Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Stephenson,

I am writing to petition for a late course drop for ECON 222 (Winter, 2025).

I have recently undergone unforeseen personal events that have led me to a depressive state and this has affected my academic performance for ECON 222. The circumstance in question is the news that my parents told me they would be getting a divorce. The news of this was shocking for me considering I had always thought my parents had a strong marriage and there had been no signs of this prior to them telling me. I've always thought I had been a person to be strong in moments like this but this has caused me to question many things in my life. I spent the last weeks struggling to sleep, barely eating, and continuing to question myself, was this my fault, was it something I did? This constant thinking and failure to provide myself with adequate sleep and food disrupted my studying for the Econ exam which took place on April 22nd. I had a large gap in time between my Econ exam and my previous one which took place on April 10th. My parents told me the news of the planned divorce a few days after my April 10th exam and this caused me to spiral. Even though I had so much time to study I could never find the brain or emotional power to sit down and do it. I would constantly sit down then 10 minutes later find my mind drifting off the material. My energy has been constantly low, not allowing myself to find any willpower to review the material. Through academic services and Queen's student wellness, I have thankfully had the opportunity to tell someone how I am feeling and have a load slightly lifted off my shoulders. I am at home now and have spoken to my parents for the first time in person about this, even though I am telling them how I feel I still struggle to find myself in a state like I was before the news.


The reason I didn't drop this course before is because there was no need to, going into the exam I had a very good mark in the class, somewhere in the low 90’s. To be quite truthful I don't want to be dropping the class but this is what it's come to. I was initially hoping to take a deferred exam during the deferred date but I will be out of the country in Europe from May 15-18 when the defer period is so I am unable to do that. I don't think I will be in the right mental state for the foreseeable future and do not think I can finish the course, especially because I will be away from Canada for the majority of the summer. This is the first time I have applied to drop a course after the deadline and hopefully the last time, I really put a lot of effort into the course and am unfortunately doing this as a last-ditch effort based on my current circumstances. As of now the issue is still present and I think I will just need time to understand what has happened and to move on from it. In September I hope to be back to my normal studies but as of right now, I don't see myself being able to fulfill any academic commitments. In the future, I plan to hopefully retake this course, as I was doing very well in it as well as it being something I enjoyed learning about.

Thank you Associate Dean Stephenson for taking the time to consider my petition. These circumstances have been very difficult for me and I hope to return in September stronger and on the front foot.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Isaak Hubjer