Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

I am petitioning the Faculty of Arts and Science to waive the deadline (June 15th, 2023) to appeal their decision that I am required to withdraw from Queen’s University for one year effective May 15th, 2023.

My inability to meet the deadline was brought on by extenuating circumstances including the following:

Beginning with my mental health during the course of the year, long-term issues related to a condition of ADHD created obstacles for my performance in an academic setting, particularly regarding the completion of assignments. This included a reduced ability to concentrate, a propensity for burnout, and a self-destructive habit of perfectionism while drafting assignments. The latter often caused me to overrun deadlines due to spending excessive amounts of time correcting and editing my work before submission. These issues had been present throughout my time in public school, and I had been under the false impression that they would not persist into university. I also held personal reservations about acknowledging the impact of these issues and seeking help since I feared being stigmatized by peers and my family, who often blamed me for the effects of my condition. My reluctance to seek outside assistance to help manage this condition resulted in poor performance during the year, contributing to increased anxiety and underlying stress while requiring me to withdraw in the first place.

In addition to my difficulties with ADHD, I found myself unable to properly acclimatize to university life at Queen’s and fell into a state of depression beginning in the fall of 2022, and increasing in severity during the winter 2023 semester. I attributed much of this depression to the environment of Queen’s itself as well as my residence accommodation in Waldron Tower. I became alienated from the school community, and by February 2023, after an embarrassing experience at an extracurricular event in Ottawa, I took to isolating myself in my room for several days at a time, where I stopped attending lectures and began to develop sleeping problems. Coupled with the aforementioned issues between ADHD and my academics, I grew increasingly despondent and lacked the motivation to fulfill my responsibilities as a student. I frequently avoided lectures and seldom completed assignments, and only in March 2023 did I belatedly reach out to Student Wellness Services to receive counseling and, at their advice, sought academic accommodations for my ADHD.

Finally, the circumstances most directly responsible for my missing the deadline, in March 2023, after receiving the aforementioned counseling from SWS and support for my academic accommodations, I decided to focus my efforts on salvaging my grades through that semester’s final exams. However, as a result of a miscommunication regarding my exam accommodations, I inadvertently exceeded the allotted time for completion which resulted in me scoring a zero on several of them. After legitimately trying and putting effort in studying and preparing for these exams, to completely fail them as a result of a simple, honest error destroyed any motivation I had to the point where I did not even attempt to contact your office for a possible retake. Furthermore, I had also intended to transfer to a different university for the next year since I was disillusioned with my experience at Queen’s, and applied to multiple schools over the 2022/2023 Christmas break. Because of this, I felt as though it was unnecessary to attempt an appeal since I was under the assumption I would not be a student in the coming year. Eventually, I received word from the university of my last remaining application that I had been denied, but this was not until August 11th, meaning I did not have the willingness nor the opportunity to appeal the requirement to withdraw at Queen’s in time for the original deadline in June.

In terms of a future plan, if given the opportunity to have the deadline to appeal waived, I am confident that I will now be able to alleviate the strain of my mental health issues such that the aforementioned problems would be properly managed for future studies. I have since come to a personal understanding with my family and sought the advice of a medical professional, who has provided me with options for the treatment of my ADHD, including medication. I have also discussed the possibility of receiving a referral for a psychiatrist, who would be able to better assist me with my condition. Additionally, I have also taken the initiative to research and explore different resources for managing ADHD in the context of university including strategies for time management, procrastination, and organization.

Although my experience during the previous year was less than favourable, I do care immensely about my personal success at Queen’s, and hope that in light of these unfortunate circumstances, I may be allowed a chance to appeal despite the deadline having passed.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Alec Motem