@momocarly That’s reassuring, thank you! 
My D did exactly that when she went away to school. She picked a name she liked (that I think is weird but oh well) and introduced herself as that name and they went for it. She definitely was reinventing herself after high school. I try to call her the new name but call her the old name around grandparents, etc. Dad has laid down the law that the diploma we have invested so much money in better have the name we gave her on it.
I knew someone in college who did exactly what you want to do. He didn’t like his given name. The first day at university he wouldn’t tell anyone his real name, so they started calling him a nickname based on what t-shirt he happened to be wearing at the time. He liked the nickname, and that was the name he used throughout university, and as far as I know afterward as well.
When you get to university, tell people that you are known by your nickname, and tell them what you nickname is. They will never know otherwise.
Of course, you might want to figure out what name you want before you get there unless you also want to be named based on whatever t-shirt you happen to be wearing.
presbucky- Ice Star made me laugh!
I feel your pain. My name is very similar to a super common name but with 1 extra letter thrown in - changes the whole pronunciation and made it impossible to ever buy a personalized souvenir on vacation (i’m Almost 50 and i’m still scarred)!!! Lol. I eventually just stopped correcting people and now answer to about 5 different variations. If it bothers you, go for it. I have a friend with a daughter named Hayley - she’s 21 now and. I still forget how they pronounce it!
Or you could introduce yourself, “I am Hallieigh, pronounced like Rally” or “My name is Halleigh, but I go by Hals” or “Yes that is my legal name, but I go by Tiffany.”
My friend Glenn switched to Stephen right after graduating from college. I admit, he is still Glenn in my head a lot of the time… but he did it. I’m unclear on whether he legally changed it.
That said, one of my kids has a name where we use the European pronunciation, and she is usually called by the American one when people first meet her. If it is someone she won’t see again (like in a store), she doesn’t bother to correct. If she will see them more, she smiles and politely corrects. It doesn’t seem to bother her, she just shrugs it off. Consider whether you are just being too sensitive.
My real name is Steve, but my college nicknames are:
“Stove” and “Scuba Steve”
I’m not sure why I was given these names, but hey, I don’t mind it at all…
We have a friend named Haleigh and it is pronounce Ha’ lee, so you should understand why people are confused. Also know many Haley, Hayley, Haylee, Hailey etc.
My brother was a John who became a Jack in his 20’s. My mother and I still call him John. Others go back and forth. A friend in college used her middle name but all her high school friends used her first name (even at college). Then she went back to her first name. At a recent reunion, people were calling her all combinations (and mispronouncing her first name). She just went with whatever.
One of my duties when I work at a courthouse was name changes. You’d be surprised at all the reasons people have for legally changing their names. Many were just changing a spelling, returning to a maiden name, or changing a family name after a split (or their kids’ names after a split or adoption), but some went for totally new names.
I have a nickname I use with family, close friends, and teammates. My first name was a little old-fashioned and unique when I was born, but it has jumped to being in the top ten baby names for the past several years, so there are a lot of us running around. My nickname is one of a few possible shortened versions of my name, and my parents have called me the nickname since I was a teenager. There’s another common variation on my nickname, which my parents used when I was younger, that my grandparents and distant relatives still use. I only started using my nickname with people other than my family in college, and it took a little getting used to.
I use my full name on all official things and in class. Since my first name is common, nobody seems to have trouble pronouncing it. I use my nickname with my family, my boyfriend’s family, my closest friends (although I have one friend who uses my full name because we sat next to each other in orchestra long before we were friends so she knew me by my full name), and members of my sports team (this was more for convenience because we yell across the gym at each other and my nickname is one syllable instead of four).
I quite understand why my name is mispronounced. In an earlier post, I specified that I do not blame anyone for calling me Hayley, as it’s an honest mistake. It’s my issue that my blood boils every time someone mispronounces it, but it’s not because I’m angry with the person saying it. I simply wish my name was easier to say. I don’t like my actual name or Hayley at this point. I did not get to choose my name at birth, so why must I stick to it? I want, for the moment, a “break” from my legal name with a nickname, a nickname that is short and sweet. I’m not legally changing a thing for now because 1) What a hassle before the school year, and 2) This is an experiment to see how I feel. Maybe I’ll feel so much better with a new name, maybe I’ll go running back to the old, or maybe it will do absolutely nothing and it doesn’t matter at all. Perhaps this makes me “sensitive,” but I don’t see the point of going by something I don’t even like for another four+ years. Besides, it’s just a name in the end.
Anyway, thank you to everyone and for your input, I very much appreciate you taking the time to tell me personal stories and to give me advice. I will definitely keep these in mind as I head to college(!!)
My nickname was Oldie coz I had premature grey hair. I started dying it regularly after my first semester but it stuck…