Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Glad Dragos
10025387

To the office of the Associate Dean (Studies),


I am appealing to request Credit Standing in GEOL 106, POLS 110 and FILM 110, which I have completed in my first year at Queen's.

Looking back at my first year and summer, I was unsure as to whether I would be able to stay in university due to my mental health. I decided that my grades in second year would determine my stay at Queen¿¿s. After completing the first semester of my second year I received higher grades because I was taking courses that I developed a big passion for. In first year, I struggled with my depression and anxiety with no real support from my family or friends. This had led me to dislike myself and I looked for ways to escape these feelings by relying on ADHD medication, thinking at the time that it would help fix my problems; that they required some form of external intervention to achieve a resolution. I also had a strained relationship with my father that put extreme stress on my academics. Coming from an immigrant family, his constant disapproval as a result of unrealistically high expectations became extremely overwhelming and amplified my anxiety. As well, I had recently ended a long distance relationship with a girlfriend of three years, which proved detrimental to the stability of my health at the time. I was struggling with making friends due to these circumstances and with the stress from my father and girlfriend; I began isolating myself from others out of fear of rejection for what I was going through. I struggled to attend classes, ate very poorly (if at all) and spent most days in my room, questioning my existence. The topic of depression was always a subject that was frowned upon in my European household, rendering my inability to rely on my family for support. I had made a limited number of friends and was afraid to open up to someone because of the social stigma of depression.

During the summer of 2012, I realized that I had found passion in courses related to the field of Engineering. I sought out help from a tutor to prepare me in the necessary courses so that I would be able to excel in them. She saw the potential in me and I worked hard so that I could make up for my fall in first year. I found the courage to open up to my parents about my mental health and although it took time for them to accept it, there have been many positive changes. They are now more supportive of my academics and less intrusive on my life as a whole. I found the courage to approach Queen¿¿s Health and Disability services and was scheduled to frequently meet with a psychologist, Dr. Chuck Vetere. He concluded that I had a form of anxiety that seemed persistent throughout my life, which may have stemmed from the relationship between my father and I. I could not otherwise have acknowledged this because I was denied by my parents the ability to see a doctor for testing on attention hyperactivity and anxiety disorders and was scolded upon bringing up the subject. Through time, Dr. Vetere helped me find ways to better cope with stress and identify early signs of depression so that I would be open to help and not damage future outcomes. Starting in my second year, I found myself to be living with peers who were sensitive and understanding to my situation and this has been a great help in finding both a social and academic niche at Queen¿¿s. Looking at my transcript up until the end of my third year, there has been a significant change in my grades showing that I have progressed in changing my living and social environment for the better. I have met with numerous academic advisors in this time in order to transition into the Faculty of Engineering; which has been my ultimate goal upon realizing my interests in life. Many of the subjects I have focused on as well as my interests are very closely tied to the fields of engineering and I am prepared for how I am expected to perform. Physics was the subject I felt most connected to; it helped me see past the trivial aspects of a monotonous lifestyle I had been under the influence of and allowed me to developed a thirst for understanding and building the world around me. In order to ensure that the course load will not overwhelm me, I have decided to take a lighter course load so that I may be able to concentrate on both my academics and mental health. I have recently reached my goal and accepted my offer to the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Coming into university I excelled academically, something I was unable to show during my first year, not due to my intellectual incompetence, but because of being hindered by mental health. Although I have struggled in the past, I am pushing myself everyday in order to excel. I do not believe that my first year grades are a true reflection of my work ethics. I am now in a program of my choice and I regularly meet with professors and academic advisors so that I can keep an open progress. I am submitting this appeal because I feel that I have made the necessary changes to excel academically and therefore believe that I should continue pursuing an engineering degree with marks representing my honest abilities as a person working towards building a better and sustainable future for the generations to come.

Sincerely,

Glad Dragos
1gd4@queensu.ca