Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

To begin, the reason I am appealing past the required deadline is because one of the extenuating circumstances that has affected my academic performance was ongoing. The mental illness that I have been dealing with has only recently resolved enough for me to invest the appropriate amount of time and energy into writing this appeal and gathering documentation. Prior to the start of this month, my psychological condition was significantly worse and made it very difficult for me to accept responsibilities additional to school and work as I was already struggling to deal with those. My psychological condition caused me to face an elevated level of difficulty with everyday tasks. So things like writing and gathering appeal documentation were nearly impossible for me to complete. Through the use of counselling sessions and other lifestyle adjustments, I am now mentally well enough to complete the appeal application to the best of my ability.
I am appealing to receive a credit standing (CR) on the following courses: CHEM 281 (Fall 2016), MICR 221 (Winter 2017), and PHGY 214B (Winter 2017).
There are two extenuating circumstances which were beyond my control and affected my academic performance during this time.
The first one is a medical condition with symptoms that greatly impacted my ability to do schoolwork. Symptoms included frequent headaches, fatigue, and mood instability. These symptoms made it extremely difficult to read, work on assignments, study, and listen attentively in lectures. This medical condition prevented me from reaching my full academic potential. My condition began in August of 2016 and lasted throughout the Fall 2016 term, Winter 2017 term and Fall 2017 term. In November of 2017 when I sought out help from Student Wellness Services, I was tested and diagnosed with this condition and prescribed supplements to help manage it. By February 2018, after following this prescription, my condition improved. I am now continuing to follow my prescription and keep this medical condition under control.
The second extenuating circumstance is a mental illness that I have been dealing with. This psychological condition is now being managed, but throughout the Fall 2016 term and Winter 2017 term, it was especially debilitating. This illness took up an excessive amount of my time and energy that I normally would have put towards school work. It caused me to have an extremely difficult time staying focused during lectures, studying, and working on assignments. I have been dealing with this mental illness since about September, 2016. Following my entry into second year (Fall 2016), the condition of my mental illness got exponentially worse and only continued to worsen throughout the course of the year and into the Winter 2017 term. I did seek help with a counsellor in November 2016 and in January 2017 but the severity of my condition made it difficult to continue booking appointments. This illness continued to effect me in my third year (Fall 2017 and Winter 2018). In February 2018 I began attending regular counselling sessions with Student Wellness Services and my condition began to gradually improve. This improvement continued slowly throughout the summer as I continued to work on my mental health. Within the last month my mental health has become significantly better.
To conclude, as a result of these two extenuating circumstances, I was unable to achieve the grades I could have if I was not dealing with mental and physical illnesses.
Should my appeal be accepted, I plan to continue to receive help for my mental health condition by scheduling regular appointments with my counsellor. I also plan to have my blood tested periodically and continue to follow my prescribed supplements to ensure my medical condition is under control. By following this plan I will be in a better position mentally and physically, thus I will be able to achieve academic success to the best of my abilities.

Sincerely,
Erin Boyle