Petition Letter
Lillian Liddell
January 28th, 2025
Petition Letter: LOP for the University of Victoria
Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Lillian Liddell, I am a second-year philosophy undergraduate student here at Queen’s.
I am writing a petition letter to request a Letter of Permission to take one full semester (15 credits) at the University of Victoria from September to December 2025 for family and mental health reasons.
I love Queen’s and have thoroughly enjoyed my time studying here thus far. Attending this prestigious institution has provided unparalleled education and opportunities for me, as well as allowed me to grow and learn amongst amazing peers and faculty. I am working to go to law school, and thus, I have already written my first LSAT (October 2025) and have worked extremely hard to maintain a high academic standing at Queen’s and put my all into every course and club I have been a part of.
Unfortunately, this year has been extremely difficult on my mental health due to my distance from family and some family medical issues that have recently become more urgent. Because of these unforeseen circumstances, I need to be able to live much closer to them in the near future. My Grandmother, who helped raise me and lives in Victoria, has had Dementia for a few years now, and it has been getting drastically worse lately. She is one of the most important people in my life, and before moving to Ontario, she helped raise me through my childhood, and I visited her frequently throughout my adolescence. Because of this, it is now urgent I live close to her and my other family in Victoria so I may spend as much time with her as I can while she can still remember who I am. These family issues, as well as the distance from my family and loved ones, have made this year extremely taxing on my mental health. While I have been able to maintain a high academic standing as I am a driven, resilient individual, I have realized I cannot continue to live and work this hard while all of this is going on.
I am planning on staying in Victoria close to family for the summer and am looking to get special permission to spend the first semester in Victoria next year. At The University of Victoria, I would take 3 Philosophy courses, two at the 300 level to fulfill my remaining six philosophy (option course) credit requirements, as well as one philosophy at the 200 level and two other upper-year elective Arts courses to fulfill nine elective credits, to best continue my rigorous Philosophy and Arts education. I have written out a complete academic plan, which is included in my petition documents, including the previous syllabuses for all the courses I hope to take. Further, I have emailed and gotten the support of the Philosophy Undergraduate Chair, Kerah Gordon-Solmon and attached a letter of support from my parents and personal therapist. If this petition is accepted, I plan to return to Queen’s for the remainder of my degree and hopefully law school, or else take time off after the first semester of 2025 if it becomes necessary at that time.
My academic progress and continuation of such is extremely important to me. As such, this plan would allow me to thrive close to family and loved ones in need while continuing my academic progress and rigorous education. I sincerely hope Queen’s can accommodate these circumstances so I may continue my progress and work towards my goals while I attend to family matters.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Lillian Liddell
January 28th, 2025
Petition Letter: LOP for the University of Victoria
Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Lillian Liddell, I am a second-year philosophy undergraduate student here at Queen’s.
I am writing a petition letter to request a Letter of Permission to take one full semester (15 credits) at the University of Victoria from September to December 2025 for family and mental health reasons.
I love Queen’s and have thoroughly enjoyed my time studying here thus far. Attending this prestigious institution has provided unparalleled education and opportunities for me, as well as allowed me to grow and learn amongst amazing peers and faculty. I am working to go to law school, and thus, I have already written my first LSAT (October 2025) and have worked extremely hard to maintain a high academic standing at Queen’s and put my all into every course and club I have been a part of.
Unfortunately, this year has been extremely difficult on my mental health due to my distance from family and some family medical issues that have recently become more urgent. Because of these unforeseen circumstances, I need to be able to live much closer to them in the near future. My Grandmother, who helped raise me and lives in Victoria, has had Dementia for a few years now, and it has been getting drastically worse lately. She is one of the most important people in my life, and before moving to Ontario, she helped raise me through my childhood, and I visited her frequently throughout my adolescence. Because of this, it is now urgent I live close to her and my other family in Victoria so I may spend as much time with her as I can while she can still remember who I am. These family issues, as well as the distance from my family and loved ones, have made this year extremely taxing on my mental health. While I have been able to maintain a high academic standing as I am a driven, resilient individual, I have realized I cannot continue to live and work this hard while all of this is going on.
I am planning on staying in Victoria close to family for the summer and am looking to get special permission to spend the first semester in Victoria next year. At The University of Victoria, I would take 3 Philosophy courses, two at the 300 level to fulfill my remaining six philosophy (option course) credit requirements, as well as one philosophy at the 200 level and two other upper-year elective Arts courses to fulfill nine elective credits, to best continue my rigorous Philosophy and Arts education. I have written out a complete academic plan, which is included in my petition documents, including the previous syllabuses for all the courses I hope to take. Further, I have emailed and gotten the support of the Philosophy Undergraduate Chair, Kerah Gordon-Solmon and attached a letter of support from my parents and personal therapist. If this petition is accepted, I plan to return to Queen’s for the remainder of my degree and hopefully law school, or else take time off after the first semester of 2025 if it becomes necessary at that time.
My academic progress and continuation of such is extremely important to me. As such, this plan would allow me to thrive close to family and loved ones in need while continuing my academic progress and rigorous education. I sincerely hope Queen’s can accommodate these circumstances so I may continue my progress and work towards my goals while I attend to family matters.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Lillian Liddell