Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am a student in my fourth year and I am planning on taking a fifth year. I am appealing to drop 3 courses from the last fall semester (HLTH 200, ENIN 301, BCHM 218) and 3 courses from this semester (BCHM 270, ENIN 240, GLPH 271). I have been dealing with a mental illness that has disabled me from successfully performing my best academically. Last October, I had first gone to see a doctor at Student Wellness Services and started medication for anxiety and depression. These mental illnesses were on-going for many years and I only reached out for help last semester because I was not fully aware of the resources available for help. I started to face many different side effects such as extreme fatigue, nausea, and headaches throughout the first couple of weeks of starting the medication. Because I started treatment around the time of midterms, I was not able to complete major assignments and tests that made me fall back behind. The reason why I was not able to take less courses was due to the fact that my OSAP funding would only be granted if I was taking a full course load. I continued with my treatment and regular doctors¿¿ visits, as well as regularly meeting a counsellor and Occupational Therapist. I was also registered with QSAS a couple weeks following the start of my treatment. My medication dosage was changed a couple times that made me feel new side effects each time throughout the span of last semester and this semester. The reason why I am only dropping 3 out of 5 courses in each semester is due to the fact that these courses had very few assessments that were weighted heavily that I had not been able to complete, whereas the two CHEM courses (CHEM 312 and CHEM 223) from each semester and Spanish courses (SPAN 111 and SPAN 112) had more smaller assessments that were more easily completed in class. Most of the courses I am requesting to drop had been online courses where it was very difficult to organize my time and regularly meet deadlines. For the Spanish courses, it was a lot easier to study for the assessments because there were no lessons or modules but only simple textbook readings that were easy to comprehend as they were both a beginner¿¿s Spanish course. Also, I am currently pursuing a degree in Chemistry where the two chemistry courses are mandatory to graduate. For this reason, I am really hoping to attain these credits. I have been communicating with the instructors for these chemistry courses and they have been very accommodating and understanding of my circumstances and have been working with me to complete these credits. Moreover, I was not able to drop these courses earlier or appeal to drop them from last semester because I was continuously contacting one of my professors who said she would only accept my academic consideration if I had completed a submission through the Arts & Science portal. However, I was advised to not submit through the portal because I was registered with QSAS. The instructor eventually told me that she would not accept the academic consideration even with the letter that the Occupational Therapist had written for me and said I would have to appeal to drop the course. However, she had told me this in the winter semester weeks after the fall semester had ended. For the incomplete courses that I am not planning on dropping, I have arranged accommodated times to complete the exams with my instructors. I will continuously be seeing my doctor, Occupational Therapist, and counsellor throughout the summer that will hopefully help me get better and be more successful for next year. I will also try to take fewer online courses next year because they have not been easy for me to keep up with. This year had been a difficult year but I am seeing a lot of progress with my mental health that will hopefully be less of a hindrance for my next year. Thank you for reading this letter. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

- Sincerely,
Ji Won (Grace) Min
10184548.