Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to appeal that the grades on my transcript from my first two years at Queen¿¿s be removed or replaced as Credit Standing due to a mental illness I was suffering from at the time. I failed a number of courses during those two years, and out of the ones I passed, I did not receive a grade higher than a ¿C.¿¿ Following those two years, I took a year off to address and improve my mental health. I worked hard to understand my situation and learn how to manage my illness. I felt ready to return the next year, and did. The idea of trying again after having such a difficult time and no success was daunting, so to ensure my mental health remained stable enough to allow me to be successful, I saw a psychologist in Kingston when I returned. Since then, I have been better able to manage my mental illness, I have not failed any courses, and I have been significantly more successful. My transcript is still scattered with some poor grades from the past 3 school years since my return (this year included), as I do still occasionally struggle with some lingering symptoms and relapses. I prioritize my mental health above all else, which sometimes means sacrificing time spent on academics. Nonetheless, looking at my transcript it is very clear exactly when my recovery occurred, which strongly supports the fact that extenuating circumstances caused my poor academic performance in those first two years. Those grades represent a very difficult and unhealthy time of my life, not the person or student I am. I feel it is unfair for these to remain a part of my record as they were due to a mental illness that hindered my ability to go to class, to complete assignments, to study for exams, and ultimately succeed in any way academically. I am thrilled with my ability to overcome that illness and return to Queen¿¿s, and it is important to me that my academic record represent that success, as opposed to a time of hardship that I feel should not continue to define me as a student.
Thank you for your time and consideration.