Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am appealing to late drop the following courses: PSYC 101 (fall and winter, 2022-2023), PHIL 115 (fall and winter, 2022-2023), HLTH 102 (winter, 2023), PSYC 101 (fall and winter, 2023-2024), SOCY 201 (fall, 2023), IDIS 199 (fall, 2023), DEVS 101 (fall, 2023).

I have been dealing with a difficult home life in regards to my relationship with my parents since childhood. Following a similar timeline, I have also been struggling with specific mental health conditions such as anxiety, ADHD, and depression. In the past few years, these conditions were exacerbated due to my parent's reluctance to believe in mental health illnesses in almost any capacity. Therein, I lacked their support and aid that I required in order to move forward with improving my current condition so that I could have been able to succeed in my academic career. Due to the chronic nature of my extenuating circumstances, it is difficult for me to provide a specific timeline for them as they are ongoing. However, I can state that they became more severe around September of 2020, and I have been trying to improve them ever since.
My extenuating circumstances impacted the courses I am appealing to drop in several ways. To begin, over the past couple of years, among other things, my anxiety led me to develop moderate agoraphobia. Thus, it became exceedingly difficult for me to leave my home to fulfill important duties such as attending my classes, going to my scheduled appointments with my counsellor and doctor, as well as simply going outside to participate in activities that would enrich one’s life. Additionally, a combination of my anxiety, ADHD and depression made it overly challenging for me to complete and hand in my assignments. I was unable to adequately concentrate on my tasks, and whenever I sat down to begin or continue working on one, my symptoms would worsen, such as becoming paralyzed with anxiety, therefore making it even more difficult for me to complete my tasks effectively. As a result of these symptoms / and dealing with these conditions, it made going through the process of withdrawing from my courses before the deadline nearly impossible. While dealing with my extenuating circumstances during my first two years at Queen's University (2022-2024), I took several steps to help improve my current condition and increase the likelihood of my success. I began by seeking help from student wellness and started to see one of their counsellors regularly. I then also began seeing my family doctor more frequently, and they prescribed me different medications to try and help with the depression, anxiety and ADHD symptoms that I had been dealing with.

Moving forward, in hopes that this petition is granted, I plan on making certain adjustments that will lead me to a successful academic future here at Queens University. To begin, I plan on taking a reduced course load of 3 classes a semester for at least the first year, as this will both help me excel in school as well as provide me with the opportunity to improve in other aspects of my life. I also plan on being properly registered with QSAS so that I may receive the appropriate accommodations that would assist in bettering my academic performance. Moreover, I plan on using the coming months before the start of the 2024-2025 school year to further ameliorate my mental health. For example, my family doctor and I believe that we have now found a combination of medications that work for me regarding managing my symptoms, which will facilitate my ability to fulfill my academic requirements. Furthermore, I am trying to find a therapist to begin seeing regularly to help me work through certain issues as well as to aid me in developing and maintaining skills that would help me manage my symptoms. In the meantime, I am continuing to have my regular meetings with my counsellor at Queen’s, as well as with an occupational therapist, to further help me develop and maintain skills that I could use in my daily life to manage my symptoms, and thus improve how I deal with university. Additionally, my parents and I are working on our relationship with one another, and they are becoming more understanding and supportive. Lastly, l now have a job and will begin trying to get out of the house more in hopes that when school starts back up, I will have no problem with being able to attend my classes. I believe that the combination of all these things will positively impact my mental health and make it possible for me to successfully continue my academic career at Queen’s University.

Thank you for considering my appeal and taking the time to review my circumstances. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to present my case and remain hopeful for a favourable outcome.