Petition Letter
This letter is being written so that I may request to appeal the 21-day appeal deadline so that I may go forth in the process of appealing my grades from 2014-2015. I achieved exceptional grades through high school. This did not come without a lot of hard work on my part. I was diagnosed with anxiety in grade 11 and I spent the latter two years of high school struggling with feelings of undiagnosed depression. Thankfully, my mental health issues did not particularly have an impact on my high school academic performance. Transitioning to university life, while exciting on the one hand, proved to be challenging for me in several unexpected ways. My symptoms of anxiety and depression exacerbated in October and it has had a profound impact on not only my academic achievement, but also on my social adjustment. I have been able to obtain excellent counselling and support services through both my family doctor and a counsellor whom I see regularly in Kingston. At the beginning of February (2015) I was prescribed an anti-depressant, which has taken until recently to find the correct dosage. I feel that this in conjunction with weekly talk therapy has had a significantly positive impact on my overall mood and ability to focus. Unfortunately these challenges took a significant toll on my academic marks. I am confident that in openly dealing with my mental health issues I have already begun to reclaim my ability to succeed and meet my academic expectations of myself. I do not believe that my grades from last year reflect my full potential. I am only able to begin this appeal process now due to the fact that I was continuing with my treatment throughout the summer. As I returned to school in the fall my focus was directed towards succeeding academically throughout first term. As I am now better able to start thinking about opportunities such as exchange in third year and summer employment in an academic area of interest, I am concerned about the impact of my first year grades, as I do not feel that they in any way reflect my true capabilities. Therefore my request to appeal the 21-day appeal rule is vitally important to me so that health issues, that were previously beyond my control do not impact on my ability for successful opportunities in the future.