petition,  withdrawal

extenuating circumstances

Hi, I have a unique situation . In my first year my father just passed away which affected both my first and second year marks in university. I then had to take some time off and returned back to school after 1.5 years. Its been a couple of years, and due to academic stress. Because my GPA is so bad after failing 3 courses in both years ,I wanted to know if it was possible to petition to remove the marks I didn’t pass due to these extenuating circumstances.

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hey there,

i know it’s been a few years and you’ve probably heard this already, but i’m sorry for your loss. i can’t imagine what dealing with that must have been like, and it’s totally understandable that your GPA took a hit.

i looked into this for ya, and i think your best option is to go after a withdrawal or WDR. it’s not gonna be a clear-cut process, because the official rule is that you can only request one until 6 months after the end of the term in question. there can be exceptions to this 6- month rule with extenuating circumstances, but i’m not sure you’ll be able to apply the exception to all your terms. apparently the faculty (artsci, although i’m not sure which one you’re with) argues that if you could register for more courses, any issues with past courses will have been resolved. i don’t know if that makes much sense, but the bottom line is you may only be able to fight for your last term of courses.

i would recommend that you talk to your registrar’s office and make an appointment with an academic advisor. they’ll have access to your academic history and be better able to talk you through your options, as well as walk you through the petition process if they believe filing a petition would be in your best interests. there are fees associated with petitions, and if yours is successful you won’t get a refund for the courses you withdrew from either. but an academic advisor can give you specifics on that, as well.

best of luck, my friend. i hope they’re able to work something out for you!

over n out,

aska

3 Comments

  • Anonymous

    Thanks so much. Im from UTM(idk if that helps) I planning on going through the petition.

  • anoymous

    Hi,
    Unfourtanetly, when I went to the academic advisor she was unsympathetic to my situation. Because I completed the exam I will not be granted WDR. I was wondering if there is anyone specifically on the UTM campus I can talk to that I can talk to.
    Thanks, Depressed Student

  • aska

    hey friend,

    thanks for waiting for a response and apologies that it took a few days. i would check out this link, which outlines some of the options you have in terms of resources at utm. i don’t think i’ve got the power to refer you to specific people, and don’t have that kind of information either as a student myself. i wish i could do more for you, though. i really do.

    unfortunately that does tend to happen– oftentimes it’s not that the advisors are totally unsympathetic. they’re just bound to the unforgiving rules of the uni and don’t have the power to go against policy. if they do seem like they’re unwilling to budge, that’s likely why.

    regardless, i can understand that their answer wasn’t what you were looking for and i’m sorry the WDR suggestion didn’t end up working out as i hoped. i do want to leave you with the encouragement that your feelings are valid, and it’s okay to be in the place that you are. this is a difficult situation for sure. i have faith in your ability to navigate it, overwhelming though it may be. my love goes out to you, for what that’s worth, and as you know my ask box is always open if you need anything.

    x aska

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