Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,

Please accept this letter as my appeal for a credit standing for the ENGL 100, PSYC 100 and PROF 110 courses. This letter in and of itself is difficult to write, and I am doing so with the support of my parents.

This year has been incredibly difficult for me as I found myself extremely depressed and unable to concentrate or focus, I lost my appetite, and I was either sleeping very little or excessively once I could fall asleep. I would spend hours staring at the computer screen and not actually accomplishing much in that time. These symptoms were new to me, as I am used to being a successful student prior to the Pandemic.

There are several circumstances that contributed to my depression over the course of the year. The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for me. I have been very isolated at home and I could not really find any meaningful social interactions being online. It is harder for me to be open with people that I have not met face to face. I have always been able to manage things in person better than online. Not being able to interact in person, I struggled to be engaged and feel comfortable to ask questions or for clarifications. Staring at a screen for hours at a time with no personal or social contact was very challenging. At the same time, I lost my job as a lifeguard and swimming instructor with the pools closing. This has always been a passion of mine and brought me a lot of joy. I loved going to work, and when this was taken away there was a big void. As my mood started deteriorating in the fall, things got worse when my father ended up being hospitalized. I was unable to manage anything when he was in hospital, as I was consumed by fear of him dying. It was while he was in hospital that I first found myself not being able to submit assignments nor meet course deadlines. I found myself more and more isolated and my pets became one of my few sources of comfort. Tragically after Christmas both my guinea pigs died within a few weeks of each other and at that time my mood was reaching its lowest point and I could not focus on anything.

I kept hoping that I would be able to regain my focus and turn things around, but I was just not able to do so. In February, I was finally able to share and admit what was happening to my parents. They then helped me reach out to my professors, academic advisors and I tried to get some mental health support. I did reach out to Queen¿¿s Mental Health services as well with a couple of sessions. I was able to connect with my family doctor and a psychiatrist, both of whom have confirmed that I am suffering from severe major depressive episode. I have had some medication adjustments now and the psychiatrist plans to make further changes. I see some hope now, but I am still not completely well with negative thoughts, inability to concentrate or focus, low mood and my appetite remains poor. It is primarily the lack of ability to focus, the lack of motivation and ability to complete tasks that had the most significant impact on my academic performance which was a huge challenge this year. I would very much appreciate your considerations. I do not feel that any of my grades this year reflect my ability, and I continue to believe that I can be successful. Many of my professor¿¿s told me they saw a lot of potential when I could participate. I still feel I can fulfill my career aspirations of becoming a teacher once my depression is treated and we return to more normal pre-pandemic situations.

Thank you very much for considering and reviewing this letter of appeal.

Hannah Bérubé