Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,

I believe I deserve to receive Credit Standing for the five courses stated during the fall term of 2016 and one course in winter 2017 due to extenuating circumstances. I was previously unaware of the option to receive Credit Standing and was notified about it over the past few days by a classmate explaining my late appeal. I have been continuously considering retaking these six courses to repair my GPA due to my poor grades in the chosen classes but believe Credit Standing is the most reasonable approach to take. I apologize for the late appeal but hope I will still be considered as a valid candidate.

I have just completed my third year studies at Queen's University and will be returning for my final year in the upcoming fall 2018 term. During my undergraduate degree I struggled with mental health issues that were out of my control. In the fall exam season of my first year at Queen's (fall 2015) my brother committed suicide at our family home. This was a very tough situation for me regarding my mental health as I have never been in that position before and he was my only brother. I later decided to return to Queen's in the 2016 winter term and continue my studies as I believed that keeping myself busy would help me cope with things.

Initially, the idea of continuing my studies was a good escape to keep me busy and take my mind off the situation I was dealing with. I was able to still perform adequately during my 2016 winter term due to the little time spent at my family home and Queen's being seen as a familiar and friendly place. After returning home for the summer of 2016 I was given more time to reflect on the situation and began to suffer with mental health issues. This was due to the greater amount of time spent at the location where the suicide occurred and these mental health issues continued during my second year of studies.

During my second year of studies I began to struggle academically, mainly in the 2016 fall term. Due to the suicide being so recent and hearing about it at Queen's my mind was clouded. I was not able to perform to my usual standards and my grades were significantly impacted. The CISC 221 taken in the winter term took the fundamentals of CISC 220 which I had in the fall, inferring my poor grade in 221 and hope to receive Credit Standing for this course. During the fall and winter exam season the suicide was on my mind continuously and made it very difficult to focus academically.

During my third year of studies I was able to clear my mind and rekindle focus academically. I was able to perform exceptionally well in my third year courses regardless of my poor performance in second year. As seen in my academic history I have not received a grade of C or lower other than during the 2016 fall term and one course of the 2017 winter term. I do not consider myself a C or lower student. I take my academics very seriously and would like my GPA to better reflect my academic performance. I have considered retaking these second year courses but do not see it as necessary as I have been able to perform very well academically during third year without hindering my abilities. Retaking these courses would only be to raise my GPA as I have learned the fundamentals to help with upper year courses already, being seen as redundant.

I believe that I deserve to have these six courses receive Credit Standing due to the mental health issues I was facing during second year. I was able to recover from these issues academically and perform excellently during third year. I would like my GPA to have a more accurate reflection of the hardworking student I am and receiving Credit Standing for these courses will help achieve this goal. I have been placed into a situation out of my control and hope that my academic record will not suffer due to my unexpected mental health issues. I believe that my performance during third year shows that I have successfully been able to overcome my personal issues and can continue to perform well.

Thank you,

Brandon White