Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Like many of my peers, Doug Fords cuts to OSAP left me concerned about my financial situation. Coming to Queen¿¿s was already a huge financial decision for my family and I, but with the help of OSAP, I was able to leave home and afford to take care of myself and pay for my education without much problem. This year was different. I no longer receive OSAP, and my academic career was in jeopardy, forcing me to take on a full time summer job to support myself. I never anticipated this, and therefore, took on 3 summer courses this year. Once I found a job, my courses were already well underway and I didn¿¿t want to give up. So I dropped 1 of my 3 courses, thinking I could handle the work load along with my summer job. Unfortunately; I was wrong. As a student with a dream of attending law school next year, my grades are extremely important to me. But having bitten off more than I could chew this summer due to the unforseable decisions of the Ontario government, I am concerned about my academic standing. I have worked extremely hard to keep up with the work, but my job in addition to maintaining stable mental health has not been easy. I missed the drop deadline, thinking my course was a July-August course, meaning that I would still have time to drop if necessary. But I misread the academic calendar and now find myself in a stressful situation that is negatively affecting my sense of self-worth and mental health. Had the circumstances been different, I am confident that I would have excelled in this particular course, as it is in my field of interest. But I did what was necessary to ensure that I earn enough money to return to school in the fall, and as a result, my grades were negatively affected.