Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Michael Kawaja,

I am appealing to receive Credit Standing for CHEM 282, MICR 221 and PHGY 214B (Winter 2016) as a result of psychological challenges beyond my control.

At the beginning of my second year at Queen's I started experiencing symptoms of anxiety, such as inability to concentrate, difficulty with sleep, frequent panic attacks, and isolation, which led to a diagnosis of anxiety/depression by my family doctor, Dr. George Chalmers. During my Fall 2015 term, I made several attempts to take control of this situation: I met with Dr. Ngo at Queen's Health Services, I connected with Cathy Touzel at Counselling Services, and I tried the strategies recommended by Queen's Students Academic Success Services. Some of these strategies include studying in groups, implementing the 45/15 rule and choosing a variety of study locations. However, I still had difficulty completing readings, focusing on text and retaining and memorizing information. During my Winter 2016 term, I decided to drop extracurricular activities such as the Queen's Performance Salsa Team, MEDLIFE and intramural soccer in order to have the extra time I needed to work on improving my academics and my mental health. I was regularly tutored in CHEM 282 and BCHM 218 by ASUS tutors to further aid my academics. I began meeting with Cathy Touzel at her private practice on a weekly basis. On her recommendation, I began implementing short, daily exercise routines, regulating my sleep patterns and practicing breathing techniques in an attempt to prevent drowsiness and anxiety attacks throughout the day. By using the Queen's University Life Sciences website (http://www.qlifesci.com/), I realized that re-listening to recorded lectures allowed me to retain more information and concentrate better than reading text. Since not all lectures were recorded, I met with Queen's Accessibility Services to obtain permission to record all of my lectures. Despite these improvements, I struggled with my courses in the Winter 2016 term because I was still learning how to cope with my mental health challenges.

Over the summer, I have continued to work hard to overcome my symptoms of anxiety/depression. I can confidently say that my mental health should no longer interfere with my academics to the degree which it has in the past year.

Personally
- I am exercising daily per the recommendation of the doctor
- I am following a regular sleep schedule per the recommendation of the doctor
- I improved my diet per the recommendation of the doctor
- I am taking regular study breaks to partake in activities that I enjoy

Academically
- I am consulting with Katherine Morrisey from Queen's Academic Advising
- I have switched from Life Sciences Specialization to Life Sciences Major in order to lighten my course load
- I am successfully studying for the MCAT and seeing improvement in my ability to concentrate. This requires me to create and follow a regular schedule, as I will have to do when returning to Queen's in Fall 2016.
- I am using several different resources to study, including textbooks and videos

Additionally, I sought help from professors. Dr. Leslie MacKenzie was particularly supportive when hearing about my situation; he took time to meet with me, organize practice quizzes and extend certain exams in order to ensure my mental health challenges had the least detrimental effect possible on my academics. Thanks to Dr. MacKenzie's help, I received a B- in ANAT 216, a significant improvement from the beginning of the semester.

Becoming a doctor has been my goal since I was three years old, and the challenges I have faced in the past year have shown me how much of a difference a doctor can make. I am now more driven than ever to pursue this passion. I understand that medical school applications are extremely competitive, and I would now want extenuating circumstances such as these to jeopardize my ability to become a medical professional. I appreciate your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

Alexandra (Ola) Lemanowicz