Legally changing my name senior year of high school

<p>Hi everyone! First off, I am not sure if this is the right category for this post, and if not, I will gladly move it to its correct category :). I am a senior in high school and will begin the legal process of changing my name (first name only) this week. My question is, how will this affect college admissions? I have already been accepted to my safety, submitted applications for two other schools, and working on apps for about 5 others. I've been told the entire name change process takes anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months to finalize. When should I contact all the colleges regarding my name change? My high school has already submitted my transcripts to some colleges, but will it be very confusing for the college when I report 1st and/or 2nd semester grades under a different name? I would wait a year to do the name change, but all my legal ID documents that are necessary for name change are for my current state of residence, and I do not plan on going to college in this state.</p>

<p>Once it is official I would email all the admissions offices and tell your high school as well (including telling your guidance counselor).</p>