The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-08-05

Open LETTER TO
H. S. GRADUATES
Bottineau, North Dakota,
August 2, 1920.
TO students who have recently been
graduated from high schools.
The Forestry State Normal School
at Bottineau, besides being normal
school and a business college, is also
a Junior college," A junior college is
one giving the first two years Of col
lege work. After taking our junior
college work, you can complete your
college course and receive your de-
gree in two more years. Our students
are now studying at the University
Of North Dakota, Minnesota, Califor-
MIA, and other higher institutions
where they receive full credit for ev-
cry bit Of work taken here. The jun
ior college movement is new devel-
opment not perhaps fully understood.
Educators of first rank today tell us
that the first two years Of college are
really high. school work and belong
TO the>high school period and should
be provided near home as much as
possible. Therefore junior colleges are
being added to the four year high
school courses in cities that can af-
ford the expense. California, one Of
our leading states in education, has
some thirty junior colleges. Minneso-
ia has several. One has been estab-
lished at Hibbing in the iron range
where there is plenty of money for
the purpose. The universities say they
prefer not to be burdened with. the
great numbers of Freshmen and
Sophomores and prefer to have that
work done before the students come
to them for the advanced work. It is
understood by everyone that young
people at the age of graduation from
the high school are better off in ev-
cry way to be in school near home
for year or two longer. Furthermore
it is financially very advantageous. To
prepare for the professions today re-
quires at least seven or eight years
beyond the high school. The student
who conserves his financial resources
during his earlier years will be better
able to attend higher and expensive
institutions far from home and get
the advanced work. It is the advanced
work that counts if one is to get any
where today. How foolish then to be
in hurry to get far from home for
the first two years and spend heavily.
There will be ample opportunity to
go to London or Liverpool and spend
ones money later in higher study.
Think where you will be ten years
from now with your education, rather
than of next year only. Then you will
hold in control your ardent and very
natural desire to travel, to get into
the big centers, and attend the big
schools. tits both good education and
good business to get these two re-
manning years of high school work at
nearby junior college if you are for
tunate enough to have one in your
part of the state. You will also be in
line with the progressive movement in
education. If you thoroughly under
stand this, you will be proud of the
fact that you are doing the sensible
thing. even though you have friends
who graduated before you who didn't
have the information this letter gives
you, and who went much farther from
home and spent their money much
faster than was necessary or best. If
you should chose to take your first
two years in your nearby junior col
lege, you may find someone who will
be surprised that you made such a
choice. You should be able to answer
any questions by saying that it is now
coming to be the fashion to complete
ones high school work before going
to more remote and more expensive
schools, that what you are doing is
strictly up to date, and that you dc
not believe in merely following trad.
ition. You will be launching new
custom and those who follow you in
later high school classes will follow
your example. If you will keep this
letter and go over it a number Of
times and assimiate it thoroughly,
am very confident Of the decision you
will ,,oake Yn1, will he indenendent il
your thinking and will do the progress
sive thing rather than merely follow
custom that has had its day.
II will be pleasure to answer any
inquiries from you at any time.
Very cordially yours,
Vernon L. Mangun,
" President
$ EMPLOYEES FROM
SAME COLLEGE