Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

New Information: Dear Dean of Associate Studies,
This letter is to appeal for a Credit Standing in courses BCHM313, BCHM316 and PSYC370 taken during the semester of Winter 2016, 2017, and 2018 respectively. The former two courses were retaken in the Winter semester 2018 in hopes of achieving a higher grade however, due to circumstances described below.
Over the course of my studies, I have been dealing with severe mental health disorders that have impaired my ability to meet certain academic requirements. I have attended counselling services offered by the university, but due to the extended time between appointments and limited finance to afford external help, getting the help I needed was more difficult than not. On top of working around 20 hours a week to support myself, completing research projects under Queen's professor and other personal and familial events, my mental health was quickly deteriorating to the extent that I was becoming a danger to myself. At one point of my school career did a counsellor suggest credit standing for a couple of courses due to, at the time, experiencing weekly panic attacks and depressive episodes that prevented me from leaving my room for the course of a year. The appeal was granted however I did not receive much help afterwards due to time and financial constraints. I carried on with my struggles in hopes of just making it through the day.
After visiting multiple doctors, I referred to an outpatient program at Hotel Dieu by a doctor at Queen's. At the hospital I was officially diagnosed with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), MDD (Major Depressive Disorder), BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) leading to Bulimia Nervosa along with potential ADHD. I have been frequenting the hospital on a weekly basis with a mental health team that is monitoring and improving my quality of life. I have worked tirelessly to gain my both my degrees (Biochemistry Honours and Psychology General), earning above 75 in most my classes except for the classes with final exams. At the time of the mentioned courses, I time I was not qualified for accommodations due to lack of documentations, finance, and support -therefore all my mark breakdowns show that I went into the final exam with at least a 75 average before the exam. This is why some courses on my transcript are A's, but the aforementioned are C's. BCHM411 shows a B average due to writing the exam January 2019, almost a year after the course, due to a breakdown preventing me from continuing writing the exam.
I hope from this appeal I can remove some of the grades that I was unable to show my true potential. I am grateful for the Queen's staff for now providing me with accommodations and referring to the outpatient program when I was at such a low point of my life. Moreover, the professors who have accommodated me whenever I was unable to meet certain tasks. I have attached all documents from the doctors and health team at Hotel Dieu along with this appeal. Thank you for taking the time to read this and giving me an opportunity to explain my circumstance.
Sincerely,
Sarah Slim
10099643