Petition Letter
Hello,
My name is Ava Winchester (20405850), I am currently a second year in the sociology program. I am writing this academic petition to request that the course ANAT100 or HLTH101 from the fall of 2023 be removed from my transcript. I believe my academic performance last year, especially in this course, was not reflective of my full potential for a number of reasons. Firstly, prior to this course, I had never taken an online class, and I struggled with the responsibilities of keeping up with the course and navigating the materials by myself. Being a first-year year student, I knew coming to university would be a huge adjustment, but I was unaware of just how significant this change would be for me. For one, I’m from New Hampshire, so moving far from my family after living in the same small town all my life with no easy transportation home was difficult enough. But in addition to that, I was diagnosed with ADHD in grade 11, and I did significantly better in school after being medicated. However, being from the US, I receive my medication from my primary care physician, who can only give me doses that last one month. Because of this, there would be days and sometimes weeks where I would run out and couldn’t be medicated. So I would struggle with getting and staying motivated in school, which is an issue for online classes where you are responsible for keeping up with the course.
Furthermore, my dad passed very suddenly when I was 15, leaving behind my two younger brothers as well. Even though it has been a couple years, grief is not linear, and I would have moments of extreme sadness. Though I do have friends, I was unable to really lean on my family, who fully understood my situation. I would feel alone in these moments, which would distract me from schoolwork and make it difficult for me to be motivated. Additionally, my dad passed away in April, and his birthday is in mid-December, both of which fall during the exam periods. Because of this, I had to deal with the feelings surrounding these days by myself, so I struggled to keep focused. It was a combination of these things, along with the mental toll and difference of academic rigor in university, that I performed poorly during my first year at Queen’s.
To ensure this won’t happen again, I have been practicing being productive without my ADHD medication and mechanisms I can use to help with concentration and focus. I also have learned to better navigate online classes, and I am better at reaching out to TAs and professors for help. I also have found small ways in which I can honor my dad on those days that don’t take too much away from my school work. I give myself space to feel the emotions surrounding my grief, but am much better at controlling them since first coming to Kingston. Furthermore, I was unaware that academic accommodations grant extensions for assignments, not just more time on exams, and I never needed them in high school, so I didn’t apply for them coming into Queen’s. However, I will be applying for them for the winter semester, and I believe they will be extremely helpful for me and help improve my academic performance.
I have attached a note from my doctor, which might help to shed some light on my situation. I realize it is from April 2023, which might be too old, but I am trying to get a more updated one. Until then, this is what I have. I understand if you cannot remove both from my transcript, but I would greatly appreciate your consideration to remove at least one as they are not reflective of my true potential as a student. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, or just need more information! Thank you for your consideration.
With thanks,
Ava Winchester (20405850)
My name is Ava Winchester (20405850), I am currently a second year in the sociology program. I am writing this academic petition to request that the course ANAT100 or HLTH101 from the fall of 2023 be removed from my transcript. I believe my academic performance last year, especially in this course, was not reflective of my full potential for a number of reasons. Firstly, prior to this course, I had never taken an online class, and I struggled with the responsibilities of keeping up with the course and navigating the materials by myself. Being a first-year year student, I knew coming to university would be a huge adjustment, but I was unaware of just how significant this change would be for me. For one, I’m from New Hampshire, so moving far from my family after living in the same small town all my life with no easy transportation home was difficult enough. But in addition to that, I was diagnosed with ADHD in grade 11, and I did significantly better in school after being medicated. However, being from the US, I receive my medication from my primary care physician, who can only give me doses that last one month. Because of this, there would be days and sometimes weeks where I would run out and couldn’t be medicated. So I would struggle with getting and staying motivated in school, which is an issue for online classes where you are responsible for keeping up with the course.
Furthermore, my dad passed very suddenly when I was 15, leaving behind my two younger brothers as well. Even though it has been a couple years, grief is not linear, and I would have moments of extreme sadness. Though I do have friends, I was unable to really lean on my family, who fully understood my situation. I would feel alone in these moments, which would distract me from schoolwork and make it difficult for me to be motivated. Additionally, my dad passed away in April, and his birthday is in mid-December, both of which fall during the exam periods. Because of this, I had to deal with the feelings surrounding these days by myself, so I struggled to keep focused. It was a combination of these things, along with the mental toll and difference of academic rigor in university, that I performed poorly during my first year at Queen’s.
To ensure this won’t happen again, I have been practicing being productive without my ADHD medication and mechanisms I can use to help with concentration and focus. I also have learned to better navigate online classes, and I am better at reaching out to TAs and professors for help. I also have found small ways in which I can honor my dad on those days that don’t take too much away from my school work. I give myself space to feel the emotions surrounding my grief, but am much better at controlling them since first coming to Kingston. Furthermore, I was unaware that academic accommodations grant extensions for assignments, not just more time on exams, and I never needed them in high school, so I didn’t apply for them coming into Queen’s. However, I will be applying for them for the winter semester, and I believe they will be extremely helpful for me and help improve my academic performance.
I have attached a note from my doctor, which might help to shed some light on my situation. I realize it is from April 2023, which might be too old, but I am trying to get a more updated one. Until then, this is what I have. I understand if you cannot remove both from my transcript, but I would greatly appreciate your consideration to remove at least one as they are not reflective of my true potential as a student. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, or just need more information! Thank you for your consideration.
With thanks,
Ava Winchester (20405850)