Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to petition for an aegrotat standing in BIOL 422, and to request an exception to completing the final exam. I have completed all other major assessments for this class, but due to severe and ongoing mental health challenges over the past few months, I am currently unable to complete the final assessment in a medically safe or academically fair manner.
Throughout this semester, I experienced a significant decline in my mental health that increasingly affected my ability to function academically. Despite pursuing psychotherapy throughout the winter semester to reduce academic impacts, these challenges culminated in multiple extreme episodes of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideations and actions. This resulted in visits to the ER at KGH and psychiatry appointments at Queen’s Student Wellness Services throughout April, and ultimately my hospitalization at KGH for inpatient mental health care from April 29 to May 12, 2026. During this period, I had been prescribed daily sedative medications that negatively affected my concentration. Additionally, the KGH psychiatric ward places strict time restrictions on the use of personal electronics, including my laptop containing my course notes and digital textbook. I also experienced near constant disruptions when attempting to study from the regular interactions I had with nurses, doctors, and social workers. Noise disruptions were also common due to the many other patients with mental health challenges being cared for in KGH, making this a particularly hostile studying environment. Because of these disruptions on top of my medication side effects, I was unable to adequately study for the upcoming final during this period.
Since being discharged from the hospital, I have been continuing my recovery and stabilization under medical supervision. I am currently adjusting to two newly-prescribed psychiatric medications, which have caused substantial side effects including drowsiness, headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. My doctor has also continued to prescribe daily sedative medications to manage my severe anxiety and reduce the risk of further suicidal actions. These medications significantly impair my alertness and memory, and have continued to pose a substantial obstacle to my studies.
As a result of my recent hospitalization and the ongoing effects of my treatment, I am not in a condition to successfully write a final exam. Attempting to do so would not accurately reflect my understanding of the course material or the other coursework I completed throughout the term. I would be happy to provide additional documentation as evidence of these circumstances, including a letter supporting my time in the hospital, evidence of my prescriptions, and evidence that I pursued psychotherapy throughout the semester in attempt to circumvent the events that resulted in my hospitalization.
Given the severity and timing of these extenuating circumstances, I would like to request consideration for an aegrotat standing in this course. Thank you for taking the time to review my petition. I sincerely appreciate your consideration during this challenging period.
Best,
Brooke Schmidt
20286823