Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Academic Associate Dean,

My name is Meghan Hasan, I am a third year English student within the faculty of Arts and Science and I am petitioning to drop ENGL200 from the Fall and Winter semesters in the 2025-2026 Academic term. The extenuating circumstances behind the reason I am petitioning were due to my battle with a mental health illness. The timeline of these circumstances ranges from the beginning of March - present. As the second semester began I felt a constant struggle to complete basic tasks, such as getting out of bed in the morning to struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. My mind no longer became a calm space for me as I found these days to grow longer and continuously unbearable for what seemed like no particular reason at the time. I would hermit in my room during the day to avoid socializing with my roommates and anyone else I would have seen on my way to and from class. My inconsistent sleep schedule during this time would affect my mood and ability to complete basic tasks, and I developed a great difficulty to keep my mind focused on completing academic tasks such as assignments or studying. I was not sure what the necessary steps to take at the time were as it felt as though these waves of numbing sadness and apathy were crushing any and all sense of life inside me. Having dealt with a mental illness before, this circumstance felt very unfamiliar, leaving me to reflect on these symptoms alone, creating more storms of confusion and guilt for feeling the way I did without understanding why. I felt embarrassed and ashamed to feel what I first assumed was laziness, so I tried to hide how I felt from those around me as I was afraid of judgement if I were to admit any of this to anyone. I could not bring myself to drop this course before the drop-date passed as my mental illness affected my ability to make logical, effective decisions which would benefit myself long-term. I kicked myself while I was down, convinced I would be betraying the earlier version of myself who tried their hardest, once wanting the best for me. When I returned home after a long and challenging end to my Winter semester, I decided it was time to admit I need help as my symptoms were worsening, making my moods lower with each passing day. I reached out to my doctor to consult my symptoms, hoping to find an answer to why I was constantly feeling my worst. It was then that I was diagnosed with Severe Chronic Depression and prescribed medication for my mental illness. A part of me felt relieved that my symptoms were validated through a health-care professional, as it felt as though this debilitating sadness would be deemed incurable. Finally being able to see some light at the end of a long dark tunnel, I have since taken proactive steps to better position myself amongst my academics. I have enrolled in a summer course equivalent to the number of credits as ENGL200, to make up for the missing credits which would have completed, had it not been for my mental illness. I managed to get by through ENGL231 and pass it successfully despite this setback as I worked closely with my Professor with a shared goal of acquiring those credits. I plan on re-enrolling in CWRI273 when it is offered in the Fall semester of 2026 in order to replace the failed grade with a stronger finish to the course. As I complete this summer course alongside working a 9-5 during the 12 weeks the course will be offered, I have allotted myself time during weeknights and a few hours on the weekends to keep up with the course’s content and complete the assigned quizzes, essay’s, and group projects in order to complete this course as strong and confidently as possible. I plan on registering with the Accessibility Services with my return to the 2026-2027 school year, to ensure complete support from Queen’s University as well as myself as I navigate prioritizing my physical and mental health, in order to out-perform the version of me incapable of doing their best. Thank you for your consideration.