Academic Plan
In regards to my academic plan, I feel as though the greatest hindrance to obtaining a strong level of performance in my program is the fact that I did not deal with my depression in any sort of positive manner. Therefore I think the most important aspect of any academic plan is ensuring that I find a way of coping with depression. I believe the best way of doing this is to attend counselling or therapy regularly, whether on or off-campus. I am in the process of attending counselling from HCDS, and will continue to try and rectify the issues that prevented me from achieving a satisfactory academic performance. From here I will be able to better build strategies to deal with both the emotionally overwhelming feeling, as well as the feeling of apathy, allowing me to attend classes and able to keep up with my coursework. Instead of allowing my depression to have such a large impact on me, this plan allows me to deal with my situation in the proper manner and allows me the chance to improve my focus and other issues that prevented me from achieving academic success. If my appeal is successful, I intend to take between 24.0 and 30.0 units during the 2014-15 academic year, including retaking the required English courses I failed, specifically ENGL 200 and ENGL 290, as well as other courses necessary for my continued studies in the English Language and Literature program. While this may be difficult, after the struggles I had in the past two years with coursework, I believe that having a full course load allows me to put my full effort into my academics and improve my grades. I acknowledge that there is no simple solution to depression but I feel as though getting the proper help will allow me to obtain the grades expected of me by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. As I did not undergo counselling during the past two years, I did not properly manage my depression and it worsened. While my situation has not improved as of the current moment, I feel as though by taking the steps to undergo counselling I am making the moves that will allow me to improve my situation by the start of the upcoming academic year a great deal. By improving my mental health, I feel as though I will be better suited to deal with the pressures that come with academics, as well as be able to achieve much higher grades in my courses. By establishing a support system for myself, my grades will have the opportunity to improve, and be closer to the academic performance I showcased during high school.