Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to drop GNDS 280 (Winter, 2015).

I am a second year student majoring in Gender Studies. Throughout my entire education, I have always had an inability to sustain attention during my classes and focus on my schoolwork. When I entered Queen¿¿s University, this inability to concentrate had worsened and had begun to affect my studies in a much larger way. As a result, I decided to look into it. I only recently discovered upon my being tested that I have a learning disability, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The doctors and I are still in the midst of examining several different medications. We have not yet come across the proper medication that is suitable for me. My learning disability affects the way I am able to take in course material in class, as well as focus on my schoolwork outside of class. The course that seems to be most tedious for me is GNDS 280. I was very bothered by the fact that I was having such large troubles in this course only and began to examine why. I now understand better why I was having more problems with this course because it is the only course I have that is three hours long. Due to my learning disability and having not found the proper medication yet, I have found it very challenging to maintain concentration in this three-hour course, which has affected my capability to take in and truly comprehend important course material. My struggles in GNDS 280 have required me to spend a lot of time and energy outside of class attempting to keep up. My learning disability has made it quite difficult to find the concentration, time and energy to focus on my other courses on top of it. I believe that if I drop GNDS 280, I will have the ability to spend my time better studying for my other courses and a much larger chance to succeed this semester.

Should my appeal be granted, I do plan on enrolling in a course this coming summer to fill the missing credit I will be left with. Once I have finally found the medication that¿¿s best suited for me I am confident I will be able to handle a three-hour course like this one. I am very optimistic that by the 2015-2016 school year I will have found the proper medication, and I intend to enrol in GNDS 280 at that time.

Thank you,
Tali Benaroch
10090645