Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern:

I am Jasmine (Lingjie) Kong with student number 20260304, I am writing to respectfully request to waive the requirement to withdraw for a minimum of three years. In this letter I will connect the documented extenuating circumstances I have experienced to their specific effects on my academic performance, describe the steps I have taken to address them, and explain why I am now able to return to good academic standing.

My difficulties began in the second year of my study since 22 Fall when the Covid pandemic and serious communication problems within my family came together and triggered a psychological condition. Over the following terms, they worsened to the lowest point during 23 Fall and 24 Winter. I was frequently unable to leave home, manage my daily life, or keep up with my coursework. As a result, I lost the ability to complete assessments on time, adjust my course load or withdraw from courses before the relevant deadlines. These circumstances produced failing grades on my record from that period. I had begun seeking help earlier through QSAS and Student Wellness, but feelings of shame delayed my ability to engage with that support in a timely way, so the condition went unresolved for a long time. I am attaching a professional letter from my Chinese therapist together with the registration record from QSAS in support of this period.

In 24 Summer, I returned to China for the first time since arriving in Canada in 2017 and told my situation to my family and close friends. The support I received marked a turning point and made the problems I faced before begin to improve through Fall 2024. The result was I passed the majority of my courses for 24 Fall and 25 Winter terms although two failures were still recorded that year. Then, the majority of classes during the following 25 Summer time had passed as well while earning an A+ from IDIS 373 under the pressure of waiving the requirement to withdraw for one year, which further stabilized my mental condition.

A short time into the 25 Fall term, the prolonged uncertainty surrounding my academic standing and the long period of appealing I was going through caused my previously improved condition to worsen again. The stress left me without clear direction and I fell behind in all of my courses due to little completion of the required work. This continued difficulty managing daily tasks meant I again failed to act on the opportunity to drop courses before the academic deadline, which produced several more failing grades on the record. This relapse is documented in another mental-health note from my Chinese therapist that I am attaching in support.
One thing I want to highlight as well is that I have submitted appeals to the Board of Studies for either late dropping or extending deferrals for the three classes besides GLPH 271 for this term by providing supported extenuating circumstances. So, I believe either outcome will help with my GPA improvement as late droppings will remove the failing grade from the calculation, while successful deferrals will allow me to complete the outstanding works and replace the current failing grades with new earned grades. Based on my stable study condition for now, I am confident that I will complete them fully and to a high standard if granted the opportunity to make up for the outstanding assessments.

Things that happened during 26 Winter act as the clearest evidence that I have regained control of both my studies and my health. When the term began, I realized that I had to take more active steps to break the vicious cycle before the consequences became irreversible. Thus, besides submitting a late-drop petition for my outstanding Fall courses on time just like mentioned before, I have also learned to seek help immediately for both my studies and the chronic physical health issues that have been caused by my earlier state. These actions worked well and enabled me to complete all of the coursework in four Winter courses that all ended with strong marks, including a B+ in Pathology 111 after sitting two fully protected exams.
The only outstanding items for this term are the final exams in Biology 334, Biology 341, and Pathology 310, but importantly, the reason for these absences is totally physical. I was diagnosed with acute bacterial gastroenteritis during the examination period. I first felt unwell early on the morning of May 15th; because the symptoms were still mild, I went ahead and completed a deferred exam for GLPH 271 that day rather than miss it. The symptoms then worsened over the following days, and during the exam period of May 19th to 20th, a high fever mixed with severe abdominal pain made it impossible for me to attend the three remaining finals. Unlike in the past, I stayed in continuous contact with the professors and examination teams throughout, and I sought care from the CDK walk-in clinic on the night of the 19th as soon as I realised I needed help. The clinic documentation is attached to support that I had a genuine physical illness, while the grade records of the three courses alongside would clearly support that my psychological condition is now fully stable. The only remaining issues are minor physical ones, and I am actively managing them now to make sure that they won’t affect future exams. I have submitted a petition regarding these three exams on May 21st and have committed that this is my final petition relating to exams. I will continue to communicate early and seek help promptly just like what I did this term, and the result of the petition will also be submitted promptly as an amendment to this petition as soon as I hear back from the Dean that is responsible for the petition.

Most of the failing grades on my record from these previous terms besides History classes, Anatomy 100 and Microbiology 271 (because only one of the classes can be replaced between 221 and 271) are being, or have already been replaced by new grades under the University’s replacement rules, while others are under active appeals. I will describe the specific picture in the academic plan I am submitting alongside this petition to clarify how these replacements would greatly contribute to the GPA calculation.

Finally, I want to quickly summarize what’s happening and will happen this 26 Summer. I will complete a 20%-weighted deferred midterm that I have fully prepared for a 25 Summer course that is named Microbiology 484 today, thus this grade that’s expected to pass at a solid level will also contribute to the GPA boosting as it will be included in the calculation as well.
Although the grades for the retaken BCHM 218, PHGY 216 and new BCHM 370 won’t be included in the standing evaluation, I am still happy to provide their midterm grades or grades until midterms end together with MICR 484 as further evidence of my recovered ability to complete coursework and exams once the grades are posted. I will also try to request for a quicker posting if it’s more convenient for your comprehensive reviewing. Thus, the results from appeals or petition and the grades that can support my stable status for now will all be provided as amendments to this petition when they are decided or posted, so that you can have the most complete and current picture when making the final decision.

I understand that my past academic failures are serious, and I take full responsibility for them. But I am not the same student I was at those lowest points: I now understand what to do when different kinds of difficulty arise, and I act on it early rather than withdrawing into shame. My willingness and my ability to study are both stronger than they have ever been. I respectfully ask to be evaluated on my current performance and the prompt actions I have taken, rather than on my past difficulties alone. If granted one final opportunity, I will work within my capacity, complete each course to the best of my ability, make up the areas where I previously fell short, and seek help the moment I need it. The results of my Summer and Winter exams after completing will be the strongest evidence to support that these are not empty promises.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Jasmine (Lingjie) Kong