Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whoever it may concern,

I hope this message finds you well. My name is Michelle Macdonald, and I am writing to respectfully request a late course drop for the class ASTR 101. I have encountered several challenges throughout the course of the semester that have affected my academic performance.

One primary concern is the lack of guidance and clarity in the feedback provided by professor Joyce on assignments and the written exam. Despite my best efforts to meet assignment requirements and answer all questions, I consistently received low marks. Furthermore, the feedback given was vague and insufficient, making it challenging for me to improve my performance. I did not drop the course prior to the deadline because at that point, I had only received one mark by the first of November, and still had hope that I could excel within the course.

In addition to receiving limited feedback on graded work, I experienced inconsistencies in the information provided by our professor. For example, when using outside sources like NASA, as suggested by the professor, students were later criticized for doing so. We were then instructed to rely solely on class notes for our assignments which, unfortunately, did not yield better results. On the final exam, despite my best efforts and being confident in my answers, my professor had given me a 12%. As he did with marking major assignments, I suppose he did not like the way I'd answer questions.

Beyond these academic difficulties, I have also faced personal challenges this semester. I am in the process of being diagnosed with ADHD, and finding suitable medication has been a time-consuming process due to my doctor being located in Canada while I am in England.

It is worth mentioning that several other students in the course have expressed similar concerns about the lack of organization and clarity in instruction from our professor, which has led many of us to struggle academically.

Given these circumstances, I firmly believe that granting me a late course drop is a fair resolution. I remain committed to pursuing my education and recognize that these challenges have affected my ability to succeed in this particular course.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I appreciate your understanding and would be grateful for your support in this matter.

Sincerely,

Michelle Macdonald
21MCM15
November 2023