Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am writing to appeal and drop classes from Fall 2013 to Winter 2015. Due to extenuating circumstances at the time I don¿¿t think SOCY226, SOCY275, SOCY284, SOCY306 from Fall 2013, SOCY225 from Winter 2014, SOCY225, SOCY226, SOCY275 from Fall 2014, and FILM110, SOCY211, SOCY227 from Winter 2015 are an adequate representation of my academic ability.
During the summer of 2013 I was diagnosed with depression. I went to see my doctor and was immediately prescribed a medication to help treat my symptoms. I had a negative reaction with the medication, which caused the depression to deepen and heightened the symptoms. Coming to Queens University from Boston Massachusetts, I did not have easy access to contact my family doctor when things started to get worse. Starting from the Fall Semester in 2013 I was not able to visit my doctor about my concerns again until Christmas break. During which time I experienced rapid weight gain and lost all motivation to attend classes as well as experienced heightened anxiety levels. Starting Winter 2014 my medication was changed and aimed more towards a depression anxiety disorder. For the time between 2014 and 2015 I was shifted between different kinds of medications or taken off and on medication. During these two years of studies I was in a constant state of anxiety, denial, and depression. I kept thinking I could fix past mistakes and during periods, of what I like to think of as lucid thoughts and high hopes, I convinced myself that I could fix it all on my own. But then as semesters would start and my anxiety would build, the depression would get worse and worse until I began to contemplate suicide. Not only the anxiety of school was affecting me though. I had diluted myself into thinking that I could fix everything in time that no one would have to know about the embarrassment I felt about my mental illness and the complete uncharacteristically bad grades I was receiving. I lied to my family and friends for 2 years about what I was going thorough which ended up isolating me from any support I could have received. By the end of my third year attending Queen¿¿s I had completely given up and started participating in extremely destructive behaviour. During the winter semester of 2015 I went under a medical procedure to get an abortion. The point of explaining in detail to you the circumstances I was experiencing is to help you get an understanding of the mental state I was in. The amount of emotional distress I was under made it hard for me to even get out of bed let alone get to class, organize and motivate myself to succeed. I would start so many of my assignments and midway through get so anxious and overwhelmed that I could not finish and never hand anything in. Multiple times I would call into student services to talk to a therapist and either not show up or never make an appointment because of how embarrassed I was about how I felt. While I thought and even started many appeal letters to try and drop my courses during the 21-day period allotted, the anxiety and depression I felt at the time convinced me that there was no point.
My future plan to succeed at Queen¿¿s begins with a reduced class load and completing a distance studies major. I have enrolled in Anatomy100 and Biology102 for the Summer of 2016, I have examined both curriculums and believe I can do both with my mental health in check. From there I hope to start the fall semester still with a reduced class load and starting out as a part-time student. Completing my studies in the distance study program I will be with family and friends able to support me and to help manage any anxiety or depression I may feel. I am currently on a medication as well that has been working for the past year to help manage anxiety and depression levels.


Thank you for your consideration,
Rachel Everett