Third Culture Kids

By Amy Ruhter McMillan

It’s a common mistake to assume that most students from American universities who study abroad come from the same cultural background. One group of students clearly have a cultural experience very different from their “traditional” American counterparts who are born and raised in the U.S.—even though they often look and sound as American as any other student. As a result of being American but growing up apart from American culture, Third Culture Kids (TCKs) create their own separate (third) cultural identity—a combination of American culture and that of their country of residence.

Because they are accustomed to readjusting to foreign cultures, TCKs can provide valuable input in orientation sessions. At the same time, TCKs also can be insecure—their cultural identity is blurred and they cannot easily explain where they are from. Some TCKs go through their entire college experience (both in the U.S. and abroad) feeling quite separate from everyone else. Sometimes adjustment problems—including the ability to find close friends—can even affect their academic performance.

Identifying “traditional” American students and TCKs (as well as international students in the group) at the beginning of orientation may assist TCKs in finding other students who might have had similar life experiences. The more awareness and sensitivity educators and students have, the more successful a TCK’s academic experience will be.

Helpful Links for TCKs and Global Nomads

Global Nomads Virtual Village, www.gnvv.org
Global Nomads International (GNI): www.gnvv.org/GNI
TCK World: www.tckworld.com
TCKs and Global Nomads Information: www.lclark.edu/dept/iso/tck.html (Lewis and Clark College).

AMY RUHTER McMILLAN is Web and Publications Manager at IES (The Institute for the International Education of Students). Born in the U.S., she attended school in Hong Kong from grade five to 12 before enrolling at Valparaiso Univ. in Indiana. She studied in Cambridge, England on Valparaiso’s semester program.