Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Madeline McHose
10075336
12mm61@queensu.ca
(343) 333-4285

1 April, 2019

Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences
Queens University

Request to Drop a Course After the Academic Deadline, Receive Credit Standing, and Receive an Extension for an Incomplete Grade

Dear Associate Deans,

I am writing to ask that the courses I have failed during my time at Queen's be officially dropped from my transcript, that I be given credit standing for the courses in which I received a grade below C-, and that I be given an extension for my incomplete grade, so that my capstone project can be graded. I believe that the circumstances I have dealt with would merit these considerations.

I have been suffering from depression from a time before I entered Queen's and throughout my time here. I was recently also diagnosed with ADHD. I believe I have suffered from this since childhood and my undiagnosed ADHD exacerbated my depression symptoms. It has greatly impacted my studies, since I have been able to maintain my grades in some classes while not in others.

As a child, while living in France and attending public schools I was diagnosed with dyslexia. My problems in school were attributed to this and to attending school in a language other than my native tongue, rather than to the ADHD that I believe I suffered from. After returning to the US after having grown up abroad, my depression became extremely debilitating during my last year in high school. I became estranged from my father after my parents' divorce, his paralysis and long recovery from Guillaume-Barre syndrome, and his pressuring me to attend university, even though I knew something was wrong. Upon entering university however, I felt determined to see it through.

During the terms Winter 2013 - Winter 2015, I was not doing enough to cope with my mental health problems and I failed many classes, while still managing to pass or do well in others. I hadn't yet determined how much work I could realistically accomplish and so as I focused on some classes I did not keep up in others, and in some cases I did not drop classes before I realized it was too late.

By Fall 2015 I recognized that I had to take my mental health more seriously and so I began to see the doctor regularly. During this time period, I was going on and off different anti-depressant medications as directed by my doctors and this had a large impact on my moods even though none of them improved my depression. I also began to talk to my professors about my problems, which was beneficial to me. My grades improved but I still failed some classes.

I took MATH 121 in the summer of 2017 and received a D. In this class I feel that I wouldn't necessarily have done better had treatments been working for me, due to my struggles with the concepts. In all other classes, however, I am convinced that the poor grades were the direct result of my depression and untreated ADHD.

In talking to one of my professors, I found out about accommodation services, and during the term of Fall 2017, I began to receive accommodations which allowed me to turn in assignments late and have alternatives to participation-based grading. These accommodations have helped me a great deal and because of this and the other strategies I have not failed any classes since Winter 2017.

In Fall 2017 and Winter 2018, I took GPHY 415. This class required I write a capstone project. I talked to my professor about my struggles and he agreed to give me extra time to complete it, over the summer of 2018. This time period was another particularly bad time for me. In May 2018, I had a bad reaction to a medication and per the doctor's instructions discontinued all medications for depression. Completing the capstone project was a major struggle, but I turned it in September 4, 2018. Since that time, I have had no response from my professor, despite emailing him many times. Meg Hall from QSAS has also emailed him a number of times and I have tried phoning him to set up an appointment but there has been no response to any communication. I would like to ask that he look at and grade my capstone project, as my grade now without it, is a D.

During my time at Queen's, I conferred with my doctor and she agreed that I should try to get diagnosed with ADHD through the RARC. However, the cost was 2,600, which seemed prohibitive at the time, and when I applied for a grant through QSAS, I was denied and then became discouraged. I have recently been seeing a psychiatrist, whereas in the past I saw general practitioners. She has diagnosed me with ADHD, and I feel that this has been the major source of my problems for me during all these years, and likely the reason anti-depression medications alone were not effective for me. I think the lack of treatment for ADHD exacerbated my depressive symptoms, and I am confident that had I been diagnosed and treated sooner, I would have done considerably better in my academic career. In addition to the ADHD medication I have recently started taking, I also am now taking medication prescribed by her for bipolar disorder, as she believes I am on the spectrum.

It has been a very long road for me to come to this stage of my studies at Queen's. I have retaken all of the classes I previously failed, even though it felt demoralizing. I have struggled to understand the reasons for my depression, which has been debilitating at times, but even so I have felt determined not to give up. It has taken me a long time, but I have devised strategies that have helped me improve my grades.

After I finish my studies at Queen's, I would like to pursue a career in GIS. I believe I can achieve success as I have been successful in my position as a manager at my local Parks and Recreation Department over the summers. I think having my failing grades wiped from my transcript and receiving credit standing for grades lower than a C- will help me in my job search. I think that despite it all I have learned a great deal about myself over my university years. I have learned to be more proactive about looking after my mental health, and looking for solutions in a timelier manner. I think with the right treatment plan I can have a successful career. Please help me to achieve this goal. Thank you very much for your consideration.