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Hey guys,

I'm an international student studying at a U.S. college for a year, and here I go by a name that is totally different from my legal, official name. So after I asked for recommendation letters, I sent a note asking my professors to use my legal name.
But unfortunately, one of my recommenders just submitted a letter online without reading my note-
She says that she used my nickname, but mentioned the fact that my legal name is "X" in the opening paragraph.
My other recommender, I believe, used my legal name.

Do you think the inconsistency is problematic?
Please help me!

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In my opinion, I think using your nickname (after initially mentioning your legal name) may help you, if anything, because it shows that the recommender knows you personally and this might add credibility to the claims he or she is making in the letter. I served on the admissions committee of a doctoral program and often the strongest letters were ones where the professor referred to the student by using a shortened version of the student's name or a nickname (e.g., Liz vs. Elizabeth). It just seemed to convey the professor knew the person better, whether or not that was actually true. Using just legal names is certainly fine, but I think of letters as being based on asking a professor, "what do you think of candidate, X?" If the professor knows the candidate very well and has interacted substantially with him/her, is the professor more likely to call him/her by a legal name or the nickname he/she goes by?

I am not an international student but I too generally go by a nickname (think Robert/Bob but a little less obvious). My top of my resume is structured: LegalName (Nickname) LastName. I didn't say anything to my recommenders about (for law school or now clerkships) but I liked when they used my nickname (all either used by nickname or "Mr. LastName")--like someone said above, I think it shows that they really know you and add some legitimacy to all the nice things that are said about you in the letter.

Is your non legal name your gangster street cred name?

No? Then no, don't worry about it.

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nickb285 wrote:That depends, is your non-official name something along the lines of "Jim" instead of "James," or is it more along the lines of "Sir Farts-a-lot" instead of "James"?

More than likely it's along the lines of "Kate" instead of "Chenguang" or smth. similar.

eyfl wrote:

nickb285 wrote:That depends, is your non-official name something along the lines of "Jim" instead of "James," or is it more along the lines of "Sir Farts-a-lot" instead of "James"?

More than likely it's along the lines of "Kate" instead of "Chenguang" or smth. similar.

Which is very common and not something you should worry about OP

But to put your mind at rest somewhere in your application you could say you commonly go by X

eyfl wrote:

nickb285 wrote:That depends, is your non-official name something along the lines of "Jim" instead of "James," or is it more along the lines of "Sir Farts-a-lot" instead of "James"?

More than likely it's along the lines of "Kate" instead of "Chenguang" or smth. similar.

Yeah, it's more like that, haha.
Thank you all!! my mind is at rest now.

as long as your nickname isnt like "Puff Daddy" or "King of da streetz" you should be fine. lol