Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Victor Yunfei Liu. I write this letter in hopes of a second chance at redemption in regard to my studies: in hopes of continuing to better myself intellectually, and as a person entirely.

Entering my first year here at Queen¿¿s university, I had found myself as a well-established young man with a grade average falling around the high nineties. As the summer grew short, my appetite for a higher education grew as my head wrapped itself around the idea of continuing my studies at one of Canada¿¿s most prestigious universities.

I had been drawn in by the beautiful campus and academic programs, but would ultimately be kept here by the undying tri-colour school spirit and the warm sense of community Queen¿¿s offered near the end of the second term.

As the calendar days flew by, move in day had come. And shortly after, orientation week would occur. During those weeks, I had successfully found myself distracted from the oncoming tidal wave of mental pressure I would come to face in the oncoming months.

As the first few weeks of class began, I had found myself content with learning all this exciting new information.
However, socially I found myself severely lacking.
Arriving from a smaller school, often involving smaller class sizes and less people in my grade as a whole, I found it extremely difficult to make friends when I came to university. As time went on, efforts involving social interaction become more and more anxiety inducing.

I had been completely unaware I had been digging myself a mental hole.

As the loneliness crept in, I found myself less motivated regarding anything. I had begun to stay in my room more often, skipping classes, eating less, and generally sleeping an unhealthy amount of time.

I had felt alone, and my actions only continued to further drive my destructive solitude.

During my preparatory research regarding what to expect during university, I had read about the dangers of depression and isolation, how it is a very apparent crisis that one can face if not attentive to their overall health in university.

But as the foolhardy person I was, I had obviously assumed it would never happen to me.

Near the end of the first term I had rarely found myself attending class for weeks on end, failing to drag myself to academic advisors for guidance for due to the mounting stigma I feared I would face.

I realize now how irrational that seemed.

By the second term, I had returned from Christmas break with barely passing classes, but with much better established footing. During my brief time back, I would force myself to classes: attending them by strictly disciplining and training myself to return into a regular routine. I would still find it extremely difficult, until one day when one of my would be friends sat beside me.

It would finally be the mental turning point I hadn¿¿t been expecting.

As I became more socially active within the community, my grades would see much improvement through the coming months. However, I would ultimately lean to another extreme once again. I had begun to be more invested in socializing than my academics near the end of the second term, once again putting myself in a self-destructive loop.

Exams would come, and I was barely ready.

I finished my first year with a requirement for withdraw for one year, and I only have myself to blame.