Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 14146
Submitted: April 9, 2026 at 8:08:15 PM
First Name: Matthew
Last Name: Somanlall
Pronoun: He/Him
Preferred Name: Matthew
Student Number: 20540577
Email: 24gw47@queensu.ca
Degree Program: Bcomp
Plan: CISC
Level of Study: 1
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: COGS 100
Term: Winter
Year: 2026
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Members of the Petitions Committee,
I'm writing to petition for a late withdrawal from COGS 100 for the Winter 2026 term. I'm making this request because of ongoing executive function challenges caused by my ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, both of which are formally diagnosed and documented.
Throughout this term, COGS 100 ended up being a lot harder for me to keep up with than I expected, not because of the content itself, but because of how my disabilities affect the way I work. ADHD makes it really difficult for me to initiate tasks, hold things in working memory, and maintain focus over long stretches, which are all things this course demanded constantly with the heavy reading analysis. On top of that, my GAD creates this cycle where falling behind makes me anxious, and the anxiety makes it even harder to start catching up. It just feeds into itself and gets worse over time.
I do take Vyvanse daily, and I've been trying to use organizational strategies to stay on top of things, but there came a point this term where COGS 100 just wasn't sustainable anymore alongside my core CS courses. The amount of mental energy it would have taken to get back on track was more than I could realistically handle without also tanking my CISC and STAT courses, which are required for my degree. I had to make a call about what to prioritize.
I want to be clear that this isn't about laziness or bad time management in the usual sense. With ADHD, the gap between wanting to do something and actually being able to do it is genuinely wider than it is for most people. And GAD makes that gap feel impossible to close the longer it goes on. By the time I fully realized how bad things had gotten, the regular drop deadline had already passed.
I'm registered with Queen's Student Accessibility Services, and I've been working with them since I started at Queen's. All of my medical documentation confirms both my ADHD and GAD diagnoses, along with a reading and writing disability. The committee is welcome to reach out to Student Accessibility Services directly to verify everything. I'm also happy to get any additional documentation if needed.
I'm genuinely committed to my academics and to doing well at Queen's. Being granted this petition would let me move forward without a grade that doesn't actually reflect what I'm capable of, and it would help me plan my course load more realistically going forward.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm happy to provide anything else the committee needs.
Sincerely,
Matthew Somanlall
I'm writing to petition for a late withdrawal from COGS 100 for the Winter 2026 term. I'm making this request because of ongoing executive function challenges caused by my ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, both of which are formally diagnosed and documented.
Throughout this term, COGS 100 ended up being a lot harder for me to keep up with than I expected, not because of the content itself, but because of how my disabilities affect the way I work. ADHD makes it really difficult for me to initiate tasks, hold things in working memory, and maintain focus over long stretches, which are all things this course demanded constantly with the heavy reading analysis. On top of that, my GAD creates this cycle where falling behind makes me anxious, and the anxiety makes it even harder to start catching up. It just feeds into itself and gets worse over time.
I do take Vyvanse daily, and I've been trying to use organizational strategies to stay on top of things, but there came a point this term where COGS 100 just wasn't sustainable anymore alongside my core CS courses. The amount of mental energy it would have taken to get back on track was more than I could realistically handle without also tanking my CISC and STAT courses, which are required for my degree. I had to make a call about what to prioritize.
I want to be clear that this isn't about laziness or bad time management in the usual sense. With ADHD, the gap between wanting to do something and actually being able to do it is genuinely wider than it is for most people. And GAD makes that gap feel impossible to close the longer it goes on. By the time I fully realized how bad things had gotten, the regular drop deadline had already passed.
I'm registered with Queen's Student Accessibility Services, and I've been working with them since I started at Queen's. All of my medical documentation confirms both my ADHD and GAD diagnoses, along with a reading and writing disability. The committee is welcome to reach out to Student Accessibility Services directly to verify everything. I'm also happy to get any additional documentation if needed.
I'm genuinely committed to my academics and to doing well at Queen's. Being granted this petition would let me move forward without a grade that doesn't actually reflect what I'm capable of, and it would help me plan my course load more realistically going forward.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm happy to provide anything else the committee needs.
Sincerely,
Matthew Somanlall
Documentation
Professional Letter: SomanlallMatthew Psychoed ADHD CBT Psychology.pdf
Professional Letter Detail: Diagnosis Report From My Physiatrist
Documentation Detail: Supporting Documentation My Diagnosis