Dear Shilo,

I can understand your frustration, but it is not a rule that schools will be flexible on. The reason for the rule is there have been cases of fraud in the past and thus schools are sensitive to ensuring all students meet admissions requirements. I know some schools will allow you to submit a notarized copy of the transcript for those who have extraordinary difficulty getting an official transcript; these would be cases where the school no longer exists due to warfare or records destroyed due to a fire. You might check with your target schools to see if they will accept a notarized copy in lieu of an official copy. It might just buy you some additional time, but it is probably worth asking.

If you are not familiar with how to notarize a document, this is when you take it to an official who will sign off and certify that the copy matches the original with no evidence of tampering. You will have to take the copy and the original to be reviewed against each other. Sometimes you will be charged a fee for the service also. My guess is this is similar to the process of having a judge certify it as you alluded to in your post.

Best of luck,
Lisa