Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Academic),

Thank you for considering my appeal to drop ARTH 234, ARTH 260, HIST 223, and LLCU 295. Extenuating circumstances related to my mental health prevented me from completing these courses to the best of my ability in the Fall of 2021 and Winter of 2022. After a generally successful first year at Queen??s in the BISC program, I moved out of my parents?? house and across the country to live on my own, a significant change after having taken my first year remotely. Living away from home aggravated my undiagnosed Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), by adding several more daily tasks I had to remember and complete.

In late October I began to have a very difficult time focusing long enough to complete my assignments, and began to turn things in much later than their deadlines. I was struggling with procrastination and time blindness. At the time, I believed it to be a personal failing representing a lack of self control, so I did not drop any courses because I believed that I could pull myself together and do well enough on the finals to pass. I did not want to admit to anyone that I was struggling. After not completing the fall semester to my full capacity, I decided that I could do better in the upcoming year and continued to remain enrolled in all of my winter classes.

At the beginning of the term, I was falling into a deep depression. I continued to go through the motions of attending all my classes, but I had very low energy, and everything I did felt meaningless. This made it even harder to complete any assignments at all. I felt incredibly guilty about my inability to do even basic tasks, and I did not drop any winter courses because once again, I did not want anyone to see that I was struggling. After one of my friends approached me out of concern that I had untreated ADHD, I reached out to my doctor in March, but the stress of following up prevented me from receiving any meaningful treatment at that time. When finals came, I felt overwhelmed by having to do them all, which made me effectively unable to do any of them. When I failed almost all of my classes in the winter term, I finally told my parents and they helped me to receive the treatment that I needed.

This past summer I had a full psychological assessment and was diagnosed with ADHD and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). I have begun to learn about these conditions and how to manage them. I have a therapist that I work with to help me function better and have started taking medication. Coming back this fall, I am taking a reduced course load. My loved ones are aware of my problems and are better able to support me. Furthermore, I am planning on applying for academic accommodations for this upcoming fall semester. The circumstances that led to my failures have not entirely resolved, but with help, I am learning how to better manage and function. I am concerned that having these failed courses on my transcript might adversely affect my future prospects for graduate school, something that I aspire to.

I hope you will consider my appeal.

Thank you for your time,

Emily Constance Moseley