my bed is my safe place

Hey,

My registrar has advised me to petition to have a quite a few of my credits designated as LWD instead of the F’s they currently have due to my documented illness (read: mental health struggles). I was just wondering if you could give a ball-park estimation of how successful these types of petitions are? The depth of consideration these petitions are given? Will I be taken seriously or will the petition-gods roll their eyes?

I’m scared/embarrassed of submitting a petition with such a heavy request. I actually do pretty well in school when I’m not in bed all day (which has been the case for the past year and a half).*

*FYI, I am currently receiving treatment and plan to resume with my studies – I just really need my academic record cleaned up if I want to have any future in my field or any future period.

Thanks!

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hey,

while i personally haven’t seen people petition to designate failed courses as LWD, (that’s not to say it doesn’t happen) petitioning for most things at U of T is done through a case by case basis. there isn’t really a formula or way to predict what the outcome will be. since this petition is kind of a big deal, know that the petition committee will not handle it lightly and will only approve of it if there are serious extenuating circumstances.

for now, i would just follow the advice of your registrar and try to petition it anyways. the fact that your registrar has advised you to do so means that they think there could be a chance of it getting approved. and hey, it doesn’t hurt to try!

in my personal experience (meaning it might not be the same for everyone), mental health issues are dealt with pretty seriously at U of T. i’ve definitely late withdrawn from several courses over the years due to mental health issues with the help of my registrar and counsellors at health and wellness. being in bed all day made going to class and, well, pretty much everything very difficult. it was the greatest escape from reality. you’re not alone.

the good thing is, you’ve taken the initiative to contact your registrar and ask for help. the fact that you reached out for help definitely helps your case! i don’t think they’d straight up roll their eyes if, like you said, you do pretty well in school when you aren’t in bed.

i can totally understand why you’re scared; petitioning is always a little nerve-wracking. it may not be what you want to hear, but realistically, the only thing you can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best! remember, health always comes first. stick with the treatment plan if it works, and always put yourself and your wellbeing before anything else. you can do this.

^me and you

(i started typing ‘hug’ into giphy and then i saw ‘hugh jackman’ [my husband], so i thought i would get him to give you some encouragement as well)

sending you our love, luck, and positive vibes all around,

aska