Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am requesting an appeal because this past year, my first in university, I found myself unprepared to deal with the drastic changes in my lifestyle and mental health. My first semester was adequate in that I felt I was in control of my studies, habits, and overall a move from living with my family to living in residence. I would describe myself as a ¿¿perfectionist¿ so I worked towards and expected the same caliber of marks as I achieved in high school, which were in the high eighties and nineties percentagewise. I was incredibly disappointed with the marks I received at Christmas, and this discouragement was what catalyzed a severe increase in my anxiety and panic attacks. Logically I recognized that it¿¿s common for marks to drop an average of ten percent during the shift to university, but the anxiety made it incredibly difficult to see what I believed to be ¿¿failure¿ as common or at all acceptable.

This was when my difficulty really started. I found it impossible to sleep, eat, or even socialize to any sustainable degree. Being in residence became an extremely easy way to trigger a panic attack. What were realistically small disturbances in the hallways translated to me as incredibly distracting and incredibly unsettling, which put me constantly on edge just to be in my room.

This unease reflects in my grades. Initially, I allowed myself to neglect Gender Studies because I understood that my marks were dropping, and whenever I tried to work on it my anxiety would tenfold because I felt as if I was wasting time and procrastinating labs or readings, so I rationalized that if I spent more time on sciences (as that is what I am interested in and what my degree is for) I could justify doing poorly in an elective. This was not the appropriate solution, obviously, because it did not improve my marks in science at all. The anxiety and what I now suspect is depression still eclipsed the majority of my ability to focus on studying and note taking (though I performed well in labs), not to mention the ripple effect of not sleeping or eating.

I recognize that I did not respond to my own behavior as I should have. The reason it¿¿s taken me so long to submit an appeal is because I was uncertain if I should move forwards in school at this point at all, however I am currently seeking professional counseling, I am taking an English course during the summer to prove to myself that my grades during first year were an error rather than a definition of my academic career (and it is going wonderfully) and all I want is the chance to return in the fall in the major that I love (Biology) and move forwards. I am dedicated to improving myself in my studies and, equally as importantly, establishing security in my mental health. I am certain that I will do this, that it is already happening, and that this appeal will help me to enter Biology and ultimately succeed where I have not previously. Thank you

Support by Janet Roloson, a counsellor from LaSalle, will follow.