Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Joyce Lee and I am petitioning to drop the following courses; ENGL 100 (Fall/Winter 2023), PHIL 115 (Fall/Winter 2023), PHIL 233 (Winter 2023), PSYC 241 (Winter 2023), GNDS 120 (Fall 2022), and MUSC 171 (Fall 2022). Along with that request, I would like to urgently plead a request to waive my academic standing which requires me to withdraw from the school for one year. My mental health has had a significant decline the last year and has affected my ability to academically perform at my best level, as well as render any ability to seek out guidance or support that the school offers. My first year at this school was generally great as my grades were good, I was growing on a personal level, and finding joy and passion in my courses and their contribution to my future. Unfortunately, the more my life started to change, the more my overwhelming and unhealthy relationship with my parents became apparent. I became aware of the emotional manipulation and damaging relationship I had with the two people I expected to support and unconditionally love me as their child. Any mistake I made or any life choices that they disagreed with turned into significant fights involving emotional exploitation, while any of my accomplishments or successes were turned into their achievement and done because of their efforts and only theirs. This realization threw me into a very deep depression that was very hard to admit to because it almost felt like a form of grief for the people and life I thought I had. The changes in my mental health were so gradual that it was hard to notice how the classes I missed once or twice a week turned into not leaving the bed, not handing in assignments, going months without socializing, and inconsistent eating and sleeping habits. As well, the guilt of doing all those unhealthy habits only made it easier to disappear into my depression. The depth of my depression made me delusional about where I stood academically because the only logic keeping me hopeful was that a student who got honors in high school and got A grades at the beginning of university could surely pass with skipping a few classes. Furthermore, the pressure of my success-obsessive parents made it difficult to admit to failure or go to them for support. The sadness and guilt became fear and anxiety and I couldn’t bring myself to open the OnQ websites or be updated on my grades because it would mean my failures would become real. Not only would they be real, but they would also be my fault and no one else’s because I actively chose to not perform to the best ability with my academics. One day, I decided to check on my emails and saw that I was put on academic probation and it sent me into a deeper spiral of guilt, anxiety, depression, and fear. Those few weeks consisted of thoughts like not being good enough to be given an opportunity and privilege to go to school, fear of what my parents would do or say to me if I got kicked out, what would become of my dreams of being a teacher, and so much more. This luckily scared me enough to reach out to Queen’s Student Wellness to get some sort of solution or guidance to my problems, and fortunately, my mental health counselor showed me the steps I needed to take. However, my mental health was so deep into its habits and comfortable that it was hard to make a change and get back to where I needed to be. I was provided with all the right answers and solutions but I still couldn’t drop the courses earlier or apply for an appeal as soon as possible because I felt that I didn’t deserve a solution to my problems if I actively made them. I felt that my problems and the struggles I was dealing with weren’t important or “bad” enough to warrant a second chance because I was never objectively abused or physically in danger, or any other issue that I felt the need to compare mine to. However, I realized, through the help of my mental health counselor, that my struggles are significant and worthy of fixing with the help of others and should not be dealt with on my own. I would like to please appeal my grades and waive the requirement for me to withdraw for a year because of the circumstances I had to endure and for the sake of my future from a personal and academic standpoint, in regards to myself and my career, my relationship with my family, and the courses I am passionate to complete to further my education.