Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 1576
Submitted: November 21, 2015 at 2:42:19 PM
First Name: Allison
Last Name: Jacobi-Dorbeck
Student Number: 10052446
Email: 11dakj@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BSH
Plan: PSYC, LISC
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Code: PSYC 203
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Dr. Daryl Wilson
Code: PSYC351
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Dr. Tom Hollenstein
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of Arts and Science,
My name is Allison Jacobi-Dorbeck and I am currently a third year student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. I am a Psychology (BscH) major, with a minor degree in Life Sciences. At this current time, I am appealing to request credit (CR) standing in two of the courses from the Winter 2016 semester. The two courses that I request to do so are PSYC203 (Research Methods in Psychology), and PSYC351 (Socioemotional Development) as I have only achieved a grade of a D, which is truly uncharacteristic of myself.
Mental illness has been an uphill battle that I have been fighting since my mid-teen years. During my second year of university, however, symptoms of my condition were at a peak due to outside events that had impacted my life significantly. I had been seeking professional help through Queen's Health and Disability Services throughout the year in order to cope with these unfortunate circumstances, but my emotional state remained stagnant. In turn, a dramatic change in my academic performance occurred within my second semester. This plateaued state of distress ultimately lead to a noticeable drop in my grades, as it was a great struggle to work up the energy to put even an average effort forth. At the end of the semester in April, I was hospitalized under close eyes of medical professionals. It is unfortunate that it took such events to work up the will and motivation to make a change in my life, but since then I can honestly say that I have.
Despite a very tough semester I realized throughout participation in PSYC398 (Selected Topics: Cognitive Neuroscience) that this particular area of Psychology is what I truly enjoy and was able to put my heart into. This is why my grade in this course was not comparable to my others since I was dedicating any energy I had toward keeping up in this class. Since my last episode at the end of the winter 2015 semester, I have had a continuous relationship with a counsellor in my hometown (Collingwood, Ontario) with whom I closely practice Dialectical Behavioural Therapy on my path to recovery. I can honestly say that I have come a long way and can now reflect on my past as a learning experience. I put a dedicated effort to moving one more step in the right direction every day.
After learning much about myself during this time, I see an honest change in not only my behaviours, but also my motivation and outlook on life. This distinct change is reflective in my academic performance thus far into the semester, as well as my active participation in the Queen's community (Psychology peer mentor program, Jack.org Queen's Chapter volunteer, Autism Buddies Partnership Volunteer, and Fundraising volunteer for Neugeneration Conference on Neuroscience). I have also made a change in the direction of my studies, now pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree as a Psychology major and Life Sciences minor. My experience in third year is already a huge leap of improvement from that of my first two years. I still remain in close contact with my counsellor in Collingwood and participate in therapy sessions as required and I plan to maintain contact, as I strive to continuously nourish my mental health. In the meantime as a keen and dedicated student, I plan in the future to pursue a position working in a laboratory within my field of study, while also excelling in my studies and achieving grades that are truly reflective of my efforts and capabilities. I also intend to remain an active member of and contribute to the Queen's community in a positive and proactive manner. I am dedicated to being the best that I can be, and I am only looking ahead from here.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
My name is Allison Jacobi-Dorbeck and I am currently a third year student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. I am a Psychology (BscH) major, with a minor degree in Life Sciences. At this current time, I am appealing to request credit (CR) standing in two of the courses from the Winter 2016 semester. The two courses that I request to do so are PSYC203 (Research Methods in Psychology), and PSYC351 (Socioemotional Development) as I have only achieved a grade of a D, which is truly uncharacteristic of myself.
Mental illness has been an uphill battle that I have been fighting since my mid-teen years. During my second year of university, however, symptoms of my condition were at a peak due to outside events that had impacted my life significantly. I had been seeking professional help through Queen's Health and Disability Services throughout the year in order to cope with these unfortunate circumstances, but my emotional state remained stagnant. In turn, a dramatic change in my academic performance occurred within my second semester. This plateaued state of distress ultimately lead to a noticeable drop in my grades, as it was a great struggle to work up the energy to put even an average effort forth. At the end of the semester in April, I was hospitalized under close eyes of medical professionals. It is unfortunate that it took such events to work up the will and motivation to make a change in my life, but since then I can honestly say that I have.
Despite a very tough semester I realized throughout participation in PSYC398 (Selected Topics: Cognitive Neuroscience) that this particular area of Psychology is what I truly enjoy and was able to put my heart into. This is why my grade in this course was not comparable to my others since I was dedicating any energy I had toward keeping up in this class. Since my last episode at the end of the winter 2015 semester, I have had a continuous relationship with a counsellor in my hometown (Collingwood, Ontario) with whom I closely practice Dialectical Behavioural Therapy on my path to recovery. I can honestly say that I have come a long way and can now reflect on my past as a learning experience. I put a dedicated effort to moving one more step in the right direction every day.
After learning much about myself during this time, I see an honest change in not only my behaviours, but also my motivation and outlook on life. This distinct change is reflective in my academic performance thus far into the semester, as well as my active participation in the Queen's community (Psychology peer mentor program, Jack.org Queen's Chapter volunteer, Autism Buddies Partnership Volunteer, and Fundraising volunteer for Neugeneration Conference on Neuroscience). I have also made a change in the direction of my studies, now pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree as a Psychology major and Life Sciences minor. My experience in third year is already a huge leap of improvement from that of my first two years. I still remain in close contact with my counsellor in Collingwood and participate in therapy sessions as required and I plan to maintain contact, as I strive to continuously nourish my mental health. In the meantime as a keen and dedicated student, I plan in the future to pursue a position working in a laboratory within my field of study, while also excelling in my studies and achieving grades that are truly reflective of my efforts and capabilities. I also intend to remain an active member of and contribute to the Queen's community in a positive and proactive manner. I am dedicated to being the best that I can be, and I am only looking ahead from here.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Documentation
Professional Letter: Allison Letter November 20.png
Amendment to Appeal 1576
Relevant Petition: 1576
New Information: Dear Associate Dean of Arts and Science,
I am writing to you as a third year student in the faculty of Arts and Science at Queen's University. More specifically I am writing to you in order to request a waive of the deadline for academic appeals in the Winter 2015 semester. As someone who has been struggling in what seemed to be an uphill battle with mental illness, I went through an especially rough time in my second year. In my second semester, my marks dropped significantly and I received some final grades that were truly uncharacteristic of myself. At the beginning of my first semester of second year, I recognized that there was a problem and I reached out for help from Queen's Health Counselling and Disability Services. I continued sessions with a counsellor through these services over the year, but unfortunately my conditions remained relatively stagnant despite temporary short-term feelings of relief or alleviated stress. These periods did not last long, and as a result I found extreme difficulty in putting any energy toward the completion and achievement in my academics. By the end of my second semester, I had come to an all-time low and drove myself into a state of extreme distress. I was feeling lost, hopeless, and most of all unmotivated. Unfortunately this lead to an encounter with medical professionals and a short-term period in the hospital. It was at this point that I decided that I did not want to allow my mental illness to get the best of me, I did not want to define myself by my conditions and I wanted to get better.
Since this rock-bottom time at the end of my second semester, I strive toward bettering myself and my mental health every day. I look back on my experiences and I do not feel regretful, I feel thankful that I was able to pull myself out of my mental state and make a change, it was a real turning point for me and I take it as a life lesson. After my episode at the end of the Winter 2016 semester, I made the decision to move back home in order to be in a safe place to heal, and sought out treatment with a professional. I completed a treatment plan according to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and worked very closely with my counsellor on routine appointments throughout a four month period. I was so accustomed to my idle state that for the first time in a long time, I was finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Through therapy I had learned many different coping mechanisms and ways in which I could reframe my thought and behavioural patterns. I maintain close contact with my counsellor and continue to seek out and participate in treatment sessions as I deem necessary. I continue to make a stride forward every day, and I feel better than ever. I realize that some days are harder than others, but then I reflect on my past and remind myself that whatever obstacles may present themselves, there is always a way to get through. It's not always easy, but I am absolutely dedicated to making steps only forward instead of falling back.
With an altered state of mind and more optimistic outlook on life, I have become a more active member of the Queen's community by joining clubs and developing relationships with my peers and academic superiors. I have noticed a great deal of change in my motivation, and both long-term and short-term goal setting. I have recently had meetings with both a career advisor and an academic advisor. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I was aware of the opportunity that I had to request credit standing (CR) in the courses that are greatly impacting my Grade Point Average. As soon as I was informed of this possibility, I took the chance to write an appeal letter and request a letter from the therapist that I participated in treatment with. There is a noticeable change in my grades obtained this semester, and as a keen and driven student, I hope to have a GPA that is truly reflective of my efforts and capabilities. I hope to attend grad school in the near future, and I truly hope that this rough patch in my life does not hinder my chances in being admitted to my desired program. I am committed to making another step forward every day, and being the best student and member of the community that I can be. I look back on my past as a learning experience, and I am only moving forward from here.
I am writing to you as a third year student in the faculty of Arts and Science at Queen's University. More specifically I am writing to you in order to request a waive of the deadline for academic appeals in the Winter 2015 semester. As someone who has been struggling in what seemed to be an uphill battle with mental illness, I went through an especially rough time in my second year. In my second semester, my marks dropped significantly and I received some final grades that were truly uncharacteristic of myself. At the beginning of my first semester of second year, I recognized that there was a problem and I reached out for help from Queen's Health Counselling and Disability Services. I continued sessions with a counsellor through these services over the year, but unfortunately my conditions remained relatively stagnant despite temporary short-term feelings of relief or alleviated stress. These periods did not last long, and as a result I found extreme difficulty in putting any energy toward the completion and achievement in my academics. By the end of my second semester, I had come to an all-time low and drove myself into a state of extreme distress. I was feeling lost, hopeless, and most of all unmotivated. Unfortunately this lead to an encounter with medical professionals and a short-term period in the hospital. It was at this point that I decided that I did not want to allow my mental illness to get the best of me, I did not want to define myself by my conditions and I wanted to get better.
Since this rock-bottom time at the end of my second semester, I strive toward bettering myself and my mental health every day. I look back on my experiences and I do not feel regretful, I feel thankful that I was able to pull myself out of my mental state and make a change, it was a real turning point for me and I take it as a life lesson. After my episode at the end of the Winter 2016 semester, I made the decision to move back home in order to be in a safe place to heal, and sought out treatment with a professional. I completed a treatment plan according to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and worked very closely with my counsellor on routine appointments throughout a four month period. I was so accustomed to my idle state that for the first time in a long time, I was finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Through therapy I had learned many different coping mechanisms and ways in which I could reframe my thought and behavioural patterns. I maintain close contact with my counsellor and continue to seek out and participate in treatment sessions as I deem necessary. I continue to make a stride forward every day, and I feel better than ever. I realize that some days are harder than others, but then I reflect on my past and remind myself that whatever obstacles may present themselves, there is always a way to get through. It's not always easy, but I am absolutely dedicated to making steps only forward instead of falling back.
With an altered state of mind and more optimistic outlook on life, I have become a more active member of the Queen's community by joining clubs and developing relationships with my peers and academic superiors. I have noticed a great deal of change in my motivation, and both long-term and short-term goal setting. I have recently had meetings with both a career advisor and an academic advisor. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I was aware of the opportunity that I had to request credit standing (CR) in the courses that are greatly impacting my Grade Point Average. As soon as I was informed of this possibility, I took the chance to write an appeal letter and request a letter from the therapist that I participated in treatment with. There is a noticeable change in my grades obtained this semester, and as a keen and driven student, I hope to have a GPA that is truly reflective of my efforts and capabilities. I hope to attend grad school in the near future, and I truly hope that this rough patch in my life does not hinder my chances in being admitted to my desired program. I am committed to making another step forward every day, and being the best student and member of the community that I can be. I look back on my past as a learning experience, and I am only moving forward from here.
Student Number: 10052446
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Documentation was already submitted with original appeal letter.
History
Originally submitted November 21, 2015 at 2:42:19 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Prepared for Review | Carrie Roosenmaalen | 2015-11-23 8:59:58 AM | |
| status | N/A | Prepared for Review | Incomplete | Spring Forsberg | 2015-11-23 1:32:22 PM | |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | Granted | Haley Everson | 2015-12-08 3:22:25 PM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Sue Blake | Haley Everson | 2015-12-08 3:22:25 PM |