Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 136
Submitted: June 5, 2014 at 1:06:11 PM
First Name: Ka Sin Marcus
Last Name: Leung
Student Number: 10060872
Email: 12ksml@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BPHEH
Plan: PHE
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing the faculty¿¿s decision to suspend me from Queen¿¿s for one year.
At the end of my second semester of first year, I was placed on academic probation. And when I returned to school in September, my plan was to accomplish and maintain a 2.0 GPA in order to no longer be on academic probation. During October 2013, my parents became separated because of different lifestyle choices and arguments. My mother now lives with my brother in Toronto and my father moved back to Hong Kong. This separation during the fall semester of 2013 prevented me from focusing on and improving my studies, as I became emotionally exhausted and depressed. My academic performance became neglected, as I frequently had to drive to and from Toronto to provide support for my mother. Before the unexpected separation, I had signed up for 6 courses as opposed to 5, expecting to catch up with my credit requirement. My decision to do so however became far too overwhelming as I was unable to keep up with my studies. My GPA remained low, at a mere 0.95, at the end of the semester and I was significantly deep in a hole that would prove to be hard for me to crawl out of during second semester.
As I came to terms with my lack of success, I realized I desperately needed advice from academic advisors and professors. I met with them several times and they informed me that I had to maintain a ¿B-¿¿ average throughout my 3 courses in second semester to reach my goal of minimum 1.6 GPA to stay in school. I had spoken with my professors and they understood my situation and my final grades between the three courses were, ¿C-, B, B¿¿. My current total grade point average is 71.7 and I have taken 45 units towards GPA. This means my GPA should be 1.593 and I understand that it was rounded down to 1.59. My second reason for appealing is because I think I have shown significant academic improvement and reached my ¿B-¿¿ average requirement and if it was not for a technicality of 0.3 in my total grade point (71.7 becomes 72, and 72 divided by 45 would be a 1.6 GPA), it would have met the requirement. I firmly believe that I would have exceeded the requirement were it not for my parent¿¿s sudden separation in the fall semester that hindered my performance.
I am appealing the faculty¿¿s decision to suspend me from Queen¿¿s for one year.
At the end of my second semester of first year, I was placed on academic probation. And when I returned to school in September, my plan was to accomplish and maintain a 2.0 GPA in order to no longer be on academic probation. During October 2013, my parents became separated because of different lifestyle choices and arguments. My mother now lives with my brother in Toronto and my father moved back to Hong Kong. This separation during the fall semester of 2013 prevented me from focusing on and improving my studies, as I became emotionally exhausted and depressed. My academic performance became neglected, as I frequently had to drive to and from Toronto to provide support for my mother. Before the unexpected separation, I had signed up for 6 courses as opposed to 5, expecting to catch up with my credit requirement. My decision to do so however became far too overwhelming as I was unable to keep up with my studies. My GPA remained low, at a mere 0.95, at the end of the semester and I was significantly deep in a hole that would prove to be hard for me to crawl out of during second semester.
As I came to terms with my lack of success, I realized I desperately needed advice from academic advisors and professors. I met with them several times and they informed me that I had to maintain a ¿B-¿¿ average throughout my 3 courses in second semester to reach my goal of minimum 1.6 GPA to stay in school. I had spoken with my professors and they understood my situation and my final grades between the three courses were, ¿C-, B, B¿¿. My current total grade point average is 71.7 and I have taken 45 units towards GPA. This means my GPA should be 1.593 and I understand that it was rounded down to 1.59. My second reason for appealing is because I think I have shown significant academic improvement and reached my ¿B-¿¿ average requirement and if it was not for a technicality of 0.3 in my total grade point (71.7 becomes 72, and 72 divided by 45 would be a 1.6 GPA), it would have met the requirement. I firmly believe that I would have exceeded the requirement were it not for my parent¿¿s sudden separation in the fall semester that hindered my performance.
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: My future plan is to continue my goal on reaching a consistent 3.0 GPA per semester and hopefully settle some personal problems that my mother and father are having in the family. Since the initial separation, the situation has calmed down and my mother is able to cope with her new lifestyle so I am not required to drive home every weekend and will be more emotionally stable. I also plan to stay far away from academic probation by continuing my habits of studying at the library instead of home, and avoid travelling every weekend if possible. I have learned not to over cram my semester with courses in order to catch up but rather take an extra year so I can maintain high grades during my time at Queen¿¿s. I also learned that all Queens¿¿ resources are at my disposal so I will regularly meet with professors or academic advisors to make sure I am ahead of my work so I can maintain a high GPA. Queen¿¿s is essentially my home since I am there 10 out of 12 months of the year. Since 2012 it has really taught me valuable lessons in life such as lifestyle choices living away from home, time management and how my work ethic means everything. Queen¿¿s proved to be a big part of my life and I really hope to continue to be part of the community. I sincerely hope you consider my reasoning for this appeal.
Documentation
Professional Letter: photo.JPG
