Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean and Members of the Academic Petitions Committee,

My name is Laila Maharaj, and I am entering my fourth year as an Applied Economics major with an English minor and a Certificate in Business. I am respectfully petitioning for permission to enrol in HIST 283, Women and Gender in North America, after the academic deadline to add July–August courses.

On Saturday, July 11, 2026, one day after the enrolment deadline, I reviewed my academic progress and realized that I was one course short of the credits required to remain on track to graduate on time. I genuinely could not believe that I had allowed such an important aspect of my academic planning to pass my attention, especially when the consequence could directly affect my expected graduation timeline.

Throughout the months of May, June and early July, I have been balancing two demanding summer internships: one at a law firm and another at a financial firm. I worked extremely hard to earn both opportunities independently, and I entered the summer determined to fully dedicate myself to the responsibilities of each position, having thought that my academic progress was to my standard. Balancing the workload, schedules, and expectations of two professional roles became more extensive, yet rewarding, than I had anticipated. As I focused on performing well in both internships, I failed to complete one more final and careful review of my academic progress that I normally would have completed before the July 10 enrolment deadline.

I consider myself an extremely organized and responsible person at my core, and it being one of my strengths. However, I recognize that I overextended myself this summer. My determination to succeed in both positions became consuming, and I did not give my remaining degree requirements the attention they required during this critical period of the add/drop deadlines for summer courses. This situation was produced coupled with my misunderstanding of how my Certificate in Business courses and previous electives were being applied toward the 120-unit requirement for my degree. I had believed that more of my Certificate in Business courses and other courses would have balanced toward my overall degree requirements and, as a result, mistakenly understood that I was on track to complete the required number of credits before timely graduation.

I fully recognize that monitoring my academic progress was ultimately my responsibility, and I am not raising my work commitments to avoid accountability. I wanted to honestly explain the circumstances that contributed to my oversight and why I did not identify the problem before the deadline. As soon as I discovered the issue, I acted immediately.

I contacted academic advising to explain the situation and ask what steps were available to me. I then contacted Professor Michaela Ann Cardo, the instructor of HIST 283. Professor Cardo has kindly confirmed in writing that she supports my request to enrol in the course, provided that the Undergraduate Office is still able to enrol me after the deadline. I have included her email as supporting documentation with this petition.

I have been thoughtful when considering courses that would complement my degree, and HIST 283 is one that genuinely stood out to me which I explain further in my academic plan. I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to engage seriously with the course material and contribute thoughtfully to the class.

I sincerely regret that I did not identify this issue before the enrolment deadline. I ask that the Committee consider the demands I was balancing during this summer, my misunderstanding of how my Certificate in Business credits were being applied, the significant effect this oversight could have on my graduation timeline, and the action I took once I became aware of the problem.

Thank you very much for taking the time to review my petition and supporting documentation. Permission to enrol in HIST 283 would allow me to correct this mistake, complete the additional course required this summer, and remain on track to graduate on time. Your consideration would mean a great deal to me.

Sincerely,
Laila Maharaj