Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,
I am appealing to drop GPHY 339 ¿¿ Medical Geography (Fall, 2019).
This past semester, I have experienced some personal setbacks as well as a decline in mental health that has prevented me from achieving my best in this course. Some of these personal setbacks, which were beyond my control, put additional stress on a pre-existing mental health condition which greatly exacerbated my mental and physical symptoms.
Timeline and Severity
I have had a history of mental illness for the last 10 years. While I have learned healthy coping mechanisms and strategies to combat negative thoughts and anxiety, I am still vulnerable to experiencing the symptoms of depression. Sometimes a seemingly ordinary event can trigger severe outcomes.
The onset of my current mental state started in the beginning of to mid-October but was not so serious at the time. I was having no problem with assignments, extracurriculars, and generally keeping on top of what was required of me as a student. Yet, when I was hired at a downtown Kingston retailer with very poor management, I began to have trouble juggling my commitments and became increasingly anxious.
In mid-October, I had an argument with my partner. Out of stress, my sleeping and eating habits worsened. These symptoms grew increasingly adverse when I received news in late-October that one of my extended family members was suffering with illness.
During a doctor¿¿s visit in early November at the Student Wellness Centre, I denied the suggestion to increase the dosage of my current medication. I did not want to become reliant on medication and I felt that the symptoms I was experiencing were mostly situational. I was recommended to see a mental health counsellor to help with my persistent anxiety, inability to focus, and insomnia.
By mid-November, I had been fired from my job and the symptoms of my mental illness became more severe. The sickness in my family had worsened and I started to fall behind in classwork. The combination of increased fatigue, inability to focus for long periods of time, frequent headaches and low energy all contributed to the poor cognitive performance in academics. As I fell behind even further, my symptoms became debilitating to the point where I would not be able to leave the house for few days at a time.
After I missed the deadline for the GPHY 339 term paper, which was worth more than half of my grade, I saw an academic counsellor as well as a personal counsellor through Queen¿¿s services. I was provided a Short-Term Academic Accommodation (STAA) that provided me some time to catch up with assignments.
Impact
It may seem such events are easy for some people to bounce back from with moderate or little difficulty once they have been resolved. When coupled with depression, these events somehow became larger than life. This episode of depression has not been the worst that I have experienced, but perhaps the one that has impacted by education the most.
I did not drop the course earlier because I truly believed could finish the course on time and with a decent grade.
Without a midterm to study for in this course, I convinced myself that I did not need to set aside as much time for this course as I did for my other classes. My inability to focus and frequent headaches made research on my paper topic near impossible. The short-term accommodation that my professors and instructors granted me was a temporary relief as I was able to complete all the work for my other courses. Unfortunately, my stress symptoms got the better of me for GPHY 339, and I was not able to complete the final paper.
Future Academic Plan
I understand the importance of getting help and admit that I have needed it this semester ¿¿ I have been to more doctor¿¿s and counsellor¿¿s appointments this semester than I have for my entire undergraduate degree.
I am in the process of registering for QSAS for next semester and have received documentation from a healthcare professional at the Student Wellness Centre just this week. I have also edited my Winter course load so that it might be more manageable for me, should this happen again. I will be carefully reviewing each course syllabus in order to make enough time for each assignment. If GPHY 339 fits within my schedule again next Fall semester, I do intend on retaking it.
A follow-up appointment with a doctor has been booked for the new year and I also plan to follow up with an academic counsellor following the holidays.
Time management is an important priority for me. I hope to utilize old strategies as well as a more proactive approach and new time management strategies for difficult courses to ensure my academic success in the future.
Thank you,
Evelyn Tran
Course instructor: Professor Mark Rosenberg
Doctor: Dr. John Tuinema
Counsellor: Allison Lavigne
I am appealing to drop GPHY 339 ¿¿ Medical Geography (Fall, 2019).
This past semester, I have experienced some personal setbacks as well as a decline in mental health that has prevented me from achieving my best in this course. Some of these personal setbacks, which were beyond my control, put additional stress on a pre-existing mental health condition which greatly exacerbated my mental and physical symptoms.
Timeline and Severity
I have had a history of mental illness for the last 10 years. While I have learned healthy coping mechanisms and strategies to combat negative thoughts and anxiety, I am still vulnerable to experiencing the symptoms of depression. Sometimes a seemingly ordinary event can trigger severe outcomes.
The onset of my current mental state started in the beginning of to mid-October but was not so serious at the time. I was having no problem with assignments, extracurriculars, and generally keeping on top of what was required of me as a student. Yet, when I was hired at a downtown Kingston retailer with very poor management, I began to have trouble juggling my commitments and became increasingly anxious.
In mid-October, I had an argument with my partner. Out of stress, my sleeping and eating habits worsened. These symptoms grew increasingly adverse when I received news in late-October that one of my extended family members was suffering with illness.
During a doctor¿¿s visit in early November at the Student Wellness Centre, I denied the suggestion to increase the dosage of my current medication. I did not want to become reliant on medication and I felt that the symptoms I was experiencing were mostly situational. I was recommended to see a mental health counsellor to help with my persistent anxiety, inability to focus, and insomnia.
By mid-November, I had been fired from my job and the symptoms of my mental illness became more severe. The sickness in my family had worsened and I started to fall behind in classwork. The combination of increased fatigue, inability to focus for long periods of time, frequent headaches and low energy all contributed to the poor cognitive performance in academics. As I fell behind even further, my symptoms became debilitating to the point where I would not be able to leave the house for few days at a time.
After I missed the deadline for the GPHY 339 term paper, which was worth more than half of my grade, I saw an academic counsellor as well as a personal counsellor through Queen¿¿s services. I was provided a Short-Term Academic Accommodation (STAA) that provided me some time to catch up with assignments.
Impact
It may seem such events are easy for some people to bounce back from with moderate or little difficulty once they have been resolved. When coupled with depression, these events somehow became larger than life. This episode of depression has not been the worst that I have experienced, but perhaps the one that has impacted by education the most.
I did not drop the course earlier because I truly believed could finish the course on time and with a decent grade.
Without a midterm to study for in this course, I convinced myself that I did not need to set aside as much time for this course as I did for my other classes. My inability to focus and frequent headaches made research on my paper topic near impossible. The short-term accommodation that my professors and instructors granted me was a temporary relief as I was able to complete all the work for my other courses. Unfortunately, my stress symptoms got the better of me for GPHY 339, and I was not able to complete the final paper.
Future Academic Plan
I understand the importance of getting help and admit that I have needed it this semester ¿¿ I have been to more doctor¿¿s and counsellor¿¿s appointments this semester than I have for my entire undergraduate degree.
I am in the process of registering for QSAS for next semester and have received documentation from a healthcare professional at the Student Wellness Centre just this week. I have also edited my Winter course load so that it might be more manageable for me, should this happen again. I will be carefully reviewing each course syllabus in order to make enough time for each assignment. If GPHY 339 fits within my schedule again next Fall semester, I do intend on retaking it.
A follow-up appointment with a doctor has been booked for the new year and I also plan to follow up with an academic counsellor following the holidays.
Time management is an important priority for me. I hope to utilize old strategies as well as a more proactive approach and new time management strategies for difficult courses to ensure my academic success in the future.
Thank you,
Evelyn Tran
Course instructor: Professor Mark Rosenberg
Doctor: Dr. John Tuinema
Counsellor: Allison Lavigne