Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Associate Dean September 30th, 2019
Faculty of Arts and Science
Office of the Dean, First Floor Dunning Hall.
Queen¿¿s University
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6

Dear Dean Stephenson,

With this letter and supporting documents I am appealing for a late drop of the following courses: LAW 204 (Fall, 2017), GRMN 306 (Fall, 2017), HIST 400 (Fall, 2017), HIST 430A (Fall, 2017), HIST 461 (Winter, 2018), HIST 441 (Winter, 2018), and HIST 401 (Winter, 2018).

Due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to complete coursework or attend classes for the courses listed above. I realize that this is an entire academic year's worth of courses. Please allow an explanation of the extenuating circumstances. Upon my return from a year-long exchange at Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen, Germany, I experienced an escalation of my previously unacknowledged mental illness. My grades in Germany, shown in the attached document and previous academic record at Queen¿¿s University, attest to my sudden atypical academic behaviour.

I attended the first weeks of class for the fall term and enjoyed them. After those first weeks, my worsening mental state lead to a decline in attendance and no submission of work for any classes. Despite my best efforts to convince myself that I was ok, that I could get everything back under control, I continued to decline. It soon became difficult to get out of bed or leave my apartment. I hid this from my roommate and family. I had no support system.

When I surfaced and attempted to deal with my academics, my mental state worsened when I realized that the drop deadline for courses had already passed. This prompted me to ignore the reality of my situation in an attempt to cope. I convinced myself that the next semester would be better, and I would get my life back on track. That, unfortunately, did not happen. The events of the fall semester repeated itself in the winter term in a vicious cycle.

I was unsure of how and where to get help, both academically and personally. I did not want to admit that I needed help. Had I known about the appeals process to drop courses late at the time, I do not believe that I would have been able to do so. My mental state was as such that ignoring everything was easier than processing reality.

Events that occurred during the summer holidays prompted me to ask for guidance. In September, I registered for courses for the 2019-2020 academic year, and through prompting from my roommate, booked a counseling appointment through Student Wellness Services. I approached the Art/Sci Academic Counselling Services to figure out what I needed to do to graduate. I am excited to be the first person in my family to graduate from University in June 2020. I have made great strides in finding ways to deal with my mental health issues. I am still a work in progress and will continue working on my mental health. I have made changes to my life and everyday routines that make it possible to function adequately, both academically and personally. I am attending classes, submitting work, and do very well in my classes so far. I have continued and will continue to attend counseling sessions, and I am scheduled for a mental health evaluation in December 2019.

Ultimately, as a result of the events described above, I now have an entire academic year of failed classes in which I submitted no work, did not attend, and have a 0 grade. I accept responsibility for my actions. I am not using my mental illness as an excuse for my actions and mistakes. I am at fault for not reaching out for help sooner. I did not handle my situation well.

It has always been my goal to attend law school and pursue a career as either a small-town sole-practioner to give back to my community or to practice law on an international scale to provide help to others on a broader scale. These failed courses reflect negatively on an application, and I fear that I may have damaged my chances of attendance beyond repair. Should this appeal be granted, my prospects for attending law school would improve. However, I acknowledge that it will not guarantee attendance. There is still a lot of hard work that I need to do.

I hope that this letter, its accompanying explanation, and documentation will be enough to allow an exception to the twenty-one-day rule that governs appeals for a late course drop. This appeal is a step towards attaining my goals academically as well as, no matter the outcome, an essential part of my mental health journey.

Thank you for considering this appeal. Please contact me should any more information be required.

Sincerely,

Michelle Henderson