Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean of the Arts and Science Department,
I am writing this letter to waive the 21-day deadline to submit an appeal for the Faculty's decision of asking me to withdraw for a minimum of 1 year from Queen's University.
I was asked to withdraw from the faculty of Arts and Science at Queen's university in May 2014 for a year due to poor academic standing. I was not intending on submitting an appeal at first, because I was not sure I was ready to handle academic stress again. The problems preventing me from excelling last year were still affecting me and I did not believe I was in the right place to go back to school then. Due to growing up in Iraq during the war, I had developed various forms of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse problems. Moving and becoming accustomed to Canada was also a challenge for my family and I, which created identity and self esteem issues. I was not able to tackle these problems while in school in order to have the capacity to focus on course work. However, the time away has given me the insight and strength to better myself.
I have been seeing a psychologist in the Kingston community (Kris Thiele) for four months now. I have learnt that my depression and substance abuse are linked to my anxiety so battling the anxiety began eliminating them. I have made various changes in my lifestyle, including creating a healthy routine for myself (sleeping early, waking up early, eating healthy, etc.). Taking the semester off made me tackle most external pressures that usually render me incapable of continuing my work. My relationship with my family has improved, and I have started to form real bonds with people in Canada. I am much more motivated in general to carry out daily activities. I have found healthier outlets than substances to cope with stress (yoga, gym, social support, and hobbies). I have been taking on more responsibilities, such as looking, applying, and interviewing for jobs. I do not believe any person can turn their life around in a second, therefore I did not believe it was right for me to submit an appeal in May. The only reason I have decided to appeal the decision at this point is because I would like to be able to incorporate academia into my new routine. To clarify, I believe starting the next school year with five courses would be overwhelming after taking a year away from school. If I am allowed to come back to Queen's for the winter term of 2015, I would like to be a part time student for that semester and take no more than 2 courses. In doing so, it would gradually prepare me to come back to a full course load while still continuing my therapy sessions. This way, I can even identify the sources of stress during the academic semester, and I can figure out ways to cope with the anxiety and stress without being overwhelmed and collapsing. I have considered waiting for the summer term, however online courses would not provide the same environment as on campus courses and I would not be able to tackle the same issues (i.e. social anxiety). I plan to monitor my progress throughout the winter term and to seek help whenever I feel overwhelmed. The best way I believe I can accomplish this task is if I am given the opportunity to integrate a few courses into my routine for a smoother transition back to university.
I am writing this letter to waive the 21-day deadline to submit an appeal for the Faculty's decision of asking me to withdraw for a minimum of 1 year from Queen's University.
I was asked to withdraw from the faculty of Arts and Science at Queen's university in May 2014 for a year due to poor academic standing. I was not intending on submitting an appeal at first, because I was not sure I was ready to handle academic stress again. The problems preventing me from excelling last year were still affecting me and I did not believe I was in the right place to go back to school then. Due to growing up in Iraq during the war, I had developed various forms of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse problems. Moving and becoming accustomed to Canada was also a challenge for my family and I, which created identity and self esteem issues. I was not able to tackle these problems while in school in order to have the capacity to focus on course work. However, the time away has given me the insight and strength to better myself.
I have been seeing a psychologist in the Kingston community (Kris Thiele) for four months now. I have learnt that my depression and substance abuse are linked to my anxiety so battling the anxiety began eliminating them. I have made various changes in my lifestyle, including creating a healthy routine for myself (sleeping early, waking up early, eating healthy, etc.). Taking the semester off made me tackle most external pressures that usually render me incapable of continuing my work. My relationship with my family has improved, and I have started to form real bonds with people in Canada. I am much more motivated in general to carry out daily activities. I have found healthier outlets than substances to cope with stress (yoga, gym, social support, and hobbies). I have been taking on more responsibilities, such as looking, applying, and interviewing for jobs. I do not believe any person can turn their life around in a second, therefore I did not believe it was right for me to submit an appeal in May. The only reason I have decided to appeal the decision at this point is because I would like to be able to incorporate academia into my new routine. To clarify, I believe starting the next school year with five courses would be overwhelming after taking a year away from school. If I am allowed to come back to Queen's for the winter term of 2015, I would like to be a part time student for that semester and take no more than 2 courses. In doing so, it would gradually prepare me to come back to a full course load while still continuing my therapy sessions. This way, I can even identify the sources of stress during the academic semester, and I can figure out ways to cope with the anxiety and stress without being overwhelmed and collapsing. I have considered waiting for the summer term, however online courses would not provide the same environment as on campus courses and I would not be able to tackle the same issues (i.e. social anxiety). I plan to monitor my progress throughout the winter term and to seek help whenever I feel overwhelmed. The best way I believe I can accomplish this task is if I am given the opportunity to integrate a few courses into my routine for a smoother transition back to university.