Petition Letter
* A comprehensible .pdf version of my Petition Letter will be included in supporting documents *
To whom it may concern,
I am formally petitioning to complete the fourth year of my Bachelor of Computing Honours Degree at Carleton University.
The motivation behind this petition stems from the deterioration of my mental health. In early 2023, my mental health was at its absolute worst due to several compounding issues regarding personal relationships, living conditions, and external stress. I experienced a wide range of symptoms such as a profound inability to concentrate, considerably disturbed sleep patterns, organizational difficulties, and even intermittent depressive episodes. Living with these difficulties drastically impeded my academic drive, and I struggled immensely with focusing on essential tasks such as note taking, prioritization, assignments, and most crucially, exams. These barriers put my grades at significant risk and took a toll on my mental health as I felt disappointed and frustrated by my inability to focus—something that had never been an issue before. Additionally, I dealt with constant fatigue due to sleep problems, which further impaired my ability to function properly. My motivation declined, and I developed symptoms of anxiety due to the numerous challenges I was facing. Overall, my inability to perform at my best was affecting my dedication to scholarly pursuits and life in general.
In May 2023, I returned to my hometown of Ottawa to embark on my QUIP Internship. Despite entering the internship in such a fragile psychological condition, I was fortunate to find support through family. Their understanding, empathy, and unwavering encouragement allowed me to persevere and continue to strive toward a successful internship. By early 2024, I noticed that my support system had recognizably improved my mental health. While not returning entirely to the status quo, my psychological condition, academic focus, and general motivation had discernibly improved. Unfortunately, this period of progress was only temporary.
In February 2024, I began thinking about my return to Queen’s after completing my internship. The idea of going back to Kingston, reliving my challenging experiences, and returning to my unpleasant psychological state left meterror-struck. Shortly after, my mental health started gradually reverting to its former state. The anxiety of losing my long-standing support system began emerging, erasing the self-progress I had achieved, and ultimately resulting in the regression to my previous psychological state. As I experienced dread and unease due to uncertainty, I felt compelled to pursue an alternative solution.
To preserve my psychological state and academic-driven instinct, I plan on attending Carleton University for the 2024-2025 school year. Attending a university local to my hometown, not only mitigates the fear of reliving my disheartening experiences at Queen’s, but also enables me to maintain my current and long-standing support system in my family. Additionally, I have been advised to see a local medical professional to maintain my mental health. I am particularly familiar with this doctor due to a shared connection, and for personal reasons, would be much more comfortable meeting with them than with someone else. This further supports my reasoning for wanting to stay in my hometown of Ottawa.
In terms of remaining degree requirements, I need an equivalent of 12.0 units in various CISC 400-level courses. To fulfill these requirements, I have come up with a primary list of courses I wish to take at Carleton. These courses include COMP 4701, SYSC 4111, COMP 4501, and COMP 4102. Additionally, I have also created a list of alternative courses in the event where my primary choice of course may be unavailable to enroll in. These alternatives include COMP 4804, COMP 5206 or COMP4107, and COMP 4002. Specific details regarding remaining degree requirements, student status, and course equivalencies can be found in my attached Academic Plan.
After successfully completing the fourth year of my Bachelor of Computing Honours Degree at Carleton University, I plan to attend the Spring 2025 convocation and officially graduate. Whether I am attending Queen's or another post-secondary institution, I intend to perform to the best of my ability, regardless of circumstance. Safely surrounding myself with my support system in Ottawa and receiving education closer to home is all I ask for on this page of my academic journey.
Kind regards,
Alex Susilo
To whom it may concern,
I am formally petitioning to complete the fourth year of my Bachelor of Computing Honours Degree at Carleton University.
The motivation behind this petition stems from the deterioration of my mental health. In early 2023, my mental health was at its absolute worst due to several compounding issues regarding personal relationships, living conditions, and external stress. I experienced a wide range of symptoms such as a profound inability to concentrate, considerably disturbed sleep patterns, organizational difficulties, and even intermittent depressive episodes. Living with these difficulties drastically impeded my academic drive, and I struggled immensely with focusing on essential tasks such as note taking, prioritization, assignments, and most crucially, exams. These barriers put my grades at significant risk and took a toll on my mental health as I felt disappointed and frustrated by my inability to focus—something that had never been an issue before. Additionally, I dealt with constant fatigue due to sleep problems, which further impaired my ability to function properly. My motivation declined, and I developed symptoms of anxiety due to the numerous challenges I was facing. Overall, my inability to perform at my best was affecting my dedication to scholarly pursuits and life in general.
In May 2023, I returned to my hometown of Ottawa to embark on my QUIP Internship. Despite entering the internship in such a fragile psychological condition, I was fortunate to find support through family. Their understanding, empathy, and unwavering encouragement allowed me to persevere and continue to strive toward a successful internship. By early 2024, I noticed that my support system had recognizably improved my mental health. While not returning entirely to the status quo, my psychological condition, academic focus, and general motivation had discernibly improved. Unfortunately, this period of progress was only temporary.
In February 2024, I began thinking about my return to Queen’s after completing my internship. The idea of going back to Kingston, reliving my challenging experiences, and returning to my unpleasant psychological state left meterror-struck. Shortly after, my mental health started gradually reverting to its former state. The anxiety of losing my long-standing support system began emerging, erasing the self-progress I had achieved, and ultimately resulting in the regression to my previous psychological state. As I experienced dread and unease due to uncertainty, I felt compelled to pursue an alternative solution.
To preserve my psychological state and academic-driven instinct, I plan on attending Carleton University for the 2024-2025 school year. Attending a university local to my hometown, not only mitigates the fear of reliving my disheartening experiences at Queen’s, but also enables me to maintain my current and long-standing support system in my family. Additionally, I have been advised to see a local medical professional to maintain my mental health. I am particularly familiar with this doctor due to a shared connection, and for personal reasons, would be much more comfortable meeting with them than with someone else. This further supports my reasoning for wanting to stay in my hometown of Ottawa.
In terms of remaining degree requirements, I need an equivalent of 12.0 units in various CISC 400-level courses. To fulfill these requirements, I have come up with a primary list of courses I wish to take at Carleton. These courses include COMP 4701, SYSC 4111, COMP 4501, and COMP 4102. Additionally, I have also created a list of alternative courses in the event where my primary choice of course may be unavailable to enroll in. These alternatives include COMP 4804, COMP 5206 or COMP4107, and COMP 4002. Specific details regarding remaining degree requirements, student status, and course equivalencies can be found in my attached Academic Plan.
After successfully completing the fourth year of my Bachelor of Computing Honours Degree at Carleton University, I plan to attend the Spring 2025 convocation and officially graduate. Whether I am attending Queen's or another post-secondary institution, I intend to perform to the best of my ability, regardless of circumstance. Safely surrounding myself with my support system in Ottawa and receiving education closer to home is all I ask for on this page of my academic journey.
Kind regards,
Alex Susilo