<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Please help!<br>
Due to the restrictions my ex requested regarding name change of my daughter some 10+ years ago, I wasn’t able to change her last name legally after I got remarried. However, because I didn’t want my daughter feel left out, I used my husband’s last name when I started at her preschool, and she carried that last name to this point.</p>
<p>Well, the very first question on common app is legal last name. I know she’ll have to use her legal name name which is my ex’s, but that’s not the name that was used all along, on her school records, SATs & AP’s she took. It does say to enter SSN… Would the colleges be able to identify her with the SSN? I am so worried… she will not be able to change her last name legally until she turns 18, which is end of Jan 13… Then she’ll change it to my husband’s current name… </p>
<p>Your advice will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Use the name that all of her records will show and have her write a note about the circumstances in the extra information session of the CA. If she is applying to non-CA schools and the application doesn’t have an equivalent space, have her call or email her regional rep in admissions and ask what to do!</p>
<p>I understand what you are going through- and how it can happen when they use the school i.d. for SAT verification and score reporting even though it is not legal. My D had similar issues because of variation in spelling and spaces in her name. I would do what Reallypeople suggested. But in addition we had to monitor my D’s application status to make sure the ACT score (which was in the legal name) was put with the school records, LORs and applications. Most ad coms will work with you, it just takes a bit of admin experience to follow up (which I helped my D with). Good luck.</p>
<p>My daughters legal hyphenated name was different from HS records and what fit into the CollegeBoard bubbles. The small colleges had no problem matching her application with incoming docs but the big universities did…I helped D stay on top of this. Several phone calls were required to admissions offices to point out the name discrepancies. Having the same SS# on all sources was key to quickly resolving issues about missing scores, letters etc…</p>
<p>Do help her manage things!!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all your replies. So this is what I’ve gathered: Use the name that’s on the school record and SAT/AP tests even though it’s not the legal name yet), but note it in other names used section and make sure the SSN is correct, right?</p>
<p>Again, thanks so much. That was my very first post to CC!</p>
<p>How old is your D? If she is 18 can she file for a legal name change at this point? If she can it would make things easier going forward. Just a thought.</p>
<p>@Mamadubbs, she turns 18 on Jan 26th…</p>