Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean of Arts and Science,
My name is Allison Jacobi-Dorbeck and I am currently a third year student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. I am a Psychology (BscH) major, with a minor degree in Life Sciences. At this current time, I am appealing to request credit (CR) standing in two of the courses from the Winter 2016 semester. The two courses that I request to do so are PSYC203 (Research Methods in Psychology), and PSYC351 (Socioemotional Development) as I have only achieved a grade of a D, which is truly uncharacteristic of myself.
Mental illness has been an uphill battle that I have been fighting since my mid-teen years. During my second year of university, however, symptoms of my condition were at a peak due to outside events that had impacted my life significantly. I had been seeking professional help through Queen's Health and Disability Services throughout the year in order to cope with these unfortunate circumstances, but my emotional state remained stagnant. In turn, a dramatic change in my academic performance occurred within my second semester. This plateaued state of distress ultimately lead to a noticeable drop in my grades, as it was a great struggle to work up the energy to put even an average effort forth. At the end of the semester in April, I was hospitalized under close eyes of medical professionals. It is unfortunate that it took such events to work up the will and motivation to make a change in my life, but since then I can honestly say that I have.
Despite a very tough semester I realized throughout participation in PSYC398 (Selected Topics: Cognitive Neuroscience) that this particular area of Psychology is what I truly enjoy and was able to put my heart into. This is why my grade in this course was not comparable to my others since I was dedicating any energy I had toward keeping up in this class. Since my last episode at the end of the winter 2015 semester, I have had a continuous relationship with a counsellor in my hometown (Collingwood, Ontario) with whom I closely practice Dialectical Behavioural Therapy on my path to recovery. I can honestly say that I have come a long way and can now reflect on my past as a learning experience. I put a dedicated effort to moving one more step in the right direction every day.
After learning much about myself during this time, I see an honest change in not only my behaviours, but also my motivation and outlook on life. This distinct change is reflective in my academic performance thus far into the semester, as well as my active participation in the Queen's community (Psychology peer mentor program, Jack.org Queen's Chapter volunteer, Autism Buddies Partnership Volunteer, and Fundraising volunteer for Neugeneration Conference on Neuroscience). I have also made a change in the direction of my studies, now pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree as a Psychology major and Life Sciences minor. My experience in third year is already a huge leap of improvement from that of my first two years. I still remain in close contact with my counsellor in Collingwood and participate in therapy sessions as required and I plan to maintain contact, as I strive to continuously nourish my mental health. In the meantime as a keen and dedicated student, I plan in the future to pursue a position working in a laboratory within my field of study, while also excelling in my studies and achieving grades that are truly reflective of my efforts and capabilities. I also intend to remain an active member of and contribute to the Queen's community in a positive and proactive manner. I am dedicated to being the best that I can be, and I am only looking ahead from here.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
My name is Allison Jacobi-Dorbeck and I am currently a third year student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. I am a Psychology (BscH) major, with a minor degree in Life Sciences. At this current time, I am appealing to request credit (CR) standing in two of the courses from the Winter 2016 semester. The two courses that I request to do so are PSYC203 (Research Methods in Psychology), and PSYC351 (Socioemotional Development) as I have only achieved a grade of a D, which is truly uncharacteristic of myself.
Mental illness has been an uphill battle that I have been fighting since my mid-teen years. During my second year of university, however, symptoms of my condition were at a peak due to outside events that had impacted my life significantly. I had been seeking professional help through Queen's Health and Disability Services throughout the year in order to cope with these unfortunate circumstances, but my emotional state remained stagnant. In turn, a dramatic change in my academic performance occurred within my second semester. This plateaued state of distress ultimately lead to a noticeable drop in my grades, as it was a great struggle to work up the energy to put even an average effort forth. At the end of the semester in April, I was hospitalized under close eyes of medical professionals. It is unfortunate that it took such events to work up the will and motivation to make a change in my life, but since then I can honestly say that I have.
Despite a very tough semester I realized throughout participation in PSYC398 (Selected Topics: Cognitive Neuroscience) that this particular area of Psychology is what I truly enjoy and was able to put my heart into. This is why my grade in this course was not comparable to my others since I was dedicating any energy I had toward keeping up in this class. Since my last episode at the end of the winter 2015 semester, I have had a continuous relationship with a counsellor in my hometown (Collingwood, Ontario) with whom I closely practice Dialectical Behavioural Therapy on my path to recovery. I can honestly say that I have come a long way and can now reflect on my past as a learning experience. I put a dedicated effort to moving one more step in the right direction every day.
After learning much about myself during this time, I see an honest change in not only my behaviours, but also my motivation and outlook on life. This distinct change is reflective in my academic performance thus far into the semester, as well as my active participation in the Queen's community (Psychology peer mentor program, Jack.org Queen's Chapter volunteer, Autism Buddies Partnership Volunteer, and Fundraising volunteer for Neugeneration Conference on Neuroscience). I have also made a change in the direction of my studies, now pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree as a Psychology major and Life Sciences minor. My experience in third year is already a huge leap of improvement from that of my first two years. I still remain in close contact with my counsellor in Collingwood and participate in therapy sessions as required and I plan to maintain contact, as I strive to continuously nourish my mental health. In the meantime as a keen and dedicated student, I plan in the future to pursue a position working in a laboratory within my field of study, while also excelling in my studies and achieving grades that are truly reflective of my efforts and capabilities. I also intend to remain an active member of and contribute to the Queen's community in a positive and proactive manner. I am dedicated to being the best that I can be, and I am only looking ahead from here.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.