Petition Letter
November 28, 2015
Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing to drop DEVS 392 (Fall, 2015). I am in my second year of studies, but my first year at Queen¿¿s main campus. I was at BISC last year and I have found the transition quite difficult and overwhelming. I have a prior history of anxiety, and it has been heightened this year, particularly in relation to this course. I have been academically strong my whole life. I am achieving ¿¿A¿ grades in all of my other four courses.
I have been working extremely hard at this course. I did not receive my first mark in the course until November 12; nearly a week after the deadline to drop fall courses had passed. I was shocked to find out I had failed the paper, my first ever failing grade. I worked extremely hard on this paper, more so than usual. The professor was out of the country a few times, and therefore unavailable for regular office hours and difficult to contact at times. However, I was able to use the Writing Centre and attend my professor¿¿s office hours twice in regards to this paper. During these meetings, I once discussed the paper and some ideas with the professor, and the next time we went over an entire initial draft. At the time, I received editorial comments, but no wholly negative feedback suggesting that my paper was unsatisfactory in any way. As this was my first mark in the course, I was unaware of any problems prior to the course drop date. This mark caught me off guard, and has greatly exacerbated my levels of anxiety and stress. This course has been overwhelming, and while I have been managing to barely cope with academic stress over the term, the revelation that I am failing this particular course has pushed me over the edge. I am worried about its impact on my mental health and my ability to succeed in other courses, as I am finding it all-consuming. I have been working long hours and extremely hard in all of my courses, but I have not found success in this course, regardless of the actions I take. It has undermined my ability to cope with my other academic courses. It is not a mandatory course for my DEVS major. I had only enrolled in DEVS 392 because DEVS 220 (a recommended, but not mandatory course) was full by my enrolment time. I felt obligated to take this course as the department recommended it as a substitute.
I have sought help from Student Wellness services about my anxiety, and I have received supporting documentation. Other professionals have been recommended to me, and I will be following up. I am searching for coping strategies for my anxiety as I move forward with my studies. I will continue going to professors¿¿ office hours and utilising the Writing Centre. Should this problem persist, I may consider reducing my course load in the future.
Sincerely,
Veronica Logelin
Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing to drop DEVS 392 (Fall, 2015). I am in my second year of studies, but my first year at Queen¿¿s main campus. I was at BISC last year and I have found the transition quite difficult and overwhelming. I have a prior history of anxiety, and it has been heightened this year, particularly in relation to this course. I have been academically strong my whole life. I am achieving ¿¿A¿ grades in all of my other four courses.
I have been working extremely hard at this course. I did not receive my first mark in the course until November 12; nearly a week after the deadline to drop fall courses had passed. I was shocked to find out I had failed the paper, my first ever failing grade. I worked extremely hard on this paper, more so than usual. The professor was out of the country a few times, and therefore unavailable for regular office hours and difficult to contact at times. However, I was able to use the Writing Centre and attend my professor¿¿s office hours twice in regards to this paper. During these meetings, I once discussed the paper and some ideas with the professor, and the next time we went over an entire initial draft. At the time, I received editorial comments, but no wholly negative feedback suggesting that my paper was unsatisfactory in any way. As this was my first mark in the course, I was unaware of any problems prior to the course drop date. This mark caught me off guard, and has greatly exacerbated my levels of anxiety and stress. This course has been overwhelming, and while I have been managing to barely cope with academic stress over the term, the revelation that I am failing this particular course has pushed me over the edge. I am worried about its impact on my mental health and my ability to succeed in other courses, as I am finding it all-consuming. I have been working long hours and extremely hard in all of my courses, but I have not found success in this course, regardless of the actions I take. It has undermined my ability to cope with my other academic courses. It is not a mandatory course for my DEVS major. I had only enrolled in DEVS 392 because DEVS 220 (a recommended, but not mandatory course) was full by my enrolment time. I felt obligated to take this course as the department recommended it as a substitute.
I have sought help from Student Wellness services about my anxiety, and I have received supporting documentation. Other professionals have been recommended to me, and I will be following up. I am searching for coping strategies for my anxiety as I move forward with my studies. I will continue going to professors¿¿ office hours and utilising the Writing Centre. Should this problem persist, I may consider reducing my course load in the future.
Sincerely,
Veronica Logelin