Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 9744
Submitted: November 25, 2022 at 7:28:59 PM
First Name: Katie
Last Name: Wong
Student Number: 20346707
Degree Program: BSCH
Plan: PSYC
Level of Study: 1
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SPAN 111
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Letter of Appeal
November 25, 2022
To the Associate Dean,
I am writing to appeal the deadline to drop a fall-term course in regards to SPAN-111. It has been my long-term plan to major in psychology bachelor of science (honours), which requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0. However, the effects of my long-term mental health disorders impact me in ways that are not favourable to the course-structure of SPAN-111. This has resulted in my Spanish grade being anomalously low in comparison to my other classes, which is 53.3% at the time of writing this letter. I fear that my mental health, which is something over which I unfortunately have no control, may result in me either failing SPAN-111, or having a cumulative GPA that is too low to qualify for my desired program.
First and foremost, I am currently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BDP), severe generalised anxiety, and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Although I have struggled with mental health my whole life I had become more stable in the months between December 2021 and October 2022. However, I have since experienced a resurgence in my BPD episodes which consist of severe, spontaneous, and uncontrollable mood changes. These can range from extreme depression and anxiety, to feelings of unprompted euphoria, or deep and irrational anger. With this, I have also felt an increase in my overall anxiety and frequency of panic attacks that now occur 2-3 times a week, compared to a frequency of about twice a month in my 12th grade year. Lastly, my sleep has been impaired as well in that I receive four hours of sleep most nights, and often stay awake for 1-2 days on end. All these effects are greatly debilitating, and impede by ability to conduct even the most basic human functions (e.eg., eating, brushing my teeth, showering, getting up, talking, etc).
I have been in contact with my psychiatrist since the resurfacing of my mental issues, for which he has increased my dosage of antidepressants, and has thus far prescribed me two new medications. Unfortunately, both of these new prescriptions cause initial side-effects of drowsiness and headaches, and left me physically unable to remain awake for more than a couple hours. This persisted over the first four days of me starting the medications.
Connectedly, my suffering mental state has been most reflected in my Spanish grade, as the particular structure of the course happens to be inhospitable to my circumstances. For this class, attendance is mandatory as you lose 1% of your final grade for each missed class. Moreover, only incomplete versions of in-class content are later posted on OnQ, so it is difficult to catch up after absences. With that being said, my issues with mental health and the side-effects of my medications impede my ability to regularly attend class, which I have twice a week. Additionally, the course was initially described on solus as being catered to those with little-to-no knowledge of Spanish, and I had no prior knowledge/experience in Spanish whatsoever. Despite this, most of the students seem to be more at least somewhat comfortable with the language, and because of this the instructor teaches at a pace that is much too fast for that of a complete beginner. This makes it hard to keep up with assignments and tests, because I feel as though even if my mental health were at 100% capacity, I would still be struggling in my understanding of the course.
In totality my BPD, anxiety, and ADHD are conditions that I was born with, and cannot reverse. They heavily impact my will to live, sleeping habits, eating habits, and all in all make it extremely difficult for me to conduct myself in a normal or healthy manner. Along with this, the expectations and pacing of SPAN-111 are unaccommodating to my current mental conditions, resulting in my grade suffering. My grade in the course, which is not a true reflection of my educational capabilities, has impacted my cumulative GPA to where the eligibility for my desired program is put at risk. On account of my unmanageable predicament, I am earnestly requesting for the course to be dropped from my timetable.
I sincerely thank you for your time and consideration in reading this letter, and please contact me at 21kjw13@queensu.ca if you have any questions/inquiries.
Regards, Katie Wong
November 25, 2022
To the Associate Dean,
I am writing to appeal the deadline to drop a fall-term course in regards to SPAN-111. It has been my long-term plan to major in psychology bachelor of science (honours), which requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0. However, the effects of my long-term mental health disorders impact me in ways that are not favourable to the course-structure of SPAN-111. This has resulted in my Spanish grade being anomalously low in comparison to my other classes, which is 53.3% at the time of writing this letter. I fear that my mental health, which is something over which I unfortunately have no control, may result in me either failing SPAN-111, or having a cumulative GPA that is too low to qualify for my desired program.
First and foremost, I am currently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BDP), severe generalised anxiety, and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Although I have struggled with mental health my whole life I had become more stable in the months between December 2021 and October 2022. However, I have since experienced a resurgence in my BPD episodes which consist of severe, spontaneous, and uncontrollable mood changes. These can range from extreme depression and anxiety, to feelings of unprompted euphoria, or deep and irrational anger. With this, I have also felt an increase in my overall anxiety and frequency of panic attacks that now occur 2-3 times a week, compared to a frequency of about twice a month in my 12th grade year. Lastly, my sleep has been impaired as well in that I receive four hours of sleep most nights, and often stay awake for 1-2 days on end. All these effects are greatly debilitating, and impede by ability to conduct even the most basic human functions (e.eg., eating, brushing my teeth, showering, getting up, talking, etc).
I have been in contact with my psychiatrist since the resurfacing of my mental issues, for which he has increased my dosage of antidepressants, and has thus far prescribed me two new medications. Unfortunately, both of these new prescriptions cause initial side-effects of drowsiness and headaches, and left me physically unable to remain awake for more than a couple hours. This persisted over the first four days of me starting the medications.
Connectedly, my suffering mental state has been most reflected in my Spanish grade, as the particular structure of the course happens to be inhospitable to my circumstances. For this class, attendance is mandatory as you lose 1% of your final grade for each missed class. Moreover, only incomplete versions of in-class content are later posted on OnQ, so it is difficult to catch up after absences. With that being said, my issues with mental health and the side-effects of my medications impede my ability to regularly attend class, which I have twice a week. Additionally, the course was initially described on solus as being catered to those with little-to-no knowledge of Spanish, and I had no prior knowledge/experience in Spanish whatsoever. Despite this, most of the students seem to be more at least somewhat comfortable with the language, and because of this the instructor teaches at a pace that is much too fast for that of a complete beginner. This makes it hard to keep up with assignments and tests, because I feel as though even if my mental health were at 100% capacity, I would still be struggling in my understanding of the course.
In totality my BPD, anxiety, and ADHD are conditions that I was born with, and cannot reverse. They heavily impact my will to live, sleeping habits, eating habits, and all in all make it extremely difficult for me to conduct myself in a normal or healthy manner. Along with this, the expectations and pacing of SPAN-111 are unaccommodating to my current mental conditions, resulting in my grade suffering. My grade in the course, which is not a true reflection of my educational capabilities, has impacted my cumulative GPA to where the eligibility for my desired program is put at risk. On account of my unmanageable predicament, I am earnestly requesting for the course to be dropped from my timetable.
I sincerely thank you for your time and consideration in reading this letter, and please contact me at 21kjw13@queensu.ca if you have any questions/inquiries.
Regards, Katie Wong
Documentation
Professional Letter: katherine wong-0.pdf