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About Third Culture Compass

Built by a student who moved through Nigeria, Malaysia, California, and Virginia — and had to fight just to stay in the right grade.

The founder

Founded by a Third Culture Kid
"It was rough. But I always kept a positive attitude. I think at some point I became numb to starting over — making new friends, building new routines, figuring out who I was in a place that didn't know me yet. That numbness is real, and nobody warned me about it. That's why this site exists."
Nigeria — primary school. Left before secondary. Skipped 4th grade.
Malaysia — grades 7, 8, and 9. Three full years in the Malaysian system.
San Francisco, CA — California rejected the Malaysian 9th grade credits. School wanted to put me in 8th. I pleaded to stay in 9th. Started over at Galileo.
Amherst, VA — 11th grade and counting.

Our principles

01
Lived experience first
Every guide is written from personal experience — not from a textbook, and not by someone who read about this once.
02
Free, always
This information should be free. Students navigating new systems already have enough to deal with.
03
Honest, not inspirational
We don't pretend this is easy. The numbness is real. The resets are hard. We say so.
04
Research-backed over time
We're collecting original data from real students. The findings will be published and public.

Student advisory board

The advisory board is open — we're actively looking for students from different systems to review guides, suggest new content, and share their own experiences. If that's you, apply below.

🌍
Nigeria systems
WAEC / NECO
Open position
Looking for students who've moved from Nigeria to the US and navigated the transcript process firsthand.
🇲🇾
Malaysia systems
SPM
Open position
Looking for students who went through the SPM and moved to a US school — especially anyone who dealt with credit rejection.
🇬🇧
UK systems
GCSEs / A-levels
Open position
Looking for students who've moved from the UK system to the US and know how GCSEs translate (or don't).
🌐
Other systems
Ghana, India, Canada, and beyond
Open position
If you've moved between school systems and want to help others navigate yours — apply below.
Join the board

Want to contribute?

We're looking for students who've moved between school systems and want to help others navigate theirs. Advisory board members review guides for accuracy, suggest new topics, and can contribute their own story. No experience required — just lived experience.