Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,



My name is Tessa Albert, and I am going into my third year here at Queen’s working towards my Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in Psychology. Due to extenuating circumstances throughout the year, I am petitioning for late drops in MUTH 110 (fall, 2023), PSYC 221 (winter, 2024), and PSYC 203 (winter, 2024). I am also petitioning for credit standing in PSYC 271 (fall, 2023), PSYC 251 (fall, 2023), PSYC 202 (fall, 2023), MUSC 171 (fall, 2023), PSYC 236 (winter, 2024), and PHAR 100 (winter, 2024).



Though I have always had ADHD and Anxiety disorders, this year symptoms worsened and were extremely difficult to live with. Most days included waking up late from sleepless nights due to insomnia, feeling paralyzed and very anxious throughout the day, trouble focusing on anything, trouble with simple tasks such as eating a meal or taking a shower, and the worst of all, many days I found it extremely hard to leave the house or speak to anyone. I had a very stressful and draining summer due to difficulties within my family, and as my mental health began to deteriorate as early as August 2023, I began seeing a therapist again and started working with my doctor to see if different meds may be better for me. I thought in September that I was doing better, but when I started falling asleep/waking up later and later, and started catching illnesses frequently, I just kept slowly getting worse as winter began. It was around November when I started completely losing the ability to get anything done without taking hours, having panic attacks, breakdowns, and/or becoming so overwhelmed that I would just give up completely and try to move on to something else. It is also important to note that I was coming off and trying other meds/doses a few times throughout the semester. After the break, I had high hopes and considered my bad performance as a one-off thing. I started the first week back sick again and like I did the whole semester before, I kept believing nothing was going on that I couldn’t quickly bounce back from. I felt as though weeks and weeks would fly by and I wouldn’t even notice. It came to the point where my roommates started voicing concerns about my health near the end of the winter semester, which is around when I understood how truly sick I was and that I needed help. I think it took me so long to accept my situation because doing this poorly in school was so out of character for me and the more I thought about anything related to school and my future, the worse I would feel. Even when I’d find the motivation to try a task it would take forever, and I could barely think straight so most tasks were unfinished or done with a quality that is quite below my standards. It’s hard for me to put my experiences into words but I always felt as though I couldn’t do or focus on anything yet at the same time never felt relaxed or comfortable even when I was doing absolutely nothing. It was like my mental illnesses had completely taken control over me rather than just being a part of me. To summarize the winter semester, my struggles were no different from the fall, even with a reduced course load, and I was still working with my doctor (Appointments every 2-4 weeks all year) to try and get better so during this time there were many ups and downs and periods of withdrawal and side effects from new meds. The reason I didn’t drop the two PSYC courses I failed earlier was because they are required for my degree plan, and I didn’t drop MUTH 110 because at the time of drops I thought I was just experiencing a short setback and that I’d soon be “normal” again and come out with a satisfactory grade and it was too late by the time I realized truly how poorly I was doing.



As of right now I am slowly getting back on the right track to start off next year strong. I am on better medication and have been settling into a good day to day routine. I also will continue working with professionals and will make sure to use resources provided by the school to learn the right strategies to cope with my struggles, have a healthy daily routine, and keep up with my studies and coursework. If my late drops are granted, I will retake the PSYC course I need for my degree and am doing a fifth year so I can make up any credits I may still need. I also hope to take some summer courses in the future if things are going well and I plan to start this year with a reduced course load.



I hope you can understand my situation and I hope to prove in the future that I am a good student who was just having a rough year.



Sincerely,

Tessa May Albert - 20330281