Thanks for the response! I'll keep playing my save then since this kind of sounds like it's part-bug, part-half-baked feature. I don't see EA making this sort of choice deliberately especially since having a maxed skill in a course seems to have little to no impact on your class performance.
Ex. I had maxed the Salvadorian skill from scratch while taking the elective, she still only scored a C whereas her Rocket Science skill was ~7 in the three main classes, and walked out with an A. All classes had their required work finished and done while taking notes. In short, she did more work in the elective and got a lesser grade.
It seems more like it doesn't care about your skills, but that you're putting the time into the classwork, showing up, taking notes, and maybe some extra study time. I just don't see how a skill maxed out previously would prevent a Sim from getting a certificate if the values in the back code are met. On the other hand, it could also be dismissed as an easter egg or something. It still doesn't make any sense to me.
