Applying to college with my "nickname" instead of my full name?

Whoops. Didn’t format that correctly, and it’s too late to edit. It should be US government.

I don’t know if you have to use your full, legal name, but if I were you, I would. I think it will cause issues down the road if you don’t. In general, it’s a pain in the butt to have different names used on different documents, because people are so suspicious these days. Background checks will tell people that the name you gave them doesn’t match your social security card, for example, and they don’t tell you what the difference is, so they’re not able to see that you wrote “Jenny” and your name is “Jennifer.” They just think you’re being fraudulent. Both companies that I worked for ran a background check to verify that I went to the college that I said I did, so I wouldn’t take any chances. Dropping the middle initial is no big deal though (in my experience).
If you really dislike your name, think about changing it – I did and have never regretted it a day in my life.

@gabby94805 I’m actually trying to, but without marriage it is a big, long, and expensive (for someone on a student budget, anyway) process.

The university I went to had a student legal aid program that handled the name change for me. It was a while ago, but it was really cheap because it was non-profit (it was for the law students to gain experience) and I really only had to pay for the filing and court fees. It probably depends which state you live in as to the cost and the time, but maybe you could check with your school, if you haven’t already. Good luck – it can be painful to live with a name you’re not comfortable with.

I’m not exactly experienced in applying for colleges or anything, but with anything official (like applying to colleges) I’d stay on the safe side and use your full name. Even if it’s not a requirement to use it, it’ll look more professional.

If it says full legal name, it means it.

@marinelife Yeah but that’s the problem isn’t it – US law seems to say that Jen Smith could be my full legal name. So that’s why I’m asking the question.

@mangeons But like I said, I’m looking into changing it. If I was really concerned about it conforming to traditional WASPish standards of professionalism, I wouldn’t be trying to do that.

Which name would you like printed on your degree?

@abysmalbeauty The shortened one I’m trying to change it to. The question is, will they let me?

If I were in your place and I felt strongly about the name I wished to use, I would take this literally:

“Your full legal name should be included”

“Included” does not mean the same thing as “used exclusively.” They are going to want to be able to verify that your transcripts, test scores, etc., all belong to the same person, and do all the other checking and filing that is done with a given name. But I don’t see that supplying this information for record-keeping purposes requires you to live under a name you don’t want to keep.

I’d say this is what the expression “aka” is for—“also known as.”

I would put “Jen Smith (aka Jennifer Kathleen Smith)” on my application. The full legal name is included, meaning that it’s there (it isn’t omitted), but this would make it clear that I wished to apply and be admitted as Jen Smith, be known as Jen Smith, and graduate as Jen Smith.

I doubt that this matter would stand between you and acceptance. If they have a problem with the records once you are in, there’s plenty of time to discuss it then.

@Jeruba Thanks. I think it’s because everything will also have other identifying things – like my date of birth, address, etc – that makes it seem like it isn’t asking too much for them to put together that Jen Smith and Jennifer Smith who both live at the same address and have the same DOB, etc, are the same person.

You want to make it very easy for them to be pleased with your application, though, don’t you? Display a sense of entitlement at the outset and ask them to go to extra trouble for you, and I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t seek a long-term relationship. Just trying to think from an overworked admissions committee’s point of view, you understand.

@Jeruba I understand what you’re saying, but in a day and age where we try to encourage young women to be assertive and realize how totally reasonable many of their requests are, it seems a bit contradictory to say that asking someone to put together that Jen Smith and Jennifer Smith (same DOB, etc) are the same person shows a sense of “entitlement”. In fact, what you’re saying seems to amount to saying that if I want to get into this college, I better be a doormat, and if I’m not, they’re totally right to not admit me.

Not at all, @TheLadyEve. I am looking at it from the point of view of the administrators charged with the task of evaluating applications. I’ve never done that, but I have evaluated job applications, many of them. I am thinking that if you show a disregard for the administrators’ time and their clearly stated instructions, you make it very easy for them to find an excuse to eliminate you from consideration. Sending the message that you are a “special little snowflake” exempt from the normal conventions is not likely to work in your favor. Whether you are female or male has nothing whatsoever to do with it. This is about compliance with requirements, courtesy, and common sense.

I offered you the suggestion of including both forms of your name to make it easy to link things up. If instead you prefer to cost them extra effort, I would say you’re going in with a chip on your shoulder, and that is going to become evident before the process is complete. This is not what assertiveness means.

But this is only my opinion, and I’m not here to argue about something when both of us are just making guesses. You are free to do whatever you like. If your approach throws obstacles in the path of the evaluators and thereby affects their decision, you will probably never know it.

@Jeruba The reason I ask the question is because it isn’t a “clearly stated instruction”. I’m asking for help understanding the legal ins and outs of pseudonym, which the US government recognizes as legal. It says your full legal name, but what your legal name is is up for debate. Nor do I think that asking someone to pay you a basic respect is showing “special little snowflake syndrome”. If I just got married, and hadn’t yet legally changed my name to (for example) Smith-Rodgers, I can still start putting Smith-Rodgers down on my application. And I can’t imagine anyone telling me that it would be too hard or entitled to ask admins to put together that Jennifer Smith and Jennifer Smith-Rodgers are the same person. I can’t imagine the hell I’d get if I had the audacity to have a name like “Chaniqua”.

Look, if your advice is that life is a street-fight, and you better do everything in your power to get where you want to go or you will perish, then I can respect that. I can understand that. But let’s call a spade a spade, and not pretend like it’s some entitlement thing.

@TheLadyEve.

Look, if your advice is that life is a street-fight

If my remarks sounded like that to you, then I can only apologize for being an utter failure at communicating. My point was that courtesy and consideration are always warranted and that assertiveness does not mean requiring others to bend for you when you won’t bend for them.

I don’t believe I have anything further to add to this discussion, but thank you for considering my comments.