Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: December 6, 2025

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am respectfully requesting that my CHEM112 course be given a late drop date. I have met with academic advisors who have indicated that my scenario would qualify for a DR on my transcript.
Prior to beginning my first year, I had made an appointment with an academic advisory via Zoom to inquire if Chemistry was in fact a requirement for me to be accepted into the Astrophysics program for my second year. I was advised at this meeting that I would need to take the CHEM112 as it was compulsory for this program. I continue to read the websites and investigate courses in my further years and it was not clear to me if the Chemistry was required so I then made a second Zoom appointment to inquire again. A second time, I was told that if my plan was Astrophysics, I would need the Chemistry. I did not want to take chemistry as it is not a subject that I am interested in nor strong in.
When first year began, I was overwhelmed, living away from home for the first time and trying to keep up with work. In high school, I had accommodations for extra time on tests and assignments but I did not want to use this in University and felt that I could cope (I have attached my medical letter from that time). My situation became worse and I was falling further behind. I did not seek help and did not know where to turn. I did not think that dropping Chemistry was possible and I continued in the course in hopes that something would get better for me. After the Christmas break, I did get things together but it was too late to turn things around in the Chemistry course. This situation increased my anxiety and my mental health was failing. I did not know what to do so I let it play out. I realize that I should have reached out to an advisory for help and know now where to seek out help when needed.
This year, I have taken a low course load to deal with my anxiety and am better coping with my workload. However, having this failing mark on my transcript does make me feel uneasy as I feel like I am fighting a losing battle with that course weighing down my average. I would have repeated the course however it was not offered online in the summer and I needed to return home to work. I would have repeated it this year but it did not fit into my schedule.
I respectfully request that my CHEM112 be dropped at this time.
Thank you for your consideration,
Kieran Johnston