Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to remove ECON243, RELS239, and MATH126 from my transcript. I would like to retake MATH126 but it is full, and I have been checking every day for an opening, which I was advised to do so by the Department of Mathematics & Statistics.

In this last year of school I suffered from mental illness in the form of depression. It was difficult to acknowledge any kind of mental condition at the time. I have kept my failed courses and illness to myself. Entering school last year I wouldn¿¿t have ever guessed that I would have failed the majority of my classes. I was debilitated by a number of things that occurred in the fall, i) I had a difficult time adjusting to living in a house with new people and was not happy living there. It was very difficult for me to get any work done there, and I have now moved into a different place, ii) I broke up with my girlfriend in October and simultaneously became sick for the remainder of the semester. I lost all appetite and had a hard time getting out of bed. I lost a lot of weight, experienced loss of hair, and had severe stomach pain for the rest of the year and was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer, of which I had received a prescription for and was finally resolved in early summer, and iii) I suffered a back injury and couldn¿¿t exercise, which I very much enjoyed doing.
Without going into too much detail, my state became so unbearable that I was unable to keep up with classwork, and felt very overwhelmed. I did not seek any guidance. I did not have difficulty with course content and was successful in the first month or so in all of my courses. I am very interested in my degree program Applied Economics, and I enjoy reading on the topic (and subscribe to the Economist magazine). I have been working all summer at a small investment banking company and would like to pursue a career in banking after school. If necessary, I can provide some kind of performance review from work, as I am confident that I have done well there this summer.

I am open to taking any kind of workshop, counseling or whatever you see fit while I¿¿m at school, as I am confident that I am more ready now to take on the school year. I made several visits to LaSalle last year for anxiety, and physical conditions such as stomach pain and constant fatigue. I have also seen my family doctor several times this summer and have visited many different specialists for my back, which I am still receiving treatment for.
I only passed the courses that I took with friends because I didn¿¿t want them to think that I was not ok. I do not want to tarnish my entire university career with these poor marks, and I am retaking the courses that are necessary for me to continue in economics. I am open to accepting terms for next year such as a minimum mark, or having to check in with a guidance counselor, etc. Please let me know if there is anything that I can provide.
I would also like to say that I do not want to be in the state I was in last year and will do anything necessary to remain healthy and achieve success at school.