Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Academic Appeals Committee

This is a formal request for a Credit Standing in the class MATH 120.

To the Academic Appeals Committee:
I am writing to formally request a Credit Standing for MATH 120, which I took during the Fall/Winter 2025-2026 academic year.

During the Winter 2026 term, from January to May, I faced significant emotional challenges and increased anxiety that directly affected my academic performance. As shown in the attached Verification of Extenuating Circumstance form from Queen's Student Wellness Services, this ongoing issue required accommodations, such as extra time for my coursework, to help manage my workload.

I worked hard to lessen the impact of this anxiety throughout the Winter term. I successfully handled the workload in my single-semester courses, earning grades of A, A+, and a B+ in core computing. Since these courses were limited to one term, I could focus entirely on the material at hand.

However, MATH 120 is a full-year course that builds on what was taught in the Fall. The advanced concepts covered in Winter rely heavily on the foundational material from earlier. My heightened anxiety and cognitive fatigue during the Winter term made it challenging to review foundational gaps from previous months while grasping new, complex concepts. Although my accommodations helped me manage shorter, untimed assignments, the pressure of an eight-month cumulative final exam became too much due to my documented symptoms. For these reasons, my grade does not reflect my true academic ability or work ethic.

I want to assure you that this was an isolated incident. With my ongoing coping strategies and a shift toward focused, single-semester coursework moving forward, I am fully prepared to uphold the high academic standard demonstrated in my other courses.

Thank you for your time and understanding in reviewing my petition and supporting documents.

Sincerely,
Matthew Cheung
25jx12@queensu.ca, +1 514 451 7593