Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

What I am appealing about is the deadline to drop my history class, HIST 246. The circumstances surrounding the specific events are confidential and can be supported with my documentation, signed by one of my doctors. I would like to attest that I??ve been struggling with my health, which is why I need to drop this class. That and because of my deep regard and care for my school and future. This includes the standard to which I hold myself, I am a good student, and I love what I learn. As you can see from my transcript, I have a solid GPA, one that faltered slightly through what seemingly was one of the hardest years of my life, 2020. I expect to maintain the 3.7 I once had, surpassing it in the coming years making me an eligible candidate for law school, should I choose to go.
2020 was not the hardest year of my life, this October my world got turned upside down. It??s hard for me to properly justify myself without potential detrimental effects to my mental health. I recognize the difficult position that puts us in. I thought that I could make it through this semester, academically, but I barely made it out alive. The classes I previously dropped along with HIST246, are ones I plan to take again in the future. The series of decisions leading to this drop were battles, ones not made easier by the Queen's system or health services. Which contributes to the late timing of this appeal, but also my personal capabilities. My transcript, something that sadly will define me throughout my life and either limit or open doors for me, should not have to be stained because of situations and circumstances out of my control, including my own health.
I am a victim of my own struggles, all I hope is that whoever determines my future will see that all of this is because I care. And caring is not easy, caring about school, when life is so much more, is even harder. I love studying at Queens because it makes me feel fulfilled, or it did, when my life permitted it to do so. The reality is I??m not in the same position I was, and I won??t be for a while. I don??t know when that will be but I have faith that it will. But for the time being, I??m asking to not be penalized for something so out of my control that it forced me to change my entire university and life plan. I??ve gained accommodations, and hopefully with your help, my mind can be settled, and the rest of my journey at Queen??s can be as wonderful as it set out to be.

With thanks and appreciation,
Anaïs E.M. Wickramasinghe