Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,
I am requesting to have my grade in MATH 121 during the Summer 2025 term excluded from my GPA. I enrolled in MATH 121 over the summer to obtain the final credit of my degree, 6.0 units in MATH. I was unable to complete this credit earlier in my undergraduate degree due to switching my program from a Bachelor’s of Arts to a Bachelor of Science, and consequent scheduling issues attempting to complete missing prior credits, as chronologically as possible. Upon completion of my degree, I was set to begin graduate studies in the department of Biology at Queen’s this past September. However, my offer was rescinded when I received the failing grade in MATH 121. As MATH 121 is a Fall/Winter course, in order to retake it, I would have had to postpone my MSc until May 2026. To prevent me from having to postpone till May, Dr. Chippindale granted me an exception to complete two equivalent math courses to fulfil my degree requirements by December. Throughout this fall term, I have been taking MATH 112 and MATH 127, and have been scoring significantly better in both courses compared to MATH 121.

In the summer term, I experienced extenuating circumstances related to my mental health which negatively impacted my academic performance in the course. I have struggled with my mental health prior to and throughout university. Generally, I have been able to manage it on my own, however this summer it became overwhelming, as I was isolated, hours away from all my family and friends, while undergoing a combination of financial and familial stress. As a result, I experienced a variety of mental symptoms, as well as physical manifestations of my anxiety including insomnia, hives and even my eyes swelling almost completely shut several times. I found myself unable to focus, in a state of constant fatigue and consumed by my mental challenges. Consequently, this past summer, I was performing significantly below my normal academic level. Without the time constraint of my upcoming graduate studies, I would have dropped the course to properly attend to my mental health issues over the summer. However the personal, familial and academic pressure to complete this course and begin my MSc on schedule prevented me from doing so. My struggles over the summer have led me to pursue psychotherapy, as psychiatric help, to ensure my mental health will not hinder my studies and academic success throughout my final term and in my future studies. The steps I have taken to improve my mental health are reflected in my academic improvements this term.

As per the universities policy, retaken courses remain on a student’s transcript but are excluded from their GPA determination. I am hoping a similar application of this policy is possible in my case, as I am taking equivalent courses for the same credit requirement. If it was earlier in my undergraduate degree and I did not have the predicament of having to postpone my MSc indefinitely, I would retake MATH 121 and the former grade would automatically be excluded from my GPA. Since I am unable to do so, I am requesting that MATH 121 be excluded from my GPA. The courses I am currently taking instead of MATH 121 have been deemed suitable by Dr. Chippendale to fulfil the math requirements of my degree. I am requesting that my grade in MATH 121, which no longer holds any merit toward my degree, be excluded from my GPA, and that instead, my performance in two equivalent math courses be what is reflected in my GPA.
I believe that the improvements in the math courses this term compared to last, are indicative that my grade in MATH 121 was abnormal for me, and the result of poor mental health. My grades this term are representative of my true academic abilities. I have been granted a conditional offer from the School of Graduate Studies to begin my MSc in January. However, I am concerned that my prior mental challenges and consequent poor performance in MATH 121 will hinder my abilities to continue to pursue my research. My hope is to not let a mental health crisis and a poor grade stop me from obtaining my academic goals.
Thank you for your time,
Maddigan Kales