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Petition Type: New
ID: 9293
Submitted: June 13, 2022 at 9:12:40 PM
First Name: Sarah
Last Name: Cook
Student Number: 20028935
Degree Program: BA
Plan: General in SOCY
Level of Study: 2

Petition Categories

Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline, Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Code: GNDS 215
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 305
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 389
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 384
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 284
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 284
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 388
Term: Fall
Year: 2018
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 388
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 388
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 306
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 306
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: PSYC 251
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Petition Letter

Petition Letter: Sarah Cook
20028935
June 13, 2022

To: The Office of the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences (Academic),

My name is Sarah Cook and I??m writing this letter to request academic consideration in appealing to waive the requirement to withdraw for one year, as well as appealing for late drop status for several courses, including SOCY226, SOCY227, SOCY284, SOCY305, SOCY306, SOCY384, SOCY388, SOCY389, GNDS215, PSYC236, PSYC251, spanning from fall 2017 to present.

My academic performance was significantly impacted by severe personal circumstances which debilitated my academic capability. I have since developed skills to manage the psychological barriers that have heretofore impeded my success, such that I am confident I will be able to achieve my academic goals in the upcoming term if the requirement to withdraw is waived.


Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances:

During my academic career, I have encountered challenges due to a mental health condition that have impeded my success. Difficulties related to emotional dysregulation have been a lifelong struggle, and upon entering high-level academia, I was not well equipped to handle the rigors ahead, leading to a detrimental stalling on my path of success.

I endured severe psychological distress throughout childhood, though always remained high achieving in my academics. However, I struggled to rise to the demands of post-secondary education upon my entry. I lacked awareness of the mental illness I was struggling with and had no sustainable coping strategies to manage it. My unsuccessful attempts at coping only further worsened my condition. As such, I struggled managing day-to-day, let alone meeting the rigorous demands of academia.

The nature of my condition affected me such that small triggers sent me into spirals of dysregulation, resulting in extreme fluctuation in my performance. The unpredictability of my condition is why I didn??t drop the courses before the drop deadline; I believed I could come back from the spells of dysregulation well enough to pass the classes I had enrolled in. In some cases, I was able to. In most, I was not. Consequently, within a single semester some courses were affected more than others (see W/F 2018).

These difficulties prompted me to reach out for support, however, the counselling I received was not the right fit to assist with alleviating the symptoms that continued to impede my success. So, I was assessed in a psychological evaluation during the summer of 2019 in which I received a psychiatric diagnosis. From there, I began more effective targeted treatment. This required I learn and practice the skills necessary for managing my symptoms. I have since used these skills to make significant changes in various areas of my life, including working towards achieving my personal, social, occupational, and academic goals. However, during this time of support seeking while I struggled to connect with the appropriate resources and acquire necessary skills, I remained enrolled in courses. Consequently, my cumulative GPA suffered dramatically.


Future Plan:

Although these circumstances previously hindered my success, I am now able to manage my condition such that it will no longer significantly affect my academic performance. I am determined to continue building on my recent progress, and as such, have set up a support system to assist in achieving my academic goals. These goals and intentions have been laid out in greater detail within the academic plan I??ve provided, however, I will briefly outline the main components here.

For the management and treatment of my condition, I will utilize therapeutic support to continue to cultivate and practice the skills necessary to manage my dysregulation, in service of achieving my academic goals. I will continue weekly individual therapeutic work on an ongoing basis with Jamey Adirim. Additionally, I have recently started a twice-weekly group therapy program, which I intend to continue into the upcoming academic year. There, I address deeper issues causing these barriers, as well as practice skill maintenance and set goals with an occupational therapist. In this work, the team and I have made my academics a top priority.

Further, I will draw on academic supports, such as Academic Advising and Student Academic Success Services (SASS) to ensure my work habits remain stable. With my academic advisor, Deborah Leach, I developed a practical academic plan to meet my academic goals. This involves continuing studies with a lightened workload, dropping courses significantly impacted by severe personal challenges, as well as drawing on additional academic resources as necessary. Thus, with referral by my academic advisor, I have contacted SASS to meet with advisor Gale Eaton-Smith to discuss academic supports and success strategies for the upcoming term. I intend to regularly check-in with both academic advising and SASS to ensure that the personal challenges that have heretofore impeded my success do not hamper the current momentum I have cultivated towards attaining my academic goals.

Please see my Academic Plan for further information regarding my Future Plan.

Summary:

My mental health condition is now being managed in such a way that I can successfully return to studies in the fall and complete my academic goals as outlined in my academic plan. I am receiving ongoing support from my mental health treatment team in both 1:1 and group settings, which will continue into the upcoming academic year. I have connected with SASS to secure academic supports, as well as academic advising to further solidify my academic plan. These proactive measures I??ve enlisted to effectively assist in managing my condition have already begun to yield change.

After thoroughly examining my current circumstances with my academic advisor, as well as my long-term therapist, we collectively reason that at this time, continuing my studies at Queen??s is the best course of action to facilitate progress towards my long-term educational goals. I am improving steadily and have adequate support in place now and into the upcoming year in order to facilitate my academic success moving ahead. It is for this reason I have decided to appeal the Faculty??s decision that I must withdraw from studies for one year.

The personal challenges I have faced have severely impacted my academic performance such that the previous failures earned are not reflective of my capability, but rather, reflect the psychological barriers I have previously struggled to manage. It is on this basis I am appealing to late drop those courses impacted by these circumstances, as per the recommendation of my academic advisor.

It has taken considerable time to find the appropriate supports to help manage my condition, as well as put in the work necessary to develop skills to handle the rigours of academia with this condition. However, since honing these skills I have made significant progress, as my therapist attests to in his written support. This newly cultivated momentum excites a confidence and courage within me that I am driven to apply to my studies. I am eager to continue putting in the work necessary to achieve my goals. I believe my skillfulness, and the newfound confidence and maturity that comes with it, will allow me to continue my studies successfully if given the chance to return to studies this fall term.

Your consideration of my request is deeply appreciated. I look forward to hearing your decision.
Sincerely,
Sarah Cook

Academic Plan

Academic Plan: Sarah Cook
20028935
June 13, 2022

Due to receiving a Requirement to Withdraw for 1 Year, I met with my academic advisor Deborah Leach, to discuss my academic plan and the steps necessary to achieve my academic goals. After reviewing various pathways available, my academic advisor, therapist, and I have concluded that the successful pursuit of my academic goals will be facilitated by appealing to late drop courses impacted by personal circumstances, as well as appealing to waive the requirement to withdraw. It is given these circumstances that I write this academic plan; it is to cultivate preparedness and demonstrate capability of success in the upcoming fall term, such that I ensure a successful return to studies, and the requirement to withdraw will be waived.

Here, I will outline the strategy for success I have mapped, reviewed by my academic advisor. This includes the specific intentions I have regarding my workload in the upcoming year. Further, I will speak about the resources I have utilized to cultivate my improved position for continuing studies in the upcoming fall term, as well as the resources I have enlisted for ongoing support.


Academic Intentions:

My intention is to return to studies this fall and enroll in SOCY226 and PSYC251, followed by SOCY227 and SOCY306 in the winter term. (If my request to late drop is granted, I will enroll in SOCY226/227, and see what other course offerings are available). I have selected these courses because some are core requirements for my degree plan, and all are previously attempted. A priority of mine is to work to remove the failed courses I have earned on my transcript. This is principally because they were impacted by personal circumstances and thus not reflective of my academic capability, but also practically to assist in meeting the cumulative GPA requirements at the end of my probationary period. I have already begun remedying these failures, as evidenced by my successful completion of PSYC236 this past term.

Speaking further to the appeal, I am in the process of appealing to late drop the courses severely impacted by personal circumstances, of which a mental health professional attests to in the documentation provided. The courses implicated by these circumstances are: SOCY226, SOCY227, SOCY284, SOCY305, SOCY306, SOCY384, SOCY388, SOCY389, GNDS215, PSYC 236, PSYC251, spanning fall 2017 to present.

You will notice in 2018 I was successful in some but not all courses. Due to my personal circumstances, discussed in greater depth within my appeal letter, the workload was beyond my capability and thus impacted my output for GNDS215, SOCY388, SOCY226, SOCY227, specifically.

Regarding the intended workload moving forward, I will be taking a reduced course load as I continue my studies, as per the recommendation of my academic advisor. I will be taking 6.0 units per semester to ensure a smooth process of adjustment as I integrate new supports coming into place in the fall and allow for space to re-calibrate these supports if necessary. A lightened load will also allow me to continue my mental health management and treatment plan, which is vital to my long-term success.


Strategies for Success:

To maintain and build on the steady progress I have achieved, I have set up a support system to facilitate my academic success. My barriers are psychological in nature, not due to deficits in academic ability or interest. However, the symptomology of my psychological condition has previously impacted my work habits. As such, I have developed a multi-pronged approach to achieving success in the upcoming term.

Firstly, since the core of my academic struggles is rooted in psychological impediments, a necessary part of my academic plan is utilizing a therapeutic support system. This involves continuing to meet weekly for one-on-one therapy sessions with Jamey Adirim. In addition, I am attending twice-weekly group therapy for the duration of the summer and continuing into the fall term. This is an ideal timeline, as it will allow me to practice and adjust to the program over summer so I can effectively integrate the support as I return to classes in the fall. Notably, this program involves weekly meetings regarding skill use for emotion management, as well as weekly goal setting groups. I have discussed the importance of my academic goals and my current academic standing with the mental health team, and we have made my academic success of top priority. As such, I will continue to work on my emotion regulation skills, which are directly linked to managing my condition and consequently, vital to academic success. Further, I will utilize the goals group to set, adjust, and achieve goals explicitly related to my academic performance, with the assistance of an occupational therapist.

Secondly, to further ensure these psychological barriers do not impact my studies moving ahead, I have been in contact with Student Academic Success Services to meet with advisor Gale Eton-Smith, as per the referral of my academic advisor. Since my work habits have previously faltered during psychological strain, it is important to discuss any additional support recommendations to be proactively enlisted before the fall term. Also, I intend on staying connected to my academic advisor to further refine and adjust my academic plan as I progress through my goals. Looking ahead, I plan to schedule regular meetings for the upcoming academic term to assess my progress, evaluate the effectiveness of the current plan, and adjust as required.

Summary:

This academic plan will assist me in successfully progressing towards achievement in my academic goals, and ensure I overcome the challenges that have impeded my progress thus far.

I have met with my academic advisor to develop a vision of my academic goals and the milestones to work towards along the way. Together, we developed a practical academic plan which involves continuing studies with a lightened workload, dropping courses significantly impacted by severe personal challenges, as well as drawing on additional resources as necessary. Thus, I have also contacted Student Academic Success Services to discuss potential academic supports for the upcoming term. I intend to regularly check-in with both academic advising and SASS to ensure personal challenges that have heretofore impeded my success do not stop the current momentum I have cultivated towards attaining my academic goals.

While it has taken significant time to construct an effective treatment plan and develop the groundwork of self-help skills required to cope with my mental health condition, I can now effectively manage the psychological barriers that have previously hindered my success. As my therapist verifies in his written account, my progress has been exponential since attaining these skills to manage my mental health condition. This summer, in addition to my 1:1 therapy, I have begun intensive group therapy programming which I intend to continue throughout my return to studies this fall. With the assistance of an occupational therapist in my Goals Group, we have made my academic goals of highest priority. I now have the support necessary to move beyond merely managing my condition, towards meeting functional goals. I will continue to utilize the skills I have learned thus far, build upon them, and draw on support when necessary, in order to effectively manage my mental health condition so that I fulfill my academic goals this upcoming year.

I have confidence in my capability to achieve the goals I have summarized within my academic plan by drawing on the supports I have outlined. I am eager to continue putting in the work necessary to achieve my academic goals and I believe my skills, and the newfound confidence and maturity that comes with honing them, will empower me to continue my studies successfully if given the chance to return this fall. With this plan, I have laid a pathway towards achieving my academic goals and overcoming the challenges that have impeded my progress, thus ensuring a successful return to studies.

Documentation

Professional Letter: SC - Letter of Support.pdf
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History

Originally submitted June 13, 2022 at 9:12:40 PM.

FieldReferenceOld ValueNew ValueNoteUserDate/Time
statusN/AReceivedIncompleteKerri Andrews2022-06-14 11:26:39 AM
statusN/AIncompleteIn ReviewKerri Andrews2022-06-14 11:40:23 AM
statusN/AIn ReviewGranted with ConditionsKerri Andrews2022-06-22 11:05:26 AM
associate_deanN/AJenn Stephenson, Ph.D.Kerri Andrews2022-06-22 11:05:26 AM
decision_letterN/AN/ADecision letter sentKerri Andrews2022-06-22 11:11:19 AM