Academic Plan
Academic Plan - June, 2023
Course of Study
Currently I am registered in a Philosophy General Arts program. I have reviewed the remaining requirements for my degree and understand the steps that must be taken. With that being said, I have many interests. I thoroughly enjoy studying philosophy (I won the philosophy award in high school) but it was a decision made under narrow circumstances; my GPA after first year was lower than desired and my choices were limited. Psychology has long been an area of interest and after a great deal of thought and consideration, one that I would like to pursue further. I have reviewed the degree plan and the requirements for this program. I hope to shadow the degree whilst raising my GPA. I will be working to secure an appointment with an academic advisor to discuss this further. I would like to figure out what courses within psychology would be best suited for my interests and create an extensive plan which will help me accomplish my goals. I will continue to update my academic plan with necessary information and advice I receive from an academic advisor.
Full Time vs Part Time
If permitted to continue my studies, I plan to take 6.0 to 9.0 units in the fall term and If highly successful, possibly 9.0 to 12.0 units during the next term. I would not have to work during the school year and therefore could solely focus on my studies. My main goal for the fall term is to take courses which are meaningful to my degree requirements and to raise my GPA.
Strategies for Success
During my time at Queens University I have encountered several challenges and the support system which I have curated works to overcome them. During exams I am confronted with a great deal of anxiety, I tend to be unable to focus as people are leaving the examination room, I worry that they have finished and I have not. Now I have accommodations with QSAS and are allowed to take exams in a more private setting, I am also allotted more time. I often find myself in depressive spirals after I experience extreme anxiety. QSAS has given me accommodations to help address this, I can easily request extensions for my classes to overcome these trying periods. With regular therapy sessions and the proper medication I hope to overcome my mental health issues and separate them from my academic life. Moving forward I must be conscious of when I need to ask for help and do so then. I have resources which will help me greatly but I need to be sure to employ them when necessary.
Academic Demands
Though I did not find the course content difficult, the challenge for me was overcoming external factors (mental health, sickness, etc.) and the effect they had on delivering completed work. Going forward, I believe a peer mentor could be beneficial to keep me on track and as an additional support. As mentioned above I will also be taking a lighter course load and taking advantage of the QSAS accommodations I have put in place.
Academic Interests
I am always conscious to choose classes which I deem interesting as I wholeheartedly believe in studying what you enjoy. Therefore the course content is not usually an issue. For me, when experiencing anxiety but particularly depression, my interests are impacted and overshadowed and the content frankly does not matter to me. My plan to explore medication and continue with regular therapy will help address this.
Academic Skills and Work Habits
Over the past two years, I did find it difficult to deliver on my priorities and assignments. However, time management and organization has never really been an issue in the past. I am acutely aware how much more demanding university is and realize that I can get in my own way. To that end, I think a peer mentor could help as well as exploring proactively on-campus workshops and other resources. Again, my anxiety and depression can have an impact on completing work and I am now more aware of this than ever and am taking active steps towards addressing this.
Personal Circumstances
I experienced personal mental health issues (anxiety and depression) that impacted my ability to perform my academic responsibilities. Both were exacerbated by personal issues (living situation, illness, etc.) this past year. As noted previously, I am taking steps to manage and implement various strategies to proactively address these issues including exploring medication and continuing with regular therapy. Knowing and identifying triggers is half the battle in successfully managing and working through the problems which I’ve uncovered.
Financial Resources
Thankfully, I do not need to work while actively attending university. I am fortunate in this regard and work during the summer to save for expenses that I will incur throughout the school year.
Course of Study
Currently I am registered in a Philosophy General Arts program. I have reviewed the remaining requirements for my degree and understand the steps that must be taken. With that being said, I have many interests. I thoroughly enjoy studying philosophy (I won the philosophy award in high school) but it was a decision made under narrow circumstances; my GPA after first year was lower than desired and my choices were limited. Psychology has long been an area of interest and after a great deal of thought and consideration, one that I would like to pursue further. I have reviewed the degree plan and the requirements for this program. I hope to shadow the degree whilst raising my GPA. I will be working to secure an appointment with an academic advisor to discuss this further. I would like to figure out what courses within psychology would be best suited for my interests and create an extensive plan which will help me accomplish my goals. I will continue to update my academic plan with necessary information and advice I receive from an academic advisor.
Full Time vs Part Time
If permitted to continue my studies, I plan to take 6.0 to 9.0 units in the fall term and If highly successful, possibly 9.0 to 12.0 units during the next term. I would not have to work during the school year and therefore could solely focus on my studies. My main goal for the fall term is to take courses which are meaningful to my degree requirements and to raise my GPA.
Strategies for Success
During my time at Queens University I have encountered several challenges and the support system which I have curated works to overcome them. During exams I am confronted with a great deal of anxiety, I tend to be unable to focus as people are leaving the examination room, I worry that they have finished and I have not. Now I have accommodations with QSAS and are allowed to take exams in a more private setting, I am also allotted more time. I often find myself in depressive spirals after I experience extreme anxiety. QSAS has given me accommodations to help address this, I can easily request extensions for my classes to overcome these trying periods. With regular therapy sessions and the proper medication I hope to overcome my mental health issues and separate them from my academic life. Moving forward I must be conscious of when I need to ask for help and do so then. I have resources which will help me greatly but I need to be sure to employ them when necessary.
Academic Demands
Though I did not find the course content difficult, the challenge for me was overcoming external factors (mental health, sickness, etc.) and the effect they had on delivering completed work. Going forward, I believe a peer mentor could be beneficial to keep me on track and as an additional support. As mentioned above I will also be taking a lighter course load and taking advantage of the QSAS accommodations I have put in place.
Academic Interests
I am always conscious to choose classes which I deem interesting as I wholeheartedly believe in studying what you enjoy. Therefore the course content is not usually an issue. For me, when experiencing anxiety but particularly depression, my interests are impacted and overshadowed and the content frankly does not matter to me. My plan to explore medication and continue with regular therapy will help address this.
Academic Skills and Work Habits
Over the past two years, I did find it difficult to deliver on my priorities and assignments. However, time management and organization has never really been an issue in the past. I am acutely aware how much more demanding university is and realize that I can get in my own way. To that end, I think a peer mentor could help as well as exploring proactively on-campus workshops and other resources. Again, my anxiety and depression can have an impact on completing work and I am now more aware of this than ever and am taking active steps towards addressing this.
Personal Circumstances
I experienced personal mental health issues (anxiety and depression) that impacted my ability to perform my academic responsibilities. Both were exacerbated by personal issues (living situation, illness, etc.) this past year. As noted previously, I am taking steps to manage and implement various strategies to proactively address these issues including exploring medication and continuing with regular therapy. Knowing and identifying triggers is half the battle in successfully managing and working through the problems which I’ve uncovered.
Financial Resources
Thankfully, I do not need to work while actively attending university. I am fortunate in this regard and work during the summer to save for expenses that I will incur throughout the school year.