Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to appeal the request for my withdrawal from the Faculty of Arts and Science as my academic performance does not accurately reflect my true capabilities. I sincerely hope that after reading this letter, you will realize just how important my education is to me. Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider my appeal.

My time at Queens has been more difficult than I had anticipated due to my mental health and financial responsibilities, which unfortunately led to me neglecting my schoolwork. There is nothing I can say to excuse my poor academic performance; however, I am willing to work on it and improve, as this has been a big wake-up call for me to start to prioritize my academics. This school year, I began speaking with a counsellor to help me deal with my mental health as I began to withdraw from others, lacked motivation, and could not focus while dealing with my anxiety and depression. I would meet with Mrs. Victoria Davies every two weeks, and during our sessions, we would discuss ways for me to tackle my difficulties. Mrs. Davies also recommended financial aid options to me as she was aware that I was working 40 plus hours a week from 10 AM to 6 AM or later; there have also been days that I have had to work open to close (10 AM to midnight) back to back to try and keep up with my financial burdens. Even when I found small windows of time to do my schoolwork, I was constantly worrying about my bills and mentally going over my finances, again and again, making it impossible for me to focus, resulting in me missing classes and assignments. Once I realized how far behind I had gotten, it would further decrease my motivation. I thought I could handle the workload and still make time for my academics, but unfortunately, it did not work out. I understand that I should have communicated with my professors; however, I was embarrassed about my circumstances.