<p>Name A: Foreign-sounding, my legal name.
Name B: My common name that everyone knows me by, not my so called real name.</p>
<p>All of my transcripts and related things from my HS will be under both names. My test scores are under my legal name and my recs will be under my common name.</p>
<p>How can I avoid confusing admissions offices with my two names?</p>
<p>I also have 2 names. My legal name is impossible to pronounce (correctly) for all my teachers. x) </p>
<p>I asked my teachers to refer to me by my legal name in their letters of rec to avoid confusion. Why don’t you ask your guidance department to remove your common name from your transcript and stuff? Just stick with your legal name. I mean, since you’re going to have your legal name on your diploma and social security card and other important stuff, you might as well just use your legal name. It makes things less complicated.</p>
<p>You NEED to use your legal name on all of your application stuff. Write it on your rec forms, on your CommonApp, other apps, whatever.</p>
<p>Most applications have a place for “preferred name”</p>
<p>I guess I’ll change my registered name at the HS office when the time comes. I’ll take out my common name and stick wholly to my given name like you suggested.</p>
<p>I purposely registered under both names because it’s always annoying to have a new teacher struggle with your name, lol. Then you have to explain that you prefer another name, that’s too much hassle! It’s the worst in 9th grade when all of your teachers are strangers.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure most applications have a box for preferred names, so write yours there.</p>
<p>Also, I’m also known by my English name by the teacher’s rather than my real name. So every time they write recs or etc., i put my name at the top like this:</p>
<p>RealFirstName (PreferredName) RealLastName</p>
<p>This way, the teacher’s can address me using my preferred name while the admission office (should) know what my legal and preferred names are,</p>