Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean,

I am petitioning to get credit standing for these courses in the 2024 Fall term: CISC 101, FILM 111, and POLS 111, as well as for CISC 102, which I retook in the 2025 Winter term after failing the class in Fall. Additionally, I am requesting a late drop for CISC 121, and COGS 100, both taken during the 2025 Winter term.

Throughout the 2024-2025 academic year, my academic performance was significantly affected by ongoing mental health challenges, including anxiety, depressive episodes, and suicidal ideation. These difficulties were unfortunately beyond my control and were the result of long-standing and recent personal circumstances.

I have struggled with anxiety and depression for much of my life. These conditions significantly worsened during my enrollment at Queen’s University. Transitioning to university life, and a sense of cultural and social disconnection in a predominantly white and affluent environment, increased my feelings of isolation and self-doubt.

In early September 2024, I began attending therapy from Queen’s residence mental health services at Victoria Hall. By late October, I was prescribed antidepressants by my family doctor, which initially provided me relief. In December, during the Fall exam, my dosage increased, and I started to experience improvements to my mood. Unfortunately, the progress came too late to salvage my academic performance for the Fall term, I had been unable to focus, engage with the coursework, or meet assignment deadlines.

I did, however, took steps to manage my academic load. In January 2025, I decided to drop MATH 121B, deciding that I needed to reduce my course load. Later, in March, I dropped Math 112, when I realized it was too late to catch up in the course, and that withdrawing would help me better focus on my remaining classes. These were decisions of my effort to cope with my mental health challenges while still doing my best to stay on track academically.

My mental health deteriorated again in the Winter 2025 term right after the winter break. Despite my consultations with my therapist, I was experiencing worsening depression, deepening loneliness, and ongoing suicidal ideation. These feelings persisted through the semester and affected my academic engagement and motivation.

In late March 2025, I was the victim of a verbal racial hate crime on campus. This event shook me emotionally but also confirmed and intensified my sense of not belonging at Queen’s as a Black student. The experience further worsened my feelings of isolation, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts at a time when I was already in bad mental state.

During the time of the Week 8 drop deadline, I was still seeking help for my mental health and did not understand the severities of my conditions. I was trying to be optimistic and believed I could recover and catch up in both CISC 121 and COGS 100. I significantly underestimated that my depression, and anxiety would still affect my academic performance. By the time it was clear that I could no longer keep up with the coursework, it was already past the drop deadline.

I am committed to starting a new chapter in both my academic and personal life. I am currently considering switching my major from Computing to Political Studies, with a possible minor in History. This change truly reflects my genuine academic interests and passions, and I believe it will provide a motivating and sustainable path ahead. In fact, this plan has already helped ease some of the depression and anxiety I was experiencing, as I now feel more engaged and hopeful about my studies. I believe that studying a subject I am truly passionate about will increase my chances of academic success. Alongside this change, I continue to work with my therapist during the summer and have recently increased the dosage of my antidepressants under the supervision of my family doctor. With changes to my academic and personal life, I am determined to rebuild my ground and succeed at Queen’s University.

Thank you for your time and understanding in considering my petition.

Sincerely,
Assane Sylla
Student ID: 20491554