Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

My name is Rowan Meng and I am appealing for Credit Standing in the courses FREN 331 and ENGL 200 which I took during the Winter 2022 semester. I achieved much lower grades than expected in these courses due to severe burnout during the last 2 months of the semester. Over the past few years, life during the pandemic and quarantine as well as the adjustment to online schooling has taken a toll on my mental health. At first, I was able to push myself to work hard on my academics despite these challenges but eventually in the beginning of March, the buildup of stress led me to a breaking point and I began to experience more adverse symptoms throughout March and April. As a result of burnout, I experienced severe fatigue and insomnia and it became very difficult for me to complete day-to-day tasks. I lost the motivation to keep up with hygiene, housework, and schoolwork - including major final essays assigned during the exam season. While I was still able to produce some work for these assignments, the quality of my work decreased greatly. Faced with these difficulties, I was still resolved to do what I could to salvage at least a few of my courses, even though I did not have the capacity to be successful in all 4. I chose to focus on PROF 310 as I did not want to fall behind in my Con-Ed requirements. I also focused on FREN 342 as it is the more intensive core course of my French major compared to FREN 331, and I wished to avoid retaking the course if possible. Without the necessary motivation, energy, and mental and physical wellness to focus on my entire course load, my grades in FREN 331 and ENGL 200 were much lower than those of my other 2 courses.

To prevent situations like this from occurring in the future, I am using the Summer 2022 semester specifically to rest and recover from burnout. I have elected not to take summer courses this year, and I am taking the time to make lifestyle changes as well as develop mindful habits which will help me better cope with stress. An example of a lifestyle change I am making is adhering to a more rigorous schedule for waking and sleeping, including taking an hour before bed to unwind without technology so that I do not have trouble falling asleep. A change such as this will help me to take better care of my physical needs, which will in turn improve my mental resiliency. I am also seeking therapy to better understand the mechanics of stress and burnout and to learn concrete strategies for decreasing and managing stress, especially surrounding learning and academics. I plan to seek regular assistance at Student Academic Success Services to improve my study habits and to develop a plan for coping with increased workloads during exam season, since such workloads are currently a major stressor for me. For the next academic year, I will continue to take 4 courses instead of 5. In addition, I will register for 1 elective course per semester so that I do not become overwhelmed by a full semester of major and minor-required courses as I have been in past academic years. It is my hope that taking these steps will enable me to be successful in the future.

Thank you for your consideration,
Rowan Meng (they/them)