Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

Due to personal events beyond my control, I am asking to appeal Math 401: Graph Theory without any academic penalty. For the past month and half, I have been sick with a virus that has affected my overall well-being and ability to attend class. The classes were scheduled in the early morning. I had been occasionally waking up with a slight fever and found it very difficult to get to class. I did not see a doctor because I was simply waiting for it to pass, but it took a lot longer than expected. My housemates were also sick during this time, so it took a while for everyone to get better.
In addition, English is not my first language, therefore being able to write properly and express myself through writing is not a strong suit of mine. I decided to major in Mathematics because it required very little writing, but Math 401 is more of a theoretical/conceptual class that involves written work instead of equations. Because I did not attend class, it was difficult for me to understand all the concepts that were taught. I had only received three assignments back before my midterm, and my assignment marks were mediocre. I went to the professor multiple times to ask him questions, but he was not very helpful to me. He told us to study for the midterm with questions from the past assignments, but did not provide us with solutions to the questions, so I was unable to make sure I was answering correctly.
I know that the last day to drop classes was on November 4th, but because I had only received three assignments back, one of which was given just a few days before the midterm date. I wanted to be able to improve my grade in the course by writing the midterm on November 18th before I decided to drop the course, in order to have a better idea of my performance in the course. Unfortunately, the midterm was worth 50 of my overall mark, and I failed it, doing a lot worse than I hoped for. There is no final in the course, so I am unable to boost my mark. The midterm was late in the term and I only received my mark back this past Friday (November 25), which is why I am appealing this class so late in the semester.
I am currently applying to Masters Programs in Mathematics and Business for next year, which is why I am asking to appeal this class. I don¿¿t believe that my current standing in this course is an accurate representation of my abilities and academic capabilities. I would not want this grade to affect my chances of being accepted into programs and furthering my education. I already have the full credits necessary for this term and I took this course to learn something new and diversify my transcript. Sadly, I did not excel in this course but I do not want it to affect my academic standing now and in the future.

Thank you for your understanding,

Frederic Casgrain