Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Associate Dean,

I am appealing to drop GEOL 107 (Fall, 2016).
My failure in the final exam was due to following extenuating circumstances. I suffer from general anxiety and during my first exam season here at Queens I was overwhelmed and my anxiety became too much for me to handle. As a first year student, fall exams felt incredibly daunting and intimidating. I felt the weight of a 50 final exam not as an academic challenge but as a burden. I am able to manage my anxiety on a day-to-day basis in a way that allows me to attend classes and complete academic tasks, but finals exacerbated my feelings of irrational fears, paranoia, and dread of the upcoming day. Anxiety can take intense physical symptoms, and one particular symptom of anxiety that I struggle from is an inability to eat. I struggled with this during fall exams and found it very difficult to eat throughout the week and was not able to eat anything the two days prior to my GEOL 107 exam. Paired with the other symptoms of anxiety, my body and mind were not functioning. GEOL 107 was my last exam, on December 15th. By 7:00pm of the 15th I was emotionally and physically exhausted, I stayed for about thirty minutes at the examination. I had prepared for this exam to the absolute best of my ability but my anxiety and exhaustion was crippling and I was not able to complete the exam.
As a first year student, I learned the importance of a support system. During fall exams I tried to get help, but I was unsure of what resources I needed. I went to La Salle during exam week, but there were no appointments available until the New Year. I did not know much about the resources available, I only recently learned that students could appeal to drop a course past the drop date, which is why my appeal is coming to you at this time. During exams I felt helpless, and a lot of that feeling came from my inability to ask for help. Over the winter break, I took the time to research and learn about all the mental health resources available at Queen¿¿s. I also looked at clubs I could join to help me continue my passions outside of academics. In my second semester at Queen¿¿s I have utilized the resources and this has proved to be a big help. I now know about the walk-in clinic available, the peer support centre, I have applied for positions in clubs, and I look forward to becoming a part of my faculty (Global Development) in my second year. Looking at the upcoming exam season I feel much stronger and well equipped, I have organized a day-to-day plan for the upcoming weeks. For the future, I will check the syllabuses for the exam weight in advance and reconsider taking courses with a final worth 50 or more. To subside my anxiety, creating weekly plans detailing studying and projects has helped a lot throughout second semester. By creating a support system for myself, from day-to-day and emergency help, I feel properly equipped to combat anxiety-related crises with the help of Queen¿¿s University.
I hope my letter has accurately conveyed the severity of my struggle during the GEOL 107 final exam. My hope in writing to you and outlining my struggles is that this course will be dropped.

Thank you,
Sinead O¿¿Hara, 20012804