Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

My name is Shezil Asaf. I am currently a second year student in Science at Queen¿¿s and I would like to submit an appeal for credit standing in Psych 100, Physics 117, Bio 102, and Bio 103 from my GPA, as well as to drop Chem 112 and Math 121 from my GPA. The reason for this request concerns my psychological challenges relating to domestic issues, including illness in the family, and how these extenuating circumstances have affected my academic success.

Since I started my studies at Queen¿¿s in September of 2015 I have been battling depression: a number of childhood shortcomings have positioned me in a very emotionally vulnerable situation. After being moved around from home to home since I was young, Kingston Ontario became yet another unfamiliar location; additionally this time I was met with the challenge of fitting into an unfamiliar culture. During Orientation week and those that followed, I found myself unable to integrate into the lifestyle and attitude here on campus. I was ostracized by my peers in residence because of my background. I didn¿¿t feel safe anywhere on campus: I often found myself deep in the streets of Kingston in order to get away. In this way I missed several classes, despite the weight of schoolwork constantly on my shoulders, as well as the knowledge that I was essentially throwing away my hard-earned tuition fees. It was too easy to allow myself to be consumed by my depression, and unfortunately I did. I neglected regular meals. Having isolated myself emotionally and physically, I deeply regret that I could not find the motivation within myself to immerse myself in my academic career.
In December of 2015 my grandmother¿¿s Alzheimer¿¿s started to take her life. If anyone¿¿s death would have affected me severely it was hers: I lived with her as a child to get away from my parents fighting. My GPA plummeted after the exams I wrote at the end of the month because I was constantly distracted: sitting with my textbooks for 5 hours straight I was able to retain the information of a few pages ¿¿ I felt like my brain had given up on me. I would go through sleepless nights and if any day I¿¿d get some sleep, I¿¿d wake up to an awful dream. In January of 2016 my grades did not improve, nor did my emotional and spiritual disposition.

The following months were consumed by financial stress. The doctors estimated my grandmother would pass away within a few months and so the family. Her sickness had taken a toll on my father and my father¿¿s attitude towards had taken a toll on my mother so with time my mother¿¿s health had started deteriorating too but she¿¿s continued hiding it. With knowing that I¿¿d have to eventually pick between either one of my parent and having to live without my Grandma, I spent many sleepless nights and again, though schoolwork was my only priority, my grades fell further because the majority of my time was spent in solitude, depressed and suicidal. My grandmother passed away on May 2nd last year; I never had a chance to say goodbye. My final exams were no better than the December exams ¿¿ in fact much worse than I had hoped.

When I returned to school this January I decided to turn over a new leaf. I have been prescribed medication. With the looming cost of repeated courses preventing me from taking that route, I almost lost hope for academic redemption; however over the past few weeks I have gotten in touch with my academic advisor, whereupon I learned I still had a chance to offset my shortcomings. I sincerely hope that my personal challenges do not permanently affect my future. With my depression I have been unable to concentrate on my career path but I am ready to take the steps necessary in order to succeed. Upon entering university I had planned to later apply to medical school; due to the rough patch in my life I¿¿ve realized this is no longer the best option. Nonetheless I do not intend to allow my mental health to prevent me from achieving everything within my potential: I have taken the minimum course load this semester alongside bi-weekly counselling appointments. With your assistance I am confident I will make it to grad school and beyond ¿¿ with a good GPA I will have all the resources and motivation to excel in my future studies.
I hope that in this letter I have been able to convey clearly how my personal struggles have affected my academic career, and how deeply I would value the opportunity to take control of my life again. I very much appreciate you taking the time to read this letter and I await your compassionate decision.


Sincerely,

Shezil Asaf