Tina L. Quick’s Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition provides crucial guidance for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) who are moving to their passport country for higher education. As Quick explains, this is challenging as it involves a double transition; not only must TCKs adapt to their new university lifestyle, but they have to adjust to their “home” culture, which can seem very unfamiliar.

Rita, one of many Third Culture Kids (TCKs) mentioned in this guide, explains that her university transition was made difficult by the fact that she was unprepared and “didn’t expect […] challenges.” Quick comprehensively identifies the potential pitfalls of university transition and suggests how they can be avoided, in order to help readers steer clear of experiences like Rita’s. This guide is thoroughly researched and the American style and content makes it of particular use for a US audience.

As a mother of three TCKs who has a lot of experience when it comes to living a cross-cultural lifestyle, Quick’s knowledge of the topic is evident. Her current work advising international students and on the board of Families in Global Transition, means that the author is an expert in her field.
Her use of anecdotes, advice and exercises is helpful, as are the summaries at the end of each chapter, which make this guide incredibly easy to dip into. However, this does lend itself to a certain degree of repetition, which can be slightly frustrating for the reader.

The initial chapters of this guide deal with the five stages of the transition process; Involvement, Leaving, Transition, Entering and Re-involvement. The content is informative and nicely spaced, and useful for anyone planning on repatriating after a significant period of time. Moreover, the suggestions for further reading identify helpful sources of additional information for the reader. Subsequent chapters explore issues such as relationships and health and welfare, which provide practical information of use to anyone making the move to higher education.

Any teen planning to repatriate for college will find the process easier, smoother and less daunting with this guide by their side. Furthermore, the inclusion of a chapter dedicated to parents means that it is also a useful guide for the entire family.

Sian Witherden