Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

My name is DoHwoon Kong (Student ID: 10146818), and I am appealing the Faculty's decision that I must withdraw from Queen's for a minimum of three years.

After the school year of 2015 - 2016, I was required to withdraw from Queen's for one year. I did not appeal this decision, as I felt that I needed a break to consider what I had done that year, and what I was going to do in the future. The main reason behind my falling grades were in part due to my own failings in many of the courses that I took that year, mainly CISC124, and STATS263, as well as due to a failing grade in PHIL153 that I took the Winter 2015 semester. In the case of PHIL153, this was because I did not properly drop the course, when I had thought that I did. When I realized this, it was past the last day to drop courses. I consulted the academic advisors, and I learned that the only things that I could do was to appeal to drop the course, or retake it in the future, which I chose the latter.

Over my year-long suspension, I consulted my family and close peers on what to do with my future. I realized that my greatest falling was in the computing department. I was not sure if I should continue taking computing major courses, if I truly felt that the subject was unsuitable for me. However, I came to the naïve conclusion that since I already had spent 2 years of university for the major, I should simply try harder, and somehow, I would succeed in the future.

Over the last school year, I retook two of the CISC courses that I struggled in, CISC121 and CISC124, as well as STATS263, and obtained higher marks in the subjects. However, that was not enough to meet the 1.60 GPA mark to bounce back from my academic probation.

As much as I would like to attribute my failings to an extenuating circumstance, I cannot. There were no deaths in my family, nor did I have any dire medical conditions. The only possible attributing factor would have been the surgery my mother took during the summer of 2017 to remove a lump in her body, which led me to start living alone in Canada from then on. The real reason of my failure was due to me and myself only. I was not doing well in my computing courses, and I only sought help from my peers, and not from the school. Over the last school year, I was conflicted in whether I should keep on striving for a computing degree, or if I should switch to a different plan. I was under stress from these situations, but I did not seek professional help, and only relied on my mother for help. All of these contributing factors let me to this point, where I am faced with a request to withdraw again.

For the future, if I were to be allowed to return to my academics, I would prioritize crossing the 1.6 GPA mark to become enrolled into a regular student status. I am currently enrolled in 2 summer courses, and according to my calculations, if I achieve a grade of B or higher in both of the courses, I will be able to raise my GPA to exceed 1.60. This will be my first priority, and I will focus all of my efforts into doing so. After this, I plan on enrolling into the COCA specialization of the computing major (I am currently in the math department) when possible. Since this branch requires me to take less CISC courses, while allowing me to take courses in the Arts, I believe this will help me balance my workload, and will lead to higher grades in the future. I would take FILM110 over the year, as well as retaking PHIL153 to raise my grade if possible, as well as taking any FILM courses available for the COCA program, as well as COCA201. I will also take any of my prerequisite CISC courses that will fit my timetable. If I feel as if my workload is too much, and if there was truly nothing I could do about it, I would drop a course. My failings in the past were primarily due to my resistance to requesting help from the school staff. If I were to return, I would immediately contact them I any help was necessary, large or small.

At this point in time, I cannot not afford to take a 3-year withdrawal. I live alone in Canada, with my family residing in Korea. I do not have a stable income, and I cannot receive much financial support from my family. Without OSAP funding, it will be very hard to support myself over the 3 years. Most importantly, I finally have a definite plan for the rest of my school career. If my appeal is granted, I will give my all to follow this plan, and graduate successfully.

Please, give me just one more chance to recover. I will do anything and everything I can to improve myself. I will follow the goals I have set for myself, and I will seek help when I need it.

Please, just one more chance is all I need. This may be the most important time of my life, and I know I can make the best of it.

Sincerely,

DoHwoon Kong.