First Name Consistency

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I am a highschool senior this year, ready to apply to schools in the next couple of month. I have an issue with first name consistency however, here are the names I used for various documents/tests (I went to two different highschools):</p>

<p>SAT/AP: ChineseFirstName Last Name
TOEFL iBT: ChineseFirstName Last Name
9th Grade Transcript(from my previous school, which is in another country): EnglishFirstName ChineseFirstName Last Name
10th, 11th, 12th grade transcript: EnglishFirstName ChineseFirstName Last Name
Passport: ChineseFirstName Last Name</p>

<p>So my problem here is that, though I have always included my Chinese name for all the document, my school transcripts have my English name on it. Will I run into issues when I apply to schools this way?</p>

<p>If I really wanted to get them all to be EngName+ChiName+LastName, then I run into a problem because TOEFL does not allow name change after test. If I want to get them all to be ChiName+LastName, then I run into a problem because my previous school is not in the country where I current reside in.</p>

<p>Should I choose to apply to schools this way, what should I put on my common app for legal name and alternative name? ChiName+Last Name or EngName+ChiName+LastName?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help!</p>

2

<p>Use your passport name on your applications because it is your legal name. It also matches your SAT and TOEFL name. Remind your counselor that there is a difference between your legal name, and the name you use at school so that this can be included in the counselor’s letter. And add a note in the additional information section about the multiple versions of your name that appear on your school records. This situation is very common. The colleges will be able to cope with it.</p>

3

<p>Alright, one more question: will using a native name as opposed to my English name harm my admission chances in anyway?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

4

<p>“will using a native name as opposed to my English name harm my admission chances in anyway?”</p>

<p>That’s over-thinking things. This is not something to be worried about</p>