Am I appealing to you?

I didn't do so well in the exams. It turns out you really can't afford to miss three weeks of classes in second year medicine even if your father is dying.

In mid November got a letter from the school saying (in more, but not much nicer, words) "you've failed, you're not getting a supplementary exam, have a nice life doing something other than medicine, if you don't like it appeal to the University Senate".

So first I had a little sulk. After that I did to things:

1. Wrote a letter to the school outlining the circumstances (though at least at the level of the second year people they were well aware) and requesting that I be allowed to have a supplementary exam
   
   Two days after the supplementary exams I get a reply saying no
   
   
2. Wrote an appeal to the Senate. I took my time writing the appeal because (a) it was important (b) it wasn't urgent - with all the steps in the Senate appeal process it would be too late for me to have a supplementary exam, I was really appealing for permission to repeat the year.
   
   It turns out I wasn't supposed to appeal to the Senate until I had first appealed to the Dean of Health Sciences and my letter was duly forwarded to him by the Senate secretary.
   
   The Dean processes appeals the same day (or at least did with mine). I was awarded a supplementary exam with a note that I probably would not have time to catch up and that he recommended I should be allowed to repeat if I fail.

But by now it is mid December and the supplementary exams are over. Special exams are organized for the five people who were awarded supplementaries on appeal.