Having a Foreign Name

Applying to College
1

Hi CC,

This is probably a weird question, but does having a foreign-sounding name help in the admissions process at all? I am not an URM (I’m white), but I have a very foreign-sounding name that is extremely uncommon (I’m not going to say what it is, because internet stalkers). I started another thread about setting oneself apart from other applicants, and I was wondering if a unique name would do that? I figure that if admissions officers looked at hundreds of applications from “Brandon Smith” or “Ashley Johnson” that someone with a name like mine would stand out.

I have a high GPA and other things going for me, so I’m not asking if my name alone would set me apart. Is something like that like the icing on a cake?

2

No.

3

My daughter has a very Irish name. Often people are surprised when she show up because she’s Chinese, not Irish.

Doesn’t matter what your name is.

4

Nobody cares what your name is.

5

I never actually thought of that. I doubt it, it’s a very insignificant thing. I have a weird Irish name.

6

No. If it actually mattered people would have legally changed their names to sound as weird as possible.

7

In the world of job applications, having a foreign name actually makes it less likely that you will get results. There was actually a (limited) study about this in London, I think?

8

OK, when admissions officers and other advise you to “stand out,” they mean for qualities and characteristics that you can actually control and that will positively contribute to the collegiate atmosphere. Playing an obscure tribal instrument, speaking a critical foreign language, coming from less-well-represented area of the country - those are all things that allow you to bring a diverse perspective and set of experiences and contribute to the student body. Those are the kinds of unique aspects that would help you stand out positively.

Your name is beyond your control and doesn’t really say anything about you as a person - your parents named you that before they even knew who you were. So no, it doesn’t matter. It’s difference without a distinction.

9

Every single year I teach kids with names I’ve never heard of before-- and I’ve been teaching since 1980!

It’s not a hook, it’s not an advantage, it’s not a disadvantage.

The only thing it means is that your teachers have probably learned your name early, since they may have had to put in a little more effort to learn it. (It’s the same thing I said to my son-- he’s adopted from Korea into an Irish-Italian-American family: They’re going to know you early, because your name doesn’t match your face. Make SURE that’s the only reason they know your name the first week of school!!!)

So it will have no bearing on your admission to college. It may give you the opportunity for a unique vanity plate when you get a car, but that’s about it.