Calculus 1151 Reflection

In the spring of 2016, I took Calculus 1151 at Ohio State under Professor John Johnson. I was also in the final semester of my high school career at Metro Early College. I am petitioning for a retroactive withdrawal in Calculus in order to drop the grade I received for medical reasons.

I was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy early 2015, which means that without the care of medication, I experience seizures that result in a decreased capacity to speak, move, and comprehend incoming information. Under these pressures, learning becomes very difficult for me. I had my first breakthrough seizure in November of 2015, which means that my body had grown accustomed to the medication I was taking and I was once again vulnerable to daily seizures.

As the semester wore on, it became clear that my condition was impairing my ability to learn and function in a classroom as I tried to recover from this intense trauma. Consequently, I recognized that I was not able to perform my best. I attempted several times throughout the semester to obtain remediation. I also was in routine contact with my academic advisor to express my distress at my academic situation. As a final resort I requested to drop two courses, Neuroscience 3000 and Calculus 1151, in order to prevent irreparable damage from occurring to my academic record. However, as I was only a high school student, I was unable to control my own schedule and was denied my request to drop both courses. Despite one less course on my schedule, my situation did not improve and I continued to struggle with my academics. The combination of the courses I was taking and my disability began to take a serious toll on my mental health and I deteriorated. My depression rarely allowed me to get out of bed, my head would ache, my limbs would be stiff, and brain filled with a fog so thick that I could hardly think. I was no longer able to place the focus necessary to pass calculus. I was forced to triage my remaining