photo from the profile section of the Common Application
It seems like a simple question, what is your name? This and other little quirks found on applications and other forms you may fill out while applying to college can create some frustration for international applicants. They are the unintended consequences of cultural dissonance. I hope the following will help you be aware of the dissonance and help you avoid headaches when navigating applications and other online forms.
Non-English characters: International names often use characters not found on the English qwerty keyboard leading to unwanted iterations like the one below. It's from an acceptance letter my student João received. Be aware of how non-English characters might be processed in online forms.
First name or given name: My full name is Susan Ginger Castello da Costa. My first name or given name is Susan. For others, it may be João Vitor or Maria Eduarda. Some cultures list the family name before the given name. For example, in the case of the Korean name Kim Min Su, Kim is the family name and Min Su is the given name. The terms "first" and "last" don't really apply.
Middle name and middle initial: I have a middle name, it's Ginger. It's initial is G. Some people don't have one. In Brazil, my middle name is often assumed to be another family name. If you don't have a middle name, it's perfectly okay to leave the space blank. If your first name is a compound name like Maria Eduarda, and you put Eduarda as your middle name, it will sort of disappear. You might be sorted into American computer databases as Maria or Maria E.
Last name, surname or family name: In my case, my last name is Castello da Costa. You may have one last name, such as Pires, a compound last name like mine, or even many last names such as Gonçalves da Costa Silva. Forms in the US don't often have room for lengthy and multipart names. The College Board only allowed 15 characters and shortened my children's SAT registrations thus:
Nicknames, preferred names: Some organizations allow you to indicate a name that you prefer. Mine, in this case, is Suzie, a common nickname for Susan. If you are William but prefer Bill, Maria Julia but prefer Maju, or Car
los Eduardo but prefer Zé, this is where you can indicate that. You can also use this space to indicate clearly how you want your name to appear if it is not getting along well with the constraints of the form.
Alphabetizing: Be aware that names are alphabetized by last name in the US. I am listed as Castello da Costa, Susan G.
Birthdate: dates in the US are month/day/year. So it you are born on the 5th of April, 2002 you write 04/05/02, and not 05/04/02 like you would in Brazil or parts of Europe.
Some ways to avoid confusion
If possible, use the same name on all forms, high school records, forms of ID, letters of recommendation, testing and applications. If your name is really long, at least shorten it in a consistent way. The name on your registration for exams like the SAT and TOEFL should match the name on your ID, otherwise you run the risk of not taking the test. When in doubt, contact the testing company.
Use other corroborating identifiers to clarify who you are. Useful ones are your birthdate, the Common App ID number if you are using the Common App, registration numbers used by College Board, ACT, TOEFL and like registrations. For example, if you are emailing a question to a university where you plan to apply/have applied, include your Common App ID number (or other application specific number) in the correspondence to help the person find your file. If you are emailing College Board or ETS for some reason, include your registration number.
Create an email using your name. For example, suziecastellodacosta@hmail.com. It's a way to present your name clearly and help the recipient know who is contacting them, cutting like a knife through a tangle of confusion. Avoid using "fun" emails you may have created in the past, like darth_eduardo_lanister@hmail.com. Instead, present yourself clearly and appropriately when communicating with teachers, universities and organizations. They'll easily discern who the email is from, and take you seriously.
Bonus tip:
What is a CEEB code? You'll likely find this question on forms used on the Common App, College Board and other organizations. Use the lookup function to see if your international high school is listed. If it is not, your school's CEEB code is 000004 "My school is not listed-international".
If you have found ways to navigate confusion around names please leave a comment below. Your insights may help other readers.
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