Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Amina Islam
Student #20351254
3155 Seabright drive,
Mississauga, ON
L5M0B4
June 3rd, 2024

Associate Dean (Academic)
Queen’s University
99 University Ave, Kingston, ON
K7L 3N6


Dear Dr. Stephenson,

Good afternoon, I am writing this letter in hopes of being able to appeal the requirement to withdraw for 1 year from Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science. I was also hoping to remove the following courses from my transcript, PHIL11, PSYC100, POLS110, ARTH120, and ENGL100 due to extenuating circumstances that were unknown to the faculty.

I understand in order to continue my degree at Queen’s University I must maintain a 1.60 GPA or above. However, due to extenuating circumstances I was unable to over the course of the 2023/24 fall and winter term. I would like to begin by stating that I have suffered from panic disorder, depression, extreme anxiety, since the age of 15 and I have recently been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although I have been speaking with a therapist sporadically throughout the year, I believe there were other steps I should have taken in order to prevent my mental health issues from affecting my academic performance. Other extenuating circumstances involving my family had a large impact on my mental health throughout this year as well, due to the fact that this was the first time I was living away from home during difficult times. Near the beginning of the first semester of the 2023/24 school year, I had received a phone call from my family in Mississauga, and I had been informed that my father had been admitted to a rehabilitation center for excessive alcohol abuse. This was a major shock since I had no prior knowledge of any substance abuse happening within my own home. This had not only taken a large toll on me, but the rest of my family as well. My father had been a support system in my life for years, and being unable to maintain contact with him whilst he was admitted had extreme negative side effects to my mental health. Knowing he was struggling, and I could not help him or even begin to understand the challenges he was facing caused me to feel very disconnected from my family, and most people who are close to me. During the beginning of the second semester of the 2023/24 school year my sister was consistently in and out of the psychiatric ward. This not only prevented us from speaking, but caused me to fall into a major depressive episode in which I was lacking the motivation to pursue my academics.


Throughout the time I have spent at home for the summer I have been able to converse with academic advisors, my therapist, my parents, and other trusted individuals to formulate a successful academic plan for the following school year if I were to be reinstated. My parents have agreed to fund a tutor that would closely work with me during the school year via zoom, and make sure I am maintaining at least a 1.60 grade point average, or above. I have also decided to switch housing groups, as I had fallen into many patterns of excessive substance usage due to peer pressure with my old housing group. I have now signed a lease with individuals who have agreed to maintain a sober household, and abide by certain rules that prevent us as a group from falling into negative patterns. The property is also located closer to the Queen’s University campus, which allows me and my fellow roommates to access a much shorter and easier route to our classes. This summer I have also been able to sign up for an online course that specializes in academic success, in which I will be able to learn coping mechanisms, responsibility, organization, and more that I believe will benefit me greatly. I have also been able to undergo further psychiatric evaluation to further understand my conditions, and gain insight on how exactly to troubleshoot these problems going forward. I have received new medication that I believe will help me greatly during the new academic year, and allow me to focus and maintain a positive state of mind. My father has also completed his rehabilitation program, and has resumed living at home which would allow me to have a stable support system, and maintain contact with my family when needed. I have also purchased a large calendar and agenda to plan out every academic event and deadline throughout each semester, and to prepare in advance for examinations, assignments, quizzes, classes, and more.

In conclusion, I hope this letter was able to provide some insight as to why my academic performance has not met the average standard, and I am able to appeal my requirement to withdraw and continue my undergraduate degree during the next fall/winter semester of 2024. I will be spending the majority of the summer reflecting, healing, working on myself, and preparing for the hurdles and challenges that are presented to me in the future.

Sincerely,

Amina Islam