They get into classes where they can really interact with teachers and engage materials, instead of thinking about the big game or the senior prom, and something clicks. They begin to appreciate learning and to see its relevance in their lives. Good teachers can see this happening, and share the joy of the experience, because it happened to them, too, usually in the same way. I have sometimes said that at NDSU we get good young people and try not to screw them up. I'm only being half facetious when I say that.
NDSU students come with the tools to learn.
They are as well prepared by the secondary schools as any students in any region of the country. And our students are just plain good kids. They are people of honesty and integrity. They respect their families and communities. And they revere education and what it can do for them.