Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences (Studies),
I am requesting an appeal to get credit standing on the following courses of my first year: MATH 121, MATH 111, and CISC 102.
During my first year at Queen's two of my uncles passed away, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and placed into long term care, and my father was laid off from his job. My grandmother's health had been in sharp decline since August 2017 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy on November 1st 2017 and was placed into long term care later that month. I was unable to visit my grandmother until the winter break of 2017/2018, causing great distress and anxiety as her health was quickly deteriorating. My Uncle Charlie passed away on October 4th 2017 which was a terrible and unexpected loss for my family. I traveled to be with family and attend his funeral, interrupting my studies and causing me to feel extremely stressed and overwhelmed to complete my math assignments and prepare for my computing midterm. Although I had constant support and help from my parents I felt as if I was a burden and did not want to bother them with my difficulties in my school work. During the winter examination period my mother told me that my father would be laid off from his work on January 12th and had 60 days to find a new job or else my family would have to leave the country(my father works and lives in the United States as a Canadian citizen under a TN Visa). This news was very difficult for me and I felt I had no power to help my family as I was in another country. Not only was I adjusting to the fast paced demands of university studies but was also adjusting to being far away from my family. Throughout my exam study period I was nervous for my family and was worried about how my living situation might change. Taking my winter exams was challenging as I was nervous to perform well but also had a lot of ongoing family issues. After my poor performances on my winter exams I went to academic advising and got tutors for my math and computer science classes. It helped me gain more confidence and I learned how to stay on task for periods of time with breaks. These techniques did help me, however it was not enough for I felt immobilized and defeated. My Uncle Gib passed away on January 30th, 2018 and I traveled again to be with family and attend his funeral on February 3rd, 2018. Another death in my family was very hard for me to process and was overall depressing. These three courses: MATH 121, MATH 111, and CISC 102, as well as computing in general, were already challenging for me as I felt that this was not the right path. The loss and illness in my family did truly affect my ability to perform well in my studies and obtain higher grades.
If this appeal is approved my GPA will increase and give me a better chance of being accepted into a BAH program, and Film and Media as my major. I initially thought Computing and the Creative Arts was the field I wanted to pursue when I started my first year; however I believe my strengths and passion are in Film and Media. I have been accepted into an alternate plan for a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and if I am unable to pursue Film and Media in my second year I will either continue with my alternate plan or remain undeclared. Regardless, I will work hard towards improving my GPA, returning to a Bachelor of Arts Honours program and being released from academic probation. I will go to academic advising to find courses that are better for me and to learn how I can manage my time more effectively for a better outcome. I hope I will be accepted into my first plan choice, Film and Media, so I can truly focus on a field that I believe holds great promise for my success.
Thank you,
Cameron Ffion Turner-Lawrence.
I am requesting an appeal to get credit standing on the following courses of my first year: MATH 121, MATH 111, and CISC 102.
During my first year at Queen's two of my uncles passed away, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and placed into long term care, and my father was laid off from his job. My grandmother's health had been in sharp decline since August 2017 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy on November 1st 2017 and was placed into long term care later that month. I was unable to visit my grandmother until the winter break of 2017/2018, causing great distress and anxiety as her health was quickly deteriorating. My Uncle Charlie passed away on October 4th 2017 which was a terrible and unexpected loss for my family. I traveled to be with family and attend his funeral, interrupting my studies and causing me to feel extremely stressed and overwhelmed to complete my math assignments and prepare for my computing midterm. Although I had constant support and help from my parents I felt as if I was a burden and did not want to bother them with my difficulties in my school work. During the winter examination period my mother told me that my father would be laid off from his work on January 12th and had 60 days to find a new job or else my family would have to leave the country(my father works and lives in the United States as a Canadian citizen under a TN Visa). This news was very difficult for me and I felt I had no power to help my family as I was in another country. Not only was I adjusting to the fast paced demands of university studies but was also adjusting to being far away from my family. Throughout my exam study period I was nervous for my family and was worried about how my living situation might change. Taking my winter exams was challenging as I was nervous to perform well but also had a lot of ongoing family issues. After my poor performances on my winter exams I went to academic advising and got tutors for my math and computer science classes. It helped me gain more confidence and I learned how to stay on task for periods of time with breaks. These techniques did help me, however it was not enough for I felt immobilized and defeated. My Uncle Gib passed away on January 30th, 2018 and I traveled again to be with family and attend his funeral on February 3rd, 2018. Another death in my family was very hard for me to process and was overall depressing. These three courses: MATH 121, MATH 111, and CISC 102, as well as computing in general, were already challenging for me as I felt that this was not the right path. The loss and illness in my family did truly affect my ability to perform well in my studies and obtain higher grades.
If this appeal is approved my GPA will increase and give me a better chance of being accepted into a BAH program, and Film and Media as my major. I initially thought Computing and the Creative Arts was the field I wanted to pursue when I started my first year; however I believe my strengths and passion are in Film and Media. I have been accepted into an alternate plan for a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and if I am unable to pursue Film and Media in my second year I will either continue with my alternate plan or remain undeclared. Regardless, I will work hard towards improving my GPA, returning to a Bachelor of Arts Honours program and being released from academic probation. I will go to academic advising to find courses that are better for me and to learn how I can manage my time more effectively for a better outcome. I hope I will be accepted into my first plan choice, Film and Media, so I can truly focus on a field that I believe holds great promise for my success.
Thank you,
Cameron Ffion Turner-Lawrence.