Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I hope this email finds you well and safe.

Just a quick foreword: This is my first time writing a letter of this sort so I'm not too familiar with the nature of how these should be written. My tone in this letter is quite casual (and a bit choppy)... I thought to treat this like a conversation. I hope this is adequate.

I'll start from the beginning. Early this year, we lost my aunt to cancer. I considered her to be my second mother. My Khalla was filled with light. Her zest, warmth and spirit were unmatched. Needless to say, it was a difficult time. She was a beautiful soul. At the time, I was applying to medical school in Ireland. This was a challenging and rigorous application process consisting of three rounds. At this point, I had made the first round, and my application for the second round was due shortly after the passing of my aunt. For this round, I had to write a personal statement and resume, collect a minimum of two reference letters. It seemed unachievable. But I persevered. Life can be quite the rollercoaster, but I always had my family and faith to guide and support me. Honestly speaking, I'm not an individual who gives up easily. I always try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In this case, there was light. I am humbled to share that I made it to round three (the interview) and a week later, I received admission to the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.

When jotted down, it seems alright. A sad time, a strong girl, and a positive outcome. But it isn't so black and white. There are so many silver linings. I felt that I never got time to grieve my aunt. Instead I suppressed and put all this pressure on myself to get into medical school. And then I wanted to be supportive of my family and my cousins since they were also experiencing extreme loss. It's just my mum, my sister and I. And my mum and my aunt were joined by the hip. There was not a time they weren't together. I used to take the train home every weekend to spend time with my mum. And to manage school on top of all that. I am not one to let my grades suffer. Or at least, I try not to let them. I find that I naturally have a lot of peace and positivity within me. I don't often get overwhelmed or when I do, I rely on my support system (my family) to give me that boost of inspiration and I
m good to go. But I couldn't get that boost. Because I didn't want to burden them with my worries. My grades began to slip. Then when COVID hit and we were sent home, I felt fine. I was happy to be home with the people I love. But I slipped even more. Sometimes things that would not typically affect you, affect you. There was a lot of toxicity. There was so much accumulation of sadness and hurt. And it just kept getting worse. Over a span of months, this once positive girl, became weak, sensitive and tired. I thought I'd be the last person to not be mentally okay. But I was that person. After April, I closed myself off from everything. I needed time and I felt very overwhelmed. Although the approach was extreme, it did help. I turned inwards and tried to build myself back up again.

The reason for this appeal and this letter is so that you have a better understanding of why I did not apply for a Pass (P) grade earlier. My character is not as such that I would make excuses for not applying earlier. After my last exam, I shut everything out. I didn't even realize this Pass grade was an option. I would not want this one grade (MATH 121) to jeopardize my future in any way. Just know that under normal circumstances, I would not be writing this letter, because I would not be in this position in the first place. I hope you can understand my situation.

I've attached the names of two of my TA's below. They can verify that I am a dedicated student and speak on my character.
Margaret MacConnachie
Emma McTavish