previous wrongs. I know this is not the end of my academic career and I will face new challenges which I must overcome. I do believe I have learned how to balance academics, family situations, and my personal life in everyday living.
Sincerely,
-Trevor Sokolowski
(20061824)
Sokolowski, Trevor
27 Francis St
Kingston, ON K7M 1L8
Dear Associate Dean of Academics,
My name is Trevor Sokolowski and I am writing to appeal for credit standing for PHYS 216 (Winter 2022).
The reason I am appealing this course from the Winter 2022 semester is because of the circumstances I underwent during the semester. With courses being ran online and in person due to frequent changing COVID-19 restrictions, some strain on my study patterns and note taking took place. When class transitioned to online I went back home to share my time with family because of the difficulties between family members. Experiencing the family difficulties first hand, took my mind out of the academic setting and environment, which Queen??s fosters so well. The habits that I have formed and nurtured in the years prior: academic prioritization, valuing daily tasks, and family discussions to help put me in a strong mental space; were all starting to deteriorate. The fail-safe that I had set up within my family to ensure that I never got into such a poor mental space in my life again was under immense strain. In previous semesters I confided with my brother (Jason) about struggles in academic, financial, and family life. Difficulties within the family caused our discussions to be much more focused on a single aspect distracting from the academic year in progress. Unfortunately, with the in-person changes occurring during my return to Kingston; the family strains were still on my mind occupying my day. The in-person return for exams was the worst timing due to the family tension being at an all time high. The assignments showed a deteriorating performance as the family situation worsened. The heavy weight of the exam was at the worst point as that was when I was most disconnected from my studious environment and headspace. The shift in my priorities show a diversion from my previous academic patterns.
Leading up to the Winter 2022 semester, I had brought my GPA, CGPA, and teachable GPA requirements all to the their respective requirements in the past 4 semesters with better and better academic performances. I had a disastrous Fall 2019 semester which I mentally recouped from and showed resilience by improving my GPA from a 0.860 (Fall 2019) to a 2.0 in Winter 2020. Each semester I put more and more work to fix the wrongs of my academic start, going from a 2.0 GPA in Winter 2020, into a 2.760 GPA in Fall 2020, to a 2.67 GPA in Winter 2021 to a 3.15 GPA in Fall 2021. This pattern of growth and change is hit by the outlier of Winter 2022 with an uncharacteristic 1.53. My GPHY teachable went from a 2.10 to a 3.21 in my years of change (Fall 2019 to present). My PHYS teachable was at a 2.075 and went to a 3.00 before Winter 2022. I hope that I have illustrated how far I have come from my poor Fall 2019 semester and how much of an outlier this grade is. As I look to graduate from Arts and Science, this grade is pulling down my PHYS teachable tremendous amounts making me not meet the Con-Ed criteria. I tried to work as hard as I could the following semester by achieving a 3.70 in a previous 1.0 course (ASTRO 101). I did not want to load multiple courses while I was working full time on campus and result in a semester that would hurt my PHYS teachable GPA more than it would help. The reason I am asking for just the one course (PHYS 216) is because I have outworked my previous academic mistakes, except for this one. I was hoping to put in the work and show that I could achieve the grades required but I still fell short. I was studying hard in hopes that I would not have to go this route in order to progress in academics.
As I look to graduate and advance to my B.Ed, I have found my previous studying strategies as a massive contribution to my success in recent years. However, despite my work I still fall short and could not fix my previous wrongs. I know this is not the end of my academic career and I will face new challenges which I must overcome. I do believe I have learned how to balance academics, family situations, and my personal life in everyday living.
Sincerely,
-Trevor Sokolowski
(20061824)
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Document: Appeal Letter from Jason Sokolowski.pdf
Amendment to Appeal 10551
Relevant Petition: 10551
Student Number: 20061824
Documentation
Professional Letter: TS Appeal Doc Jul 2023.pdf