Petition Letter
Petition for Credit Standing
To Petition Committee,
The purpose of this letter is to formally petition for Credit Standing in the following course completed during the Winter 2024 semester as a result of my ongoing, acute mood and learning disorders for which I have been receiving continuing support since early 2023:
Winter 2024 Semester
STAT 263 Introduction to Statistics
Toward the end of my first semester at Queen’s University in the Fall 2022 semester, I began to experience significant acute mood/learning issues while preparing for my final exams. In hindsight, I realize that my symptoms had been heightening during the semester but impacted me academically beginning with final exams in Fall 2022. I managed to complete the term with a GPA of 2.75, although my grades dropped in all 4 credits as a result of final exams and assignments.
At the end of the Fall exam period, I attended an urgent care clinic for an initial assessment and then followed up with a further assessment by my family physician, Dr. Moodley, during the holiday break. At that time, I was diagnosed with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder – subtype anxiety/attention) and commenced pharmacological treatment (SSRI). Based on a recommendation, I also completed a psycho-educational assessment with Dr. Kim Saliba that started just prior to the beginning of the Winter 2023 semester and was completed in April 2023. The assessment confirmed mood (MDD) and attention (ADD) disorders, which are hereditary. This paperwork was provided to Dr. Moodley for further assessment and as a result, I was prescribed an ADHD medication. I began taking this medication during the Summer 2023 semester. Based on the assessment from Dr. Saliba, I was also connected with SASS and became eligible for accommodations to support my studies.
I believe strongly this period of onset of acute mental health illness had a significant impact on my academic standing from the Winter 2023 semester through the Winter 2024 semester. This is evident in my GPA as it declined from 2.75 in the Fall 2022 Semester to 1.94 following the Summer 2023 semester While I was able to perform better during the Winter 2024 semester overall, my performance was quite uneven as I was adjusting to new medications to support my diagnoses. I had very strong grades leading into all my final exams (75 and above) but all grades dropped following those exams, most significantly in the statistics course for which this request is being made. I also found incorporating academic accommodations into classroom and testing routines more challenging than anticipated and since my original diagnoses, we have also identified that I suffer from particularly high anxiety during larger exams that has continued to consistently impact my final grades.
I have now established a treatment team, including regular contact with Dr. Moodley (pharmacological treatment), Dr. Saliba (therapeutic treatment – started in April 2023), and more recently Dr. Xu (psychiatric treatment that began in November 2024 based on a referral from my family doctor, as well as the Queen’s University QSAS and Native supports made available to me as a student.
As mentioned above, I was also referred to QSAS and have been working with Jenna Kring, Academic Advisor for Indigenous Students and the Learning Strategy group to refine my study strategies. More recently, I have been working with the group to address ongoing exam anxiety issues and begun to split exams over multiple days. While I understand that it is not likely I can fully eliminate the impact my acute anxiety will have on my final grades, I do believe my more recent performance is indicating that I am beginning to be able to manage it at a university level.
I have attached for reference two letters: Queens QSAS (Mr. Allan Jeans) and my specialist medical doctor (Dr. Xu to support my experiences.
I appreciate the opportunity to petition for Credit Standing in support of my difficult circumstances and look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Sincerely,
William Glaspell
20342042
To Petition Committee,
The purpose of this letter is to formally petition for Credit Standing in the following course completed during the Winter 2024 semester as a result of my ongoing, acute mood and learning disorders for which I have been receiving continuing support since early 2023:
Winter 2024 Semester
STAT 263 Introduction to Statistics
Toward the end of my first semester at Queen’s University in the Fall 2022 semester, I began to experience significant acute mood/learning issues while preparing for my final exams. In hindsight, I realize that my symptoms had been heightening during the semester but impacted me academically beginning with final exams in Fall 2022. I managed to complete the term with a GPA of 2.75, although my grades dropped in all 4 credits as a result of final exams and assignments.
At the end of the Fall exam period, I attended an urgent care clinic for an initial assessment and then followed up with a further assessment by my family physician, Dr. Moodley, during the holiday break. At that time, I was diagnosed with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder – subtype anxiety/attention) and commenced pharmacological treatment (SSRI). Based on a recommendation, I also completed a psycho-educational assessment with Dr. Kim Saliba that started just prior to the beginning of the Winter 2023 semester and was completed in April 2023. The assessment confirmed mood (MDD) and attention (ADD) disorders, which are hereditary. This paperwork was provided to Dr. Moodley for further assessment and as a result, I was prescribed an ADHD medication. I began taking this medication during the Summer 2023 semester. Based on the assessment from Dr. Saliba, I was also connected with SASS and became eligible for accommodations to support my studies.
I believe strongly this period of onset of acute mental health illness had a significant impact on my academic standing from the Winter 2023 semester through the Winter 2024 semester. This is evident in my GPA as it declined from 2.75 in the Fall 2022 Semester to 1.94 following the Summer 2023 semester While I was able to perform better during the Winter 2024 semester overall, my performance was quite uneven as I was adjusting to new medications to support my diagnoses. I had very strong grades leading into all my final exams (75 and above) but all grades dropped following those exams, most significantly in the statistics course for which this request is being made. I also found incorporating academic accommodations into classroom and testing routines more challenging than anticipated and since my original diagnoses, we have also identified that I suffer from particularly high anxiety during larger exams that has continued to consistently impact my final grades.
I have now established a treatment team, including regular contact with Dr. Moodley (pharmacological treatment), Dr. Saliba (therapeutic treatment – started in April 2023), and more recently Dr. Xu (psychiatric treatment that began in November 2024 based on a referral from my family doctor, as well as the Queen’s University QSAS and Native supports made available to me as a student.
As mentioned above, I was also referred to QSAS and have been working with Jenna Kring, Academic Advisor for Indigenous Students and the Learning Strategy group to refine my study strategies. More recently, I have been working with the group to address ongoing exam anxiety issues and begun to split exams over multiple days. While I understand that it is not likely I can fully eliminate the impact my acute anxiety will have on my final grades, I do believe my more recent performance is indicating that I am beginning to be able to manage it at a university level.
I have attached for reference two letters: Queens QSAS (Mr. Allan Jeans) and my specialist medical doctor (Dr. Xu to support my experiences.
I appreciate the opportunity to petition for Credit Standing in support of my difficult circumstances and look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Sincerely,
William Glaspell
20342042