Bad News For All the Chips, Sports, and P-Dogs Out There

Regardless of what your friends call you, when you register for the SAT or ACT to apply for colleges, please use your full, legal name. Even if it is Herbie Leslie Wilcox Jackson (no offense if this name actually belongs to a person). You will save yourself a lot of trouble. Remember, when you go to take your SAT or ACT, you have to show your picture ID. If your ID says one thing, like Herbie Leslie Wilcox Jackson, but you registered with the testing company as "Bruiser," the officials may not let you take the test. Even worse, you might slip by on test day, but when it comes to reporting results, you may find yourself in a pickle. You might have to jump through a lot of hoops to prove that "Bruiser" and "Herbie" are one and the same. And, when it comes to college applications, most have place for you put down your nickname.