Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am petitioning to drop the following courses: MICR386 (Winter 2024) and PHAR 370 (Winter 2024).

I recognize this is not my first petition request; I was granted a petition last year for an appeal to withdraw late from three courses (ANAT 215, CHEM 281, and BCHM 218).

For background, in my previous petition, I shared that prior to starting at Queen’s, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, ADHD and OCD. At the end of my first year of studying at Queen’s, I worked with my doctor and a psychologist to help manage my mental health. I continue to work with my psychologist on a weekly basis.

The Fall 2023 semester was a good semester for me. I was happy with where I was at. Academically, I had a manageable courseload and was doing moderately well, and the university experience was fun again. I felt good about handling the natural stresses with end of year assignments, etc. and the upcoming exam period. I felt I was preparing well for my finals. A few days prior to my first exam however, I fell ill (suffered a severe allergic reaction) and chose to defer both of my final exams.

The start to the Winter 2024 semester was hectic and quite stressful, as I was studying for deferred finals plus starting new courses and by early February, I had fallen behind in my classes. My anxiety level was extremely high as I was afraid of not passing these exams. The stress was overwhelming and led me to postpone my MICR 386 and PHAR 370 midterms, which only compounded my difficulties. I told myself every night that the next day I would change and get back on track. Unfortunately, I did not recognize these early signs of my avoidance behaviours I constantly work on with Dr. McKenney.

While I was successful with my BCHM 218 deferred exam, I was unsuccessful in my CHEM 281 exam. I was devastated. I felt embarrassed and depressed, and extremely inadequate as I was removed from CHEM 282 (again). At this point, my avoidance behaviours accelerated beyond control. I falsely believed that I could fix my mistakes and handle this situation alone, but that was not the case. I couldn’t work on assignments for more than a few minutes at a time, and eventually stopped completing them altogether. I wouldn’t leave my house, and regularly wouldn’t leave my room for multiple days. I was beyond procrastinating – I essentially shut down.

Near the end of March, I received a call from my oldest of 3 brothers, who all attend Queen’s. He told me my roommates (thankfully) expressed concern for my well-being. This was difficult to hear, but after talking with him I spoke with my parents. They intervened and it was decided coming home early and removing myself from the environment I created would be the best way for me to get help. This happened on March 31, and I was home in Vancouver on April 2.

The last four weeks at home have been amazing. My parents have created an environment here where I can focus on my daily habits. And I am feeling great about myself. It has only been within the last week that I have been able to write this letter.

In putting this together, I read my petition letter from last year many times and while it was difficult to read the first few times it has been therapeutic to a degree. I also read the decision letter again. I acknowledge it was made clear that going forward it was my “responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances” and drop classes before the stated deadlines. However, recognizing this for myself, asking for help and taking the appropriate action is clearly something that I am unable to do when my symptoms worsen like they did in February and March. I wish I could explain it better or say it won’t happen again; it isn’t something that just goes away.

In terms of what has changed, the biggest difference for me this time is I can reflect and see where it became overwhelming for me – and that happened a lot faster than times before. I am feeling more confident by the day that I can recognize the onset of anxiety, and how to handle it. I am also able to see where I was successful, as before this was getting lost in all the negative thoughts. Now I am reminding myself I made it through a large part of the year and some challenging courses despite all of this – and I had a sustained period of time where things were going really well.

Clearly, this is not the university experience I imagined. I did not ever think I would be in this position, let alone writing the school for a second time to ask for a petition to drop classes. It is also a bit unsettling to admit that I am learning how to function independently again, when it came so naturally to me earlier in life. However, this is my reality, and I am doing my best to address it head on.

I want to be in school. I want to finish my degree at Queen’s. Going forward, I know there are things I must do to give myself the best opportunity to succeed:

1. I cannot defer my assignments or exams past the accommodations I am currently provided through QSAS. This is not a winning strategy for me; it will only work against me.
2. I know I need to have some “go to” daily habits I must stick to, including 3 to 4 hours of classwork/studying in before 3pm. I am the most productive in the morning and early afternoon, when my medication is the most effective.
3. I intend to have my roommates check-in on me more frequently, as well as my two younger brothers who will be returning to Queen’s next year. More specifically, I will be the one updating them (before they ask even) about how I am doing. Same for my parents too.
4. I must limit my courseload to 3 or 4 courses (max) per semester, and that includes not letting courses spill over into future semesters (see point 1).

I plan to put these into action over the summer, as I am registering for one course in the first and second summer semesters. I am excited about my prospects for success.

Finally, I understand the faculty may choose to deny this petition, but I am prepared for the decision either way. And I know I do not have an unlimited number of chances or “do-overs” when it comes to my academic standing at Queen’s – in fact, regardless of the school’s ultimate position on my eligibility at Queen’s my parents made it clear they are willing to support one more shot at this. What I do know is in the last petition I wrote, I said that I was enjoying being a student again – I must correct that and say that I am truly enjoying being a person again.

Thank you for taking the time to read this petition. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to reach out.

Kendall Birch