I have just submitted my application for the University of Texas at Austin. However, on the Common App I set my pronouns as “any pronouns“, and my preferred name as a unisex shortening of my full first name. Also, one of my most significant activities has been offering mental health support for LGBT teenagers. Though this isn’t a problem for my other schools, I’m concerned that this ambiguity may result in UT Austin thinking that I’m transgender. As someone who has lived in Texas their entire life, I can confirm that our state government considers being transgender to be borderline terrorist behavior, and undercover investigations are performed on suspects. Now I’m worried that the Common App’s demographic information may result in me being rejected from UT Austin, if not arrested. Should I email the university to clarify that it was an accident, that I’m a gender-conforming cisgender person who only uses the pronouns corresponding to birth sex and who has never been associated with the transgender community? Or will that seem even more suspicious?
When I was in elementary school there were two “Tony”’s in my class. One was a boy, one was a girl. It is possible that the girl might have spelled it “Toni” (I do not think that it ever occurred to me to ask).
I have known three “Jan”’s in my life. One was a girl. One was a man who had immigrated from Scandinavia to the US. One was a man who lives and works in Scandinavia. “Jan” (pronounced “Yon”) is apparently a perfectly normal and common man’s name in some parts of the world.
None were confused about whether they were a man or a woman. None of this was a problem at the time for any of them.
And I have known a few women who went by a nickname that was just a shortened version of their name, but that made it sound like a man’s name (such as “Sam” for “Samantha”). None of them were transgender. None of them seemed to worry about it at all.
And offering mental health support for teenagers is a very worthwhile activity.
Personally I would not worry about it.
Little bit of hyperbole here? I can confirm that no one in the Texas state government is reading applications at UT-Austin. This is a non-issue.
I’m so sorry you’re feeling freaked out right now.
While in daily life it may feel dangerous to be thought of as trans in Texas, in Admissions software will sort out your rank to determine if you’re auto admit, then grades, curriculum rigor, scores wrt major. Software does what it’s programmed to do, it doesn’t “think”.
Only at the end of the process will anything else come into the decision and whoever makes the decision is unlikely to follow that thought process wrt gender/gender identity because they only have a few minutes and a strict process to follow which doesn’t allow for time spent on extraneous musings such as unisex first names.
So, relax 
and focus on applications, school, friends, volunteering, and enjoying senior year 
Sad and crazy this enters your mind but i get it. UT has and will have many LGBTQ students. I know this isn’t you.
But I think there is no worry here.
In fact, I think you might bring the wrong kind of attention if you sent a note.
There’s tons of names that are both gender.
So no need to be concerned in my opinion.
This!
I have one of those gender neutral names. When I was in high school, I was given the wrong gender PE class more than once. (Back in the day when the guys and girls were separate for PE).
I’d let this one go.
Based on what you have written in his thread, you do not understand the issue.
Let it go. The above is the best advice that you will ever receive on this issue; please try to present yourself beyond your sexuality as most folks do not care, they just don’t want it to be the constant focus. Surely, you have more to offer than just your sexual identity.
UT Austin’s admissions office isn’t going to develop logic that attempts to infer that a candidate is transgender. You don’t need to worry about this.
I went to high school with a girl named Jeremy. And I have a female coworker named Alexandra who goes solely by Alex. Neither is transgender. People have all kinds of names so best not to make any assumptions. People who work in admissions realize this.
Knowing UT-Austin, it would probably be in your favor if you were transgender.
No.
Delete. Somehow posted on wrong thread.
There seems to be some confusion here - it’s not my unisex nickname that causes me concern, but that I had listed my pronouns on the Common App as “any pronouns“, in conjunction with my activity of providing mental health services to LGBT teenagers. Pronouns are top concern; LGBT activity is also suspicious; but my unisex nickname is little more than a cherry on top of this sundae of suspicion.
I am so sorry that this is something you even have to worry about. The new administration is out to get trans people, they have made that clear. And I agree that between your pronouns and your ECs and your name, there are some people out there who would assume you are trans. I would say 2 things: 1) The risk to you is actually low. I do not think UT-Austin will reject you over this and I do not believe they will give your application to the government or anything like that. 2) Now is the time to be brave. I mean now is the time to be brave, right? Timothy Snyder said it best: Do not obey in advance.
Do not email them, keep your chin up.
Best wishes to you!
I could explain your dilemma, but my post probably would be hidden. In short, please focus on something else & let it go.
Don’t present yourself as one dimensional.
You be you.
Did you already apply ? If not change for that school if you truly feel the need. I’d hope you wouldn’t. Why go to a bigoted school if it were - and I doubt the school is.
Who even knows if they look at it. Not all schools review all parts of Common App. It’s a catch all for what all schools might seek. UT may not review that question at all and given the anti DEI federal and state stance, I doubt they do.
But I believe zero worry.
I had a good friend in high school who was perpetually annoyed that her parents had given her the “boy” spelling of a pair of names where there is a boy/girl homophone (Think Ray/Rae but a different pair…one where I’ve never met another female with the “boy” spelling). She was always put in the wrong gym class! Every year! Teachers were always getting confused, switching her name to the “girl” spelling because they thought there was some error in the records.
OP, I would not over think it. I think with “any pronouns” being an option, it feels like the kind of thing some people are going to check because they are trying to communicate they don’t care about pronouns even if that wasn’t the intention of the option. I think admissions officers have way too much to worry about to think about this!
I still do not think that UT Austin will care. I also still think that providing mental health services to any teenagers, whether LGBT or not, is a good activity. Mental health is something that is probably not given as much attention as it should in our society.
Remember that the admissions staff at UT Austin are not the same thing and not the same people compared to either our current federal government or the current Texas government.
I think that you are fine, and should not worry about it.
and what we’re all telling you is that the UT Admissions office is not in the business of… creating sundaes of suspicion. It’s not their job to score your application on some sort of likely-transgender scale. They didn’t ask a direct question (which, thank goodness, they don’t yet need to ask), you didn’t answer it, that’s all.
Nobody here is supporting the idea that you need to email UT admissions. If you would feel better, then go ahead, but I don’t see how it helps your admissions opportunity, which is the only reason to contact them.
Please explain this post…on your other thread where you say you are considered transgender.