Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean (Studies) of the Faculty of Arts and Science:
I am appealing to receive a credit standing in the course BCHM 315 (Fall, 2016).
Due to extenuating personal circumstances I feel that I was not able to perform to my full potential on the final exam, and this was reflected in my final grade, which is a C. While studying for the exam, I had a very difficult time focusing and had trouble retaining the information that I was studying. I also had little motivation to study, as I had very low confidence in myself due to the issues I was dealing with. This caused me to convince myself that there was no point in putting in my full effort, since I believed that doing well on the final exam was something that was not possible for me to achieve. The combination of these factors meant that I was unable to study as much as was necessary, and that when I was studying I was not effective in doing so. In addition to this, the exam for BCHM 315 was on the first possible day of the exam period, so I had minimal preparation time to begin with. All of these factors were beyond my control, and therefore I believe that my final grade is not an accurate representation of what I could have achieved in this course. For this reason, I am asking for my grade in this course to be given a credit standing.
I only had one other course with a final exam (BIOL 334), and although I did have similar issues while studying for the exam, I found the content of the exam much less challenging than in BCHM 315. I am content with the grade I received in BIOL 334, so I am only appealing for credit standing in BCHM 315.
I understand that I am currently a BCHM SSP student, and that BCHM 315 is a required course in my major, but I am planning on switching out of my major at the end of this academic year. I have applied to the Nursing AST program at Queen¿¿s and at other universities, and BCHM 315 is not a required course for these programs.
In regards to my performance on future exams, I have been and will continue regularly meeting with a counsellor to find ways to help myself learn effectively, and to minimize any other issues I may have. I will also make better attempts to reach out to my professors to discuss how I can learn and study the course material more effectively.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Martin Caruana
I am appealing to receive a credit standing in the course BCHM 315 (Fall, 2016).
Due to extenuating personal circumstances I feel that I was not able to perform to my full potential on the final exam, and this was reflected in my final grade, which is a C. While studying for the exam, I had a very difficult time focusing and had trouble retaining the information that I was studying. I also had little motivation to study, as I had very low confidence in myself due to the issues I was dealing with. This caused me to convince myself that there was no point in putting in my full effort, since I believed that doing well on the final exam was something that was not possible for me to achieve. The combination of these factors meant that I was unable to study as much as was necessary, and that when I was studying I was not effective in doing so. In addition to this, the exam for BCHM 315 was on the first possible day of the exam period, so I had minimal preparation time to begin with. All of these factors were beyond my control, and therefore I believe that my final grade is not an accurate representation of what I could have achieved in this course. For this reason, I am asking for my grade in this course to be given a credit standing.
I only had one other course with a final exam (BIOL 334), and although I did have similar issues while studying for the exam, I found the content of the exam much less challenging than in BCHM 315. I am content with the grade I received in BIOL 334, so I am only appealing for credit standing in BCHM 315.
I understand that I am currently a BCHM SSP student, and that BCHM 315 is a required course in my major, but I am planning on switching out of my major at the end of this academic year. I have applied to the Nursing AST program at Queen¿¿s and at other universities, and BCHM 315 is not a required course for these programs.
In regards to my performance on future exams, I have been and will continue regularly meeting with a counsellor to find ways to help myself learn effectively, and to minimize any other issues I may have. I will also make better attempts to reach out to my professors to discuss how I can learn and study the course material more effectively.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Martin Caruana