I may not enter uni because of a stupid mistake. I desperately need an adult's help

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<p>Okay this is a very weird and dumb story. Please bare with me because I may not attend uni because of it.</p>

<p>When I first registered for the SAT in tenth grade, I did not gave any form of "legal" ID since I was underage to get a national ID and I didn't have my own passport. I was put on my mom's passport.</p>

<p>I made the stupidest mistake ever.</p>

<p>I asked my dad what I should I write as my name he said "However you write your name is fine, I will copy paste that into your passport when you get one."</p>

<p>And So I did. </p>

<p>I remembered how my father said that our family name was that of a very respected figure in my country, and based on that I wrote my name as (My first name) (My family name)</p>

<p>Now, I am a senior. When I went to get my national ID, and made my passport, I realized that none of my father's legal documents bare our family name because over here, in the Middle East, the father's and grandfather's name are the most important.
So in turn, many people have documents that never mention their family names.</p>

<p>The problem is MY SAT SCORES ALL BARE MY FIRST NAME AND FAMILY NAME ONLY!</p>

<p>HOW CAN I POSSIBLY APPLY TO UNI WITH SCORES AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS THAT HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON BUT MY FIRST NAME?!!?!!?!!?</p>

<p>I thought it was all cool to change my name on the college board profile once I give in photo identifications of my "new" name, which isn't really new, just that I want to add my father's and grandfather's names.</p>

<p>But after submitting all the required documents, I found them sending me an email saying that </p>

<p>" While we have your identification documentation on file (passport and copy of your school id) we have noted that you have tested multiple times under the name Yamin Al Refai. Performing this update to your name is a security risk.</p>

<p>Therefore we are requesting additional information regarding how you were able to 5 times under a different last name. Were you using different identification to enter in to the test center? Did you have a name change performed by legal means? Whatever the case, we need you to submit the additional documentation to support why your last name is significantly different than what you are requesting we update it to.</p>

<p>Please supply this explanation as well as the additional documentation to support a last name change if that is what occurred."</p>

<p>I AM FREAKING OUT! WHAT SHOULD I DO!</p>

<p>I contacted them via phone and told them I do not have any official legal documentation baring my family name. The lady that answered me said that I should give in my former school ID with my Family name (the one I used to enter the test center with) along with a letter from my school backing up the name change</p>

<p>However, she said THAT SHE CANNOT GUARANTEE ME ANYTHING.</p>

<p>She said that all this will go her supervisor who will make the final decision.</p>

<p>No way I can repeat all those SAT's again and get the same good scores! Plus, I will be missing all my college deadlines anyway! </p>

<p>It would kill both me and my parents if all my three years of hard work go to waste like that!!!</p>

<p>Please tell me that there is hope!!</p>

<p>My mom has been crying her eyes out for 2 days, and I am just ruined.</p>

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<p>It sounds like you are on the right track. You contacted them via phone. Keep pursuing this. Don’t back down. I think you will be able to use your scores. I am sure they have dealt with similar cases.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you.</p>

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<p>Thanks but do you think there is hope?</p>

<p>The lady sounded that they never have dealt with such situations!</p>

<p>I feel so scared</p>

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<p>You could apply to test-optional schools (see fairtest.org).</p>

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<p>OP- am I correct in assuming that you do not live in the United States?</p>

<p>If you are planning to study in the US you have a problem bigger than your SAT scores, namely, you do not have proper documentation (if I understand your post correctly) to get a student visa.</p>

<p>So you need to contact the US consulate in your country, and be prepared to have lots of paperwork- your HS transcript which hopefully shows that you are the same person as you claim to be, your birth certificate, something that proves residency, etc.</p>

<p>If you are planning to study in your own country, then this seems like a very small issue-- have the scores submitted to the universities you are applying to under the name you used when you took the test; include a letter from your HS attesting to your identity; put the name you used when you took the test on your applications so everything matches.</p>

<p>You only have a problem if you’re trying to enter the US without valid identification, or if you have used several identities simultaneously.</p>

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<p>I do not live in the US correct.</p>

<p>Why do I have a problem if I wanna apply there?</p>

<p>All my legal documents match each other (with my first father’s and grandfathers’ names)</p>

<p>It is only the SAT score that doesn’t math my legal docs.</p>

<p>To get accepted in my home country, my SAT scores should be stamped my some organization called the “Amid East”.</p>

<p>I would email them with an inquiry,but I am afraid I will get their attention at the mistake (stupid excuse right?)</p>

<p>I dunno</p>

<p>…</p>

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<p>

Do your high school records match your passport and the name you used to apply to US universities? You say that you used your high school ID as your official identification when you entered your SAT testing sessions, which suggests that your high school records will not match up to your passport. That may hamper obtaining your student VISA. Which name did you choose for your applications?</p>

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<p>Let’s say my name is Davy Jones Jack Sparrow </p>

<p>okay?</p>

<p>I put my name on the CB as Davy Sparrow only</p>

<p>I realized that all my legal documents bare the name Davy Jones Jack.</p>

<p>And my school transcripts will have that name Davy Jones Jack Sparrow</p>

<p>However, I have been in my school since kindergarten. They know my whole name. They made me the school ID with “Davy Sparrow” </p>

<p>When I showed them the passport I issued, they said that they will change it to Davy Jones Jack Sparrow upon my request for it to match my passport.</p>

<p>However, my SAT scores then will not match my legal docs. That’s my big problem. My school transcripts will match my legal docs however.</p>

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<p>You have three hurdles if you want to study in the US-</p>

<p>1- you need to apply to college here
2- you need to get accepted to college here
3- you need to get a visa so you can be admitted to the country</p>

<p>If I read your email correctly, you have used different names for various parts of your life-- presumably you needed ID to get admitted to the SAT test center, and I assume that the ID you used, matches the name you used when you took the SAT. So-- either the SAT name is wrong, plus the ID you used is wrong, or the SAT name is wrong and you never tried to use a different name/different ID in getting admitted to the test center.</p>

<p>The people who administer the SAT have only one concern- who is the person who took the test. They don’t care about any other aspect of your life. So they saw that you tried to change the name on your SAT score report, which raised a question of why the name on the SAT’s doesn’t correspond to your actual, legal name.</p>

<p>See the problem?</p>

<p>Go talk to the principal or headmaster of your HS and enlist the help of someone in authority to phone the SAT folks and get this straightened out. The headmaster may need to submit a legal document attesting to the fact that the person who took the SAT is the same person now requesting a name change. Or the person who proctored the exam may need to write a letter and get it notarized, saying that he/she witnessed you taking the test, and you are the same person you claim to be, despite the multiple names.</p>

<p>Your principal can help you fix this.</p>

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<p>Ohhh… all my legal documents do NOT match each other. Including social security, where my second name is misspelled. Passport and driving license have different second names. Social security - another. Luckily, no one had ever stopped me, even at the border.</p>

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<p>My D.'s social security name, birth certificate, passport, and school transcripts do not match each other. Last name is the same, first name changed spelling (one letter, to be more Americanized), second name is different.</p>

<p>Never thought it could be a problem :(</p>

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<p>Yeah but people this is not a problem of “misspelling” my SAT scores and legal docs’ name are TOTALLY DIFFERENT.</p>

<p>One is Davy Sparrow (CB account) </p>

<p>the other Davy Jones Jack (legal docs)</p>

<p>My name: Davy Jones Jack Sparrow (hypothetically speaking) </p>

<p>@Blossom,
yes you summed it all up perfectly.</p>

<p>Now my question is, this is a big problem you see. So, well, will a phone call from a HS authority solve it?</p>

<p>Will that letter they asked me to send from my high school along with my former high school ID suffice. Will that CB lady’s supervisor make a decision in my favor?</p>

<p>This is why I am freaking out.</p>

<p>I may also note, that my country is sorta known for many instances of cheating and that the CB once visited our schools because they suspected cheating in the school’s test center. They were right.</p>

<p>A test score was once cancelled in the whole country as well.</p>

<p>Oh Lord.</p>

<p>I never cheated in my life!!! I dunno what to do!</p>

<p>@califoria, Are you serious o.O</p>

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<p>@kidz
NO!</p>

<p>I don’t want that! Oh my God no! God please no! I am a good student! And anyway 90% I’ll enter a uni at my home country which requires the SAT 1 and 2 wherever!</p>

<p>I got a 2160 in SAT and 700+ in 3 SAT 2’s</p>

<p>no no I can’t.</p>

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<p>There are many, many excellent schools in the United States that are test optional so please, don’t make the assumption that test optional schools are not good schools - they are. That includes LACs such as Bowdoin and Bates - check out the list that kidz provided you.</p>

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</p>

<p>None of us know whether it will suffice or not, until you try it and see where it lands you. You’re asking us to predict what other people will do in an unusual situation when the people themselves have said they don’t encounter this situation. Good luck to you.</p>

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<p>2200andbeyondXD ,</p>

<p>It’s not as bad as it looks. With all versions of "Davy Jones Jack Sparrow (hypothetically speaking) " I never had an issue. </p>

<p>Actually, many legal docs have “list all your legal names” section. It works perfectly well.</p>

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<p>Besides the names there are birth date and HS name. If they are consistent then it should not be a big problem.</p>

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<p>I can understand not being able to re-test and getting the same score on the SAT IIs, but why couldn’t you get the same score, or even higher, on the SAT?</p>

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<p>The truth shall set you free. Do not waste your time in idle speculation. Collect as much information as possible to link you with your various names. Explain the cultural differences in the manner names are used. Just tell the truth.</p>

<p>This is not rocket science.</p>

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<p>@xiggi,</p>

<p>I did. I went today and got a letter from my school, a student ID form, and my school director will email the letter from her email as well.</p>

<p>I provided them with a full explanation as well of all what happened.</p>

<p>Now all I have to do is wait for this not-so-happy thanksgiving holiday to be over so that the CB will return to their offices and the lady’s supervisor will make his bi decision.</p>

<p>Oh Lord</p>