Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to petition for credit standing in the courses I completed during the fall 2023, winter 2024, summer 2024, and fall 2024 terms that were affected by my extenuating circumstances. My request to waive the petition deadline for these terms has been granted, and I am now submitting this petition for credit standing. My extenuating circumstances began within the first month of my first year and continued through first and second year. During this time, I was struggling with depression and disordered eating, which affected both my daily functioning and my academic performance. These circumstances made it difficult for me to concentrate, maintain my energy, sleep properly, eat properly, regulate my emotions, and manage my academic responsibilities. As a result, I struggled with attending classes regularly, keeping up with course content, studying effectively, retaining information, and performing the way I normally would have on assignments, labs, tests, and exams. During my first year, my circumstances affected my performance across the courses I am petitioning for credit standing. Several of these courses required consistent attendance, regular studying, and a strong understanding of material throughout the term. At the time, I was struggling to manage my mental health, eating, daily routine, and school responsibilities all at once. Because of this, I had difficulty keeping up with lectures, preparing properly for assessments, and demonstrating the level of understanding I was actually capable of. Some of the first year courses were particularly difficult for me. Some classes were on west campus, which made attendance harder because of the fatigue, weakness, and physical discomfort I was experiencing from not eating properly. Several courses also had long labs or tutorials, which were difficult to get through while I was physically and mentally unwell. Even when I was able to get myself to class, lab, or the library, I often had difficulty focusing and retaining information because of my ongoing fatigue and reduced concentration. Courses such as physics, chemistry, and biology also required consistent review, memorization, and application of concepts. I found this especially difficult because my concentration, memory, and energy were significantly affected. In physics, the course required a deeper understanding of concepts and application based problem solving, and the final exam made up a large portion of the grade. In chemistry and biology, the combination of long labs, the classes being on west campus, heavy content, and the need for consistent studying made it difficult for me to perform at the level I was capable of. Although I completed these courses, my performance did not reflect my true academic ability. I did not drop them by the academic deadlines because I was trying to do my best and continue with the courses, but I was not fully able to recognize the severity and impact before the deadline. At the time, my circumstances affected my ability to clearly recognize how much my academic performance was being impacted and make timely decisions. My circumstances also affected my emotional regulation, memory, and ability to make clear academic decisions before deadlines. In summer 2024, my circumstances continued to affect my performance in the organic chemistry course I completed. The course was online and required me to stay motivated, organized, and consistent while working through difficult material at my own pace. This was very challenging because of my depression, low energy, and limited ability to focus. I was also balancing a job that summer, and I did not have the mental energy or focus needed to properly keep up with the course. This course required both memorization and application, and I was not able to dedicate the amount of focused time and practice needed to do well. Assessments were also difficult for me because of the same issues I had been experiencing with concentration, energy, and sitting through tests while feeling physically and mentally unwell. I did not drop the course by the deadline because I was trying to do my best in the course, but I was not fully able to recognize how much my circumstances were affecting my performance before the deadline. However, my circumstances continued to affect my academic functioning, and I was not able to perform at the level I know I am capable of. In fall 2024, my circumstances continued to affect the courses I am petitioning for credit standing. These courses required consistent studying, memorization, and understanding of detailed material. At this point, I was still struggling with depression and disordered eating, which made it difficult to attend class consistently, sit through lectures, keep up with content, study properly, retain information, and perform well on assessments. The anatomy course was especially impacted because it required a lot of memorization, consistent review, and in person lab time to study anatomy specimens. I did not have the concentration, energy, or the ability to retain information needed to study this material as effectively as I normally would have. The biochemistry course was also difficult because it required both memorization and application of detailed concepts. I struggled to attend and sit through class, keep up with the pace of the material, and study effectively because of the same ongoing symptoms. I did not drop these courses by the deadline because I was trying to do my best and continue with the semester, but I was not in a clear enough state to fully recognize how much my academic functioning was being affected before the deadline. Looking back, I now understand that my circumstances were significantly affecting my ability to function academically and make timely decisions about my courses. If I had been in a better state of mind, I would have been better able to recognize the impact earlier and make the decision to drop the courses before the deadline. I did try to get support during this time. In the second semester of first year, I reached out to a Queen’s online therapist and then continued with an in person therapist at Queen’s for the rest of first year. In second year, I started therapy outside of Queen’s, which is currently ongoing. In the later part of summer 2025, I also started medication for depression, although it took some time before I started to feel an improvement. Since going to therapy weekly and taking medication, my mental health and eating have improved significantly. I have been able to manage my circumstances better and fully engage with school in a way I was not able to during the affected terms. My grades improved significantly in fall 2025 and winter 2026 which I believe better reflects what I am capable of when I am doing better mentally and physically. For these reasons, I am requesting that my petition for credit standing be granted. I completed the courses, but my academic performance during these terms was significantly affected by extenuating circumstances and does not reflect my true academic ability. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Paulina Kupets Schaffer