Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Stephenson,
I am writing to you to appeal my academic withdrawal request from Queens University and in place be granted the following grades be dropped from my transcript. I request that ENGL 100, PHIL 111A, PHIL 111B, POLS 242, SOCY 122A, SOCY 122B, DEVS 101, and HLTH 101 be dropped from my transcript as late drops. I understand that my academic performance at Queens has not been up to the standards of the university nor of myself. These are matters which I could not control and I very much appreciate this opportunity to explain my extenuating circumstances that prevented me from living up to my academic plan and potential I had set last year.

I entered my second year of university with a clean slate and all the will and determination I could conjure for what the year ahead was to bring. I attended classes and tutorials and ensured my course load this year was less than last year. This course load was manageable and I enjoyed the content I was learning. However, to align with my academic plan I started taking medication in the hope that I could mitigate my depression and anxiety. This is when things very quickly got out of hand. I started having very dark thoughts and due to this, my concentration abilities were almost non-existent. I started physically unable to get out of bed and daily activities as simple as getting fresh air seemed like a mountain. I stopped finding joy in everything I used to enjoy and felt numb to my core.. I truly thought I was going to take my own life.

Going on medication was a huge decision for me, as I was worried about the ways it would alter my mind, but I was determined to do well both mentally and academically. I had been told that getting the dosage right for anxiety and depression medication is a long process, but I did not expect to have been this badly affected. I switched medications in January and started to feel somewhat better but slowly. However, by January I had already missed a significant amount of school and was very behind. This threw me in a state of deep panic. I found myself wondering, how could I ever catch up? This made me feel hopeless.

Despite these feelings of failure, I tried the best I could to go to classes following the winter break and engaging in things that would improve my mental health as much as possible. I would ensure that I went for daily walks and was social with friends as best I could. My medication appeared to be helping more than the previous one and I found my mood starting to improve. However my depression seems to come in waves and due to external factors I was hit with a massive episode, which simply put, appeared to hijack my very being. This episode caused me to be bed ridden. I stopped attending therapy and had some of the darkest thoughts I have ever experienced. Reaching out for help was very difficult in this situation due to feelings of shame. Towards the end of the year I slowly improved again and since being home I have drastically improved.

Since being home, I have gotten a job, started attending therapy again on a regular basis and have established a daily schedule. I am eager to catch up on the years I have missed due to my mental health. I wish to take the summer to heal my mind. I love learning and having my grades wiped would offer me the chance to start over. I worked very hard to get into University and I am truly heartbroken about the struggles I have endured since starting.

I am committed to getting a degree so that I may have a bright future. I am willing to put in the work and prepared to make the necessary changes in my life to be sucsessful. I am very motivated and am in a very good headspace to be as successful as possible in the coming school year. I will spend my summer helping my mind and learning new skills at my job. My medication appears to be at the correct dose and I am ensuring I go to therapy every week to set me up for success for the next academic year.
Coming back to Queens in the coming year with a clean slate would be very beneficial to me. I worked so hard to get to this point in my life and I will not let my mental health limit me from being sucsessful. I thank you greatly for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Isabelle Rigny.