Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
I am writing in response to the faculty’s decision for me to withdraw from this university for one year. In this petition, I would like to request that the faculty give me a second chance. I would like to continue to be enrolled in this university and continue registering for courses in the upcoming semester.
I am sorry to inconvenience you with this matter. I am sincerely apologetic for having caused inconvenience to the academic affairs office and my academic advisor as well. The extenuating circumstances did not allow me to react to this type of situation properly earlier. The major concern that caused my GPA to suffer so poorly was that I failed my class, FILM 112.
In February of this year, my grandmother fell ill. She was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. It came as a shock to the entire family. But, this was especially damaging to me because my grandmother had raised me for most of my childhood. Naturally, when news of this reached me, I could not care less about the school, I just needed to go back to my grandmother. I know that this was a grave mistake on my part, but at that time, my world was falling apart and I was not in the right state of mind to make a rational decision. After going back to China, I spent every day by her bedside. She was unable to communicate with me most of the time, so it became even more torturous because I had so many things I wanted to tell her. The situation got to the point that I would barely sleep for days straight. I actually did not realize what was happening to me. I did not take care of myself, so I also did not consider what would happen to my academic future if I did not commit fully to the curriculum. I don’t know how to explain this in words, but I really was not in the right state of mind at that time.
The situation gradually improved over the next weeks, but I had already missed the most critical part of reversing the damage done to my GPA. During my most depressive state, I did not withdraw from this course because I was so scared that I would lose my status as a full-time student as I had already dropped another course earlier. This class, FILM 112, was especially devastating to my GPA. As I was in China, I could not attend any of the offline tutorials, so I really was not able to fully participate and commit to the curriculum as I was falling into depression.
Fortunately, I am feeling much better now. My grandmother’s condition is more stable now, and I am seeing my psychiatrist regularly. As my psychiatrist evaluation report shows, my psychiatrist thinks that I am in a depressed state. But, he also thinks that I should spend more time socializing with others. As I am a student, he encourages me to spend more time being active on campus and working on my academic performance. I deeply regret not seeking help from my academic advisor or from the university earlier. I hope that the university can give me a second chance.