TCKs in College: What to Expect

Why the Transition to University is Hard

TCKs often expect to handle the college transition well. They have moved before. They know how to adapt. They have made new friends from scratch many times. What they often do not anticipate is that university is different from every previous transition in one important way: for the first time, they are not surrounded by other internationally mobile people.

International schools, military bases, and diplomatic communities are full of people with similar backgrounds. Universities typically are not. The TCK may find themselves surrounded by peers who have grown up in one place, share cultural references they do not have, and find it hard to relate to a life that involved living in multiple countries.

• Are you surrounded by people who understand your background, or are you having to explain yourself constantly?
• What specifically feels culturally unfamiliar about the university environment, even if you are technically in your passport country?
• Do you have any connection to the TCK community — online or on campus — where you can talk to people who understand?
• What are you doing to stay connected to the international community that formed you?