Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I have been struggling with mental health issues for almost two years. Namely, panic disorder, general anxiety disorder, and depression. During the time I was taking MATH 281 and CISC 101 I was admitting myself to the hospital on a regular basis due to suicidal thoughts. In addition I was dealing with a traumatic event of witnessing my girlfriend at the time attempt to commit suicide, Which occurred immediately prior to the winter 2019 semester beginning.

I had taken the semester off prior to the MATH 281 semester and I was taking a reduced course load in order to help me cope with my mental illness. I was also taking prescription medication in order to help me cope. However, I was still severely struggling with my illness. I did not want to drop MATH 281 because I was already so behind on school from taking a semester off and MATH 281 is a prerequisite form many third year math courses. I also didn't drop the course because math is my passion and it was one of the few things I could find interest in. I was rarely able to make it to class because I struggled with leaving my house due to my anxiety.

As for CISC 101, my illness was much worse over the summer. The change of environments seems to always spike my anxiety. I was in bed for most of the duration of the course. At the time of the course I couldn't study yet alone leave my room but again I didn't drop the course because I found some interest in coding. I often code for fun and would send the prof some of my code that I was working on. It was one of the few things that would interest me. However when it came to the assignments I was never able to be mentally strong enough to complete the assignments fully or study for the final exam.