<p>I’m 19, live in Israel, this year is already my second one out of high school and I’m currently completing my mandatory millitary service.
I was an exellent student in high school. Took very challenging courses. My average was around 92, unweighted. Getting a high school diploma here requires a minimum of 21 points. Most of them are obligatory courses. Students can only choose the level of math (3,4 or 5 points, out of 5) and level of English (There was an optional course of translation, which is two more points. It can be taken in any language, I took it in English so I actually have 7 points, which is above avrg, and I scored an A+ in all courses). Students can also choose one to two “majors”, which is equally valueable to an AP course. So I took biology and literature. Now, when it was time to take the one point standarized test in writing/compostion, I was very very sick and was at the hospital for two weeks, therefor was unable to take it. As a result, I didn’t get my high school diploma. These standarized tests can only be taken twice a year, winter and summer. So this summer, I registered for the writing test, and thought it was a good opportunity to try and boost my B’s and -A’s to some +As. I didn’t have to do so, I had 85-90 in most subjects. My counselor told me I could take these tests as many times as I want, and my higher score would count evetually. So I paid A LOT of money to register to these tests, thought I could increase my chances on getting a scholarship. Unexpectedly, I was called to do participate in the Gaza pull-out, (as part of my service) and was busy with preperation sessions most of my time and couldn’t study for my tests. I didn’t take it too hard because I knew I had my initial scores anyway. When I actually came to take the tests, I realized there was no way I could do better and improve what I already had so I just handed all of them semi-empty! Figured, oh well, never mind, colleges could live with 2-3 86’s and 88’s (according to a few college deans here, our high school examinations level is ranked pretty high). Turns out that since I was not entitle to a diploma before (because I didn’t have that one point writing test), that law that my highest score is the one that counts didn’t apply to me! My counselor didn’t bother to point it out to me, and I am literally screwd now! I tried explaining this to many people but they all said the only thing I can do is to take them again in the winter. Not only didn’t I raise my scores, it now looks so bad on my transcript, because I handed empty sheets with like 1 or two questions answered. I got the diploma today and couldn’t stop crying all day, I feel it’s hopeless to try and do anything. My school faculty is so useless, I tried getting them to help me and all they kept saying is “so have your schools call us and we’ll aprove”, right. I seriously don’t know what to do, I have been trying for days to try and track an old record of my old scores but ut’s gone. It’s time to send out the apps soon and I just feel so lost!
Should I bother even explain that to anyone? If I take the tests again in the winter, and if I do, I will get the scores buy late April, Which will be too late. And I already took 2 years off, a third one is a total waste. I want to try and ask my couselor to back me up on this, make her declair it was her mistake, which she admitted. But would it help me at all? There’s really no way to prove that I had higher scores now, because they were all replaced buy the new ones.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading and hopefully some of you may know if there’s something out there for me to do!</p>
Not worrying about school yet.</p>