Petition Letter
I am writing to respectfully petition the requirement to withdraw and request that my academic standing be reconsidered in light of significant extenuating circumstances beyond my control that directly affected my academic performance during my first year in the Bachelor of Science program.
During this academic year, I experienced the loss of two close family members. The first loss occurred right before the school year began, and the second occurred in March. These events had a profound emotional and psychological impact on me and significantly affected my ability to focus, attend classes consistently, complete coursework on time, and prepare adequately for tests and examinations.
The significant decline in my academic performance has been extremely difficult for me to come to terms with, as this level of academic struggle is not representative of my usual abilities. Throughout high school, although I experienced occasional academic lows, my performance has never declined to this extent, and I believe my high school transcript reflects my true academic potential and previous consistency as a student especially in my field of study and other science subjects.
The shift from high school to then living alone and away from family was a large factor in my poor performance. Oftentimes I felt as though I was the least intelligent in the room, and that all the other students knew everything and more while I sat there confused. This belief took a toll on my self esteem which affected how well I did throughout the year.
Following these losses, I experienced an extended period of grief, emotional distress, and difficulty concentrating that lasted for several weeks and continued to affect me throughout the term. During this time, I found it extremely difficult to keep up with lectures, remain consistent with studying, and complete assignments to the best of my ability.
In addition to these family losses, I also became severely ill for several weeks at a time this year during the academic term and couldn’t move from bed, which further worsened my ability to attend to coursework and maintain my academic responsibilities. This illness, combined with the ongoing effects of bereavement, significantly contributed to missed coursework, reduced preparation for assessments, and poor performance in my courses.
In addition to the that, my mother was also seriously unwell while living in England. Being physically far away from her caused me significant emotional distress and ongoing anxiety, as I was genuinely worried about the possibility of losing her as well. This persistent stress and fear made it extremely difficult for me to focus on lectures and maintain consistent study habits.
These circumstances directly affected my performance in courses including my CISC, MATH, ECON and PHARM classes.
At the time, I attempted to manage these circumstances as best as possible while continuing my studies. I relied on family support and am now taking further steps to ensure future academic success.
I understand the recovery required is very significant but I can guarantee that I can make a comeback academically and have already started to plan this recovery, not delaying any time and already enrolling in summer classes to aid me in brining up my GPA.
I request that any sort of alternative solution be offered in order to avoid leaving Queen’s for 12 months. I request that I be allowed to stay— even on academic probation, or if I must retake courses next year I am willing to do that as well.
I fully acknowledge my academic standing; however, I respectfully request that these extenuating circumstances be considered and that the requirement to withdraw be waived, with consideration for academic probation or another alternative that would allow me to continue my studies without interruption.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
During this academic year, I experienced the loss of two close family members. The first loss occurred right before the school year began, and the second occurred in March. These events had a profound emotional and psychological impact on me and significantly affected my ability to focus, attend classes consistently, complete coursework on time, and prepare adequately for tests and examinations.
The significant decline in my academic performance has been extremely difficult for me to come to terms with, as this level of academic struggle is not representative of my usual abilities. Throughout high school, although I experienced occasional academic lows, my performance has never declined to this extent, and I believe my high school transcript reflects my true academic potential and previous consistency as a student especially in my field of study and other science subjects.
The shift from high school to then living alone and away from family was a large factor in my poor performance. Oftentimes I felt as though I was the least intelligent in the room, and that all the other students knew everything and more while I sat there confused. This belief took a toll on my self esteem which affected how well I did throughout the year.
Following these losses, I experienced an extended period of grief, emotional distress, and difficulty concentrating that lasted for several weeks and continued to affect me throughout the term. During this time, I found it extremely difficult to keep up with lectures, remain consistent with studying, and complete assignments to the best of my ability.
In addition to these family losses, I also became severely ill for several weeks at a time this year during the academic term and couldn’t move from bed, which further worsened my ability to attend to coursework and maintain my academic responsibilities. This illness, combined with the ongoing effects of bereavement, significantly contributed to missed coursework, reduced preparation for assessments, and poor performance in my courses.
In addition to the that, my mother was also seriously unwell while living in England. Being physically far away from her caused me significant emotional distress and ongoing anxiety, as I was genuinely worried about the possibility of losing her as well. This persistent stress and fear made it extremely difficult for me to focus on lectures and maintain consistent study habits.
These circumstances directly affected my performance in courses including my CISC, MATH, ECON and PHARM classes.
At the time, I attempted to manage these circumstances as best as possible while continuing my studies. I relied on family support and am now taking further steps to ensure future academic success.
I understand the recovery required is very significant but I can guarantee that I can make a comeback academically and have already started to plan this recovery, not delaying any time and already enrolling in summer classes to aid me in brining up my GPA.
I request that any sort of alternative solution be offered in order to avoid leaving Queen’s for 12 months. I request that I be allowed to stay— even on academic probation, or if I must retake courses next year I am willing to do that as well.
I fully acknowledge my academic standing; however, I respectfully request that these extenuating circumstances be considered and that the requirement to withdraw be waived, with consideration for academic probation or another alternative that would allow me to continue my studies without interruption.
Thank you for your time and consideration.