Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,
I am writing to respectfully appeal for a credit standing specifically in relation to two
elective courses that I recently took this summer, which are currently preventing me from
successfully completing my program. As I am currently in a BSCH mathematics major, my
degree plan had switched last year after speaking to an academic advisor to an BSC Life
Sciences degree as it was a safer and more reliable option, ensuring a smoother transition
and not putting my academic standing at risk for further opportunities which I had planned
to pursue.
As I passed both the courses, the grades I received for English was a D- and for
Health I received a C+, which do not reflect my true abilities as an academic student. As for
my English course, I had experienced and encountered many challenges where I had not
received my long-term accommodations, which were put in place by a SWS staJ member.
Regardless of the many eJorts I had tried to receive an extension, my English professor was
not as accommodating as I needed him to be. He had declined my oJers and refused to
give me his own extensions, which were a maximum of 3 days and for only one assignment,
when my accommodations allowed for more extended support. While I was going through
many personal matters and issues at home, it was extremely diJicult for me to complete
the assignments in the given time. However, I managed to submit all my coursework to the
best of my ability with determination, resilience and eJort, just to ensure that I completed
the course with my full eJort, as I had known I would completely fail the course if I hadn’t.
My overall assignments in English averaged around to a 60%, however with the lateness
penalties I had for some assignments, caused my grades to drop extremally below passing
grade. Before entering the exam, I had no hope of completing the final exam successfully,
though I had given myself that hope and remained committed to completing the final exam
with perseverance, aspiration and confidence. With preparation, I had maintained to pass
the exam with a 69%, which allowed me to achieve the minimum passing grade for the
course. The overall mark in this course does not represent the quality of my work or my
determination in navigating challenges.
As for my Health course, my professor was beyond accommodating. He oJered to
allow me to take the course easily and complete the assignments according to my needs. I
had managed to carry an average of 80% throughout the course. Though during the final
exam, I had faced many technical diJiculties with Proctor U, which had put me one hour
behind and locked me out of the exam. During this time, I was externally tensed and
stressed as I had no idea what was coming and whether I would be able to complete it or
not. By the time I was able to reconnect with a proctor, I was extremely overwhelmed and
scattered for the remainder of the exam. Unfortunately, this lowered my overall course
mark to a C+, almost 20% of my mark.
The obstacles that I had experienced throughout my summer courses, specifically
in English, I was extremely depressing and demotivating, which deeply impacted my ability
to complete the coursework to the best of my capabilities and engage in the class course.
This state made me emotionally drained as I was overwhelmed throughout the summer
about passing the courses and completing my degree. I would mainly stay indoors, which
eventually also got to me as I am more of an extroverted individual. Being able to eJiciently
and smoothly pass the course wasn’t only a significant achievement for me but also a
fundamental/critical step towards my future endeavours, as my passion has always been in
healthcare, hence why I had changed my degree overall. Due to these course marks, I am
unable to continue to pursue my nursing passion as the program depends on my ability to
maintain a certain GPA, with a lack of consideration. The accommodations I had received
in my English course have impacted me in successfully being accepted into the program.
Unfortunately, this year I was again rejected from the nursing program due to the marks
that had been submitted for my courses.
Best wishes,
Ramandeep Veghal (20225118)