Patten University Top Questions

What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

kathy

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, there would be a lot of great advice I would give myself. The most important thing I would tell myself is never be afraid to ask for help and it is ok to not always be the best. I learned that the hard way and stressed myself out to the point of illness and I had to leave college. Another thing I would have told myself is find who your academic advisors are and learn more about financial aid. These two things are pivitol to succeeding in college and finishing with a degree. Without your academic advisor, you so not know what iclass to take next or what path you should take if you have any difficulties with your studies. In addition, I would have told myself to make a path to finish college and stay focused because once you lose everything, it is hard to get back on track.

Jie

To answer this question, I must begin at the start of my educational experience. At age four, I did Kindergarten and First Grade simultaneously. Fast-forward to tenth grade, I discovered that high school students could enroll in college classes. In 2013, at sixteen, I graduated High School and obtained an AA in Liberal Arts. I then attended Patten University, the family Alma Mater. Studies at Patten U. went well until it was announced that they were closing the on-ground option for my major. I had to decide between losing the classroom setting or adapting to an online platform, of which I am unfamiliar. I will attend NDNU in the Fall; betting on familiarity. This decision is what I would've discuss with my younger self. I strongly wish that I could've predicted the eventual demise of my cherished university. I would discuss the value as well as the cost of following tradition. My direct message to myself would be that while not all plans come into fruition; with flexibility, determination, and heart, you can change any outcome. From high school senior to college senior in one year, I would simply tell myself "It is possible. Do it."

Sarai

Some advice would be to look up as many scholarships and grants as you can and fill them out. There is plenty of money out there , that you should not have to pay a dime for college. Also, I would have told myself to be prepared to actually have to study. I didn't realize the cost when you don't study.

Andrew

As an individual, I have grown more in the two plus years of my college career than the rest of my cumulative life experience. The culture, knowledge, and care that has been infused into my life by both the people and the general area have caused multiple paradigm shifts and an overall worldview change in my life; which is ever being honed and refined. The most exemplary thing I should note would be the growth that has occured in my discipline as a responsible student, as an employee in my jobs, and as a person. This has taken place as a result of the seeds of good reason that have been sown into my life, and my being naturally adept at sifting through those seeds and allowing the best to grow. I still have a long way to go, and many areas to grow in, but if I take nothing more out of my college career than that of having become a scrutinous critical thinker, I will count it as profit. The more you know, the less you know, and nothing exemplifies that like being in college. But if one can know himself, then that is true gain.

Mike

I would tell myself to go to college right out of high school instead of waiting.

Andrew

Be prepared to give yourself completely to the notion of higher education. Higher education is not just a college, university, or an institution; it is a state of mind. Condition your mind to be educable in this higher sense of things. Much of college is simply teaching you how to think critically. It is not necessarily about learning facts, numbers, or ideas about the world, but rather, to induce the construction of a worldview within yourself. Be concise, make choices. Many of the tasks involved will not only be taxing, but feel mundane and unncessary; like grunt-work. Choose wisely what to give your greatest attention to, but have a genuine desire to learn. Learn what you can from everything, but be subjective and apply the greatest amount of attention to the fields of study of your choice and the classes that sync up with that field. More than anything, become educated, in the higher sense, not according to standards of the world or society, but be self-inspired to develop your mind, which is a higher reward than any degree.