Petition Letter
Dear Dr Jenn Stephenson,
I am writing this letter to petition the faculty's decision that I must withdraw from Queen's for one year due to a recent change in circumstances that has improved my academic capabilities. I have struggled through my time at Queen's due to a lack of proper treatment for my disability. Since my diagnosis in 2020, I have spent the past three years trying numerous medications that either had no effect or caused adverse side effects, causing a strain on my academic progress and my mental health. However, I continued working with my family doctor to find the right one. Following another failed medication, I went back home to Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 17-18th of February (the winter reading break) and immediately worked with my doctor to try a new medication which worked and led to a massive productivity increase in the last two months of the semester.
Since starting this medication, I was not only able to complete my assignments and readings and improve my attendance but also actively communicated with my professors when I needed help. These were all areas I had struggled with previously and hurt my GPA. The difference has been night and day and immensely encouraging in pursuing my degree, which I thought would be almost impossible. However, I realised that this medication was not magic. I still needed to reflect on my academic plan and be realistic about my goals. For instance, while my attendance improved, it could be better especially given my rough start to the semester. So in March, I reached out to an academic advisor (over Zoom) to discuss my options as I considered becoming an online student. She told me being an online student in the honours program would be difficult due to seminar courses being in-person, but switching to the general program would allow for that. As I had completed my other requirements, all I had left were electives which I could take online. I had not been aware of this option but it fit my needs perfectly. Unfortunately, due to requesting other reports since then, I do not have the what-if report from that specific date, but I hope the report from the 1st of May is sufficient as it shows the summer courses I was considering at the time and how I was basing them on the general program.
I am writing this letter to petition the faculty's decision that I must withdraw from Queen's for one year due to a recent change in circumstances that has improved my academic capabilities. I have struggled through my time at Queen's due to a lack of proper treatment for my disability. Since my diagnosis in 2020, I have spent the past three years trying numerous medications that either had no effect or caused adverse side effects, causing a strain on my academic progress and my mental health. However, I continued working with my family doctor to find the right one. Following another failed medication, I went back home to Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 17-18th of February (the winter reading break) and immediately worked with my doctor to try a new medication which worked and led to a massive productivity increase in the last two months of the semester.
Since starting this medication, I was not only able to complete my assignments and readings and improve my attendance but also actively communicated with my professors when I needed help. These were all areas I had struggled with previously and hurt my GPA. The difference has been night and day and immensely encouraging in pursuing my degree, which I thought would be almost impossible. However, I realised that this medication was not magic. I still needed to reflect on my academic plan and be realistic about my goals. For instance, while my attendance improved, it could be better especially given my rough start to the semester. So in March, I reached out to an academic advisor (over Zoom) to discuss my options as I considered becoming an online student. She told me being an online student in the honours program would be difficult due to seminar courses being in-person, but switching to the general program would allow for that. As I had completed my other requirements, all I had left were electives which I could take online. I had not been aware of this option but it fit my needs perfectly. Unfortunately, due to requesting other reports since then, I do not have the what-if report from that specific date, but I hope the report from the 1st of May is sufficient as it shows the summer courses I was considering at the time and how I was basing them on the general program.