Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am writing to appeal the 21-day requirement to drop courses due to extenuating circumstances occurring during the last two years of my studies.
During the summer of 2013 I was diagnosed with depression. I went to see my doctor and was immediately prescribed a medication to help treat my symptoms. I had a negative reaction with the medication, which caused the depression to deepen and heightened the symptoms. Coming to Queens University from Boston Massachusetts, I did not have easy access to contact my family doctor when things started to get worse. Starting from the Fall Semester in 2013 I was not able to visit my doctor about my concerns again until Christmas break. During which time I experienced rapid weight gain and lost all motivation to attend classes as well as experienced heightened anxiety levels. Starting Winter 2014 my medication was changed and aimed more towards a depression anxiety disorder. For the time between 2014 and 2015 I was shifted between different kinds of medications or taken off and on medication. During these two years of studies I was in a constant state of anxiety, denial, and depression. I kept thinking I could fix past mistakes and during periods, of what I like to think of as lucid thoughts and high hopes, I convinced myself that I could fix it all on my own. But then as semesters would start and my anxiety would build, the depression would get worse and worse until I began to contemplate suicide. Not only the anxiety of school was affecting me though. I had diluted myself into thinking that I could fix everything in time that no one would have to know about the embarrassment I felt about my mental illness and the complete uncharacteristically bad grades I was receiving. I lied to my family and friends for 2 years about what I was going thorough which ended up isolating me from any support I could have received. By the end of my third year attending Queen¿¿s I had completely given up and started participating in extremely destructive behaviour. During the winter semester of 2015 I went under a medical procedure to get an abortion. The point of explaining in detail to you the circumstances I was experiencing is to help you get an understanding of the mental state I was in. The amount of emotional distress I was under made it hard for me to even get out of bed let alone get to class, organize and motivate myself to succeed. I would start so many of my assignments and midway through get so anxious and overwhelmed that I could not finish and never hand anything in. Multiple times I would call into student services to talk to a therapist and either not show up or never make an appointment because of how embarrassed I was about how I felt. While I thought and even started many appeal letters to try and drop my courses during the 21-day period allotted, the anxiety and depression I felt at the time convinced me that there was no point.
My future plan to succeed at Queen¿¿s begins with a reduced class load and completing a distance studies major. I am hoping to start by taking one to two courses in the summer to get me back into the swing of things and to make sure I can keep my anxiety levels in check. From there I hope to start the fall semester still with a reduced class load and starting out as a part-time student. Completing my studies in the distance study program I will be with family and friends able to support me and to help manage any anxiety or depression I may feel. I am currently on a medication as well that has been working for the past year to help manage anxiety and depression levels.
Thank you for your consideration,
Rachel Everett
I am writing to appeal the 21-day requirement to drop courses due to extenuating circumstances occurring during the last two years of my studies.
During the summer of 2013 I was diagnosed with depression. I went to see my doctor and was immediately prescribed a medication to help treat my symptoms. I had a negative reaction with the medication, which caused the depression to deepen and heightened the symptoms. Coming to Queens University from Boston Massachusetts, I did not have easy access to contact my family doctor when things started to get worse. Starting from the Fall Semester in 2013 I was not able to visit my doctor about my concerns again until Christmas break. During which time I experienced rapid weight gain and lost all motivation to attend classes as well as experienced heightened anxiety levels. Starting Winter 2014 my medication was changed and aimed more towards a depression anxiety disorder. For the time between 2014 and 2015 I was shifted between different kinds of medications or taken off and on medication. During these two years of studies I was in a constant state of anxiety, denial, and depression. I kept thinking I could fix past mistakes and during periods, of what I like to think of as lucid thoughts and high hopes, I convinced myself that I could fix it all on my own. But then as semesters would start and my anxiety would build, the depression would get worse and worse until I began to contemplate suicide. Not only the anxiety of school was affecting me though. I had diluted myself into thinking that I could fix everything in time that no one would have to know about the embarrassment I felt about my mental illness and the complete uncharacteristically bad grades I was receiving. I lied to my family and friends for 2 years about what I was going thorough which ended up isolating me from any support I could have received. By the end of my third year attending Queen¿¿s I had completely given up and started participating in extremely destructive behaviour. During the winter semester of 2015 I went under a medical procedure to get an abortion. The point of explaining in detail to you the circumstances I was experiencing is to help you get an understanding of the mental state I was in. The amount of emotional distress I was under made it hard for me to even get out of bed let alone get to class, organize and motivate myself to succeed. I would start so many of my assignments and midway through get so anxious and overwhelmed that I could not finish and never hand anything in. Multiple times I would call into student services to talk to a therapist and either not show up or never make an appointment because of how embarrassed I was about how I felt. While I thought and even started many appeal letters to try and drop my courses during the 21-day period allotted, the anxiety and depression I felt at the time convinced me that there was no point.
My future plan to succeed at Queen¿¿s begins with a reduced class load and completing a distance studies major. I am hoping to start by taking one to two courses in the summer to get me back into the swing of things and to make sure I can keep my anxiety levels in check. From there I hope to start the fall semester still with a reduced class load and starting out as a part-time student. Completing my studies in the distance study program I will be with family and friends able to support me and to help manage any anxiety or depression I may feel. I am currently on a medication as well that has been working for the past year to help manage anxiety and depression levels.
Thank you for your consideration,
Rachel Everett