Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am a 3rd year Computing and Mathematics undergraduate student and I am appealing to retroactively drop the following courses STATS-268, MATH-221, CISC-124, CISC-102 (FALL 2016), STATS-263, MATH-281, MATH-111 (WINTER 2017). This request is in light of my current academic standing. I understood that I was on academic probation and that I tried to make the necessary adjustments to try raise back my GPA. Despite my best efforts to get through along with the added stress I still ended up being required to withdraw for a year. Having these courses dropped would raise my GPA back to 1.56 from 0.96 and negate my requirement to withdraw from school for a year. This would make it possible for me to bounce back as I would not have to raise my GPA from so far down. At minimum may I have my requirement to withdraw for a year waived.

The circumstances that affected my performance throughout the year were depression and stress. Over the previous school year, I had two friends pass away during the semester in the fall and winter; I was rattled for a period of time after hearing the news. My grievances led me to having difficulties studying for my midterms as well as missing the final test for CISC-282 which directly affected my grade, as the course was based off three tests with no final exam. This added pressure to the heavy course load that required constant studying and dedication did not make my mental state any better. During the Winter term I was having personal issues that gave way into me experiencing cabin fever for lengths at time and it eventually got hard for me to keep track of dates and properly stay on top of the study schedule I had tried to keep going. This started to affect me from end of November to near the end of academic year, it took too long for me to shake my depression and to adapt an effective studying strategy.

The reason as to why I never made the June 13th appeal deadline outlined in the email sent on May 23rd was because I was caught up in extension of this whole situation. I was originally planning on staying in Kingston for the summer and taking summer courses to catch back up and so I could be able to handle the future events properly. However, I was offered an internship in Toronto that is relevant to my field of study and I chose that. At the time I did not know of the possibility for me to drop my courses late. I had not opened the email sent on May 23rd til a much later date; I knew I failed my courses and that I was being required to withdraw for a year, so I did not open the email because I assumed that I already knew the contents of it. I was still enrolled in a summer course with exam dates coming up, and I was still trying to process and understand my complications.

At the time I was speaking to my superior at work on how I could have extended my current internship or search for another internship as well as the possibilities of taking courses at private institutions; all of which would have occupied my year off. I was extensive in searching my options but due to issues with my visa, the bureaucracy is strongly against me working or studying otherwise within the county. It was hard for me to remotely access the advising provided by QIAA and it was not until I returned to Queen¿¿s and spoke directly to those in QIAA and Academic Guidance that I was aware of the option to appeal to drop my courses late.

Taking into consideration I am an international student and my right to stay within the country is dependent on my student visa; my family was strongly against me returning home as an option. I found to benefit my time the most would be to comeback with a change in program and a lighter course load that would be easier to manage. The past year has been a harsh learning experience for me to understand the amount of work and dedication that is required to be competent in my field of study; as well as, understanding the importance of evaluating and preserving my mental health. This is why I am filing my request to drop my failed courses from the 2016/2017 school year.


Sincerely,
Christopher Nam