K20 Orientation Week: Not just listening, new students are given the opportunity to ask questions, speak, and engage in debate.

What will university life be like? What experiences are there outside of class? When should we start thinking about work? If we don't know what we want, where should we begin? During their first days at Dai Nam University (DNU), the K20 cohort brought with them many questions. Therefore, the orientation week was not just a one-way information session. It was also a space for students to ask questions, express their thoughts, voice their misunderstandings and concerns, and even share different perspectives, with the university directly listening and engaging in discussions. This is also how DNU aims to foster an open university culture from the very beginning: respecting the voices of students and encouraging critical thinking.

K20 members are not just allowed to listen; they have the right to ask questions.

Transitioning from high school to university is not just about changing the way we learn. Students enter an environment where they must gradually become responsible for their own choices and personal growth. Therefore, Orientation Week should not be just a series of "School talks - students listen."

Through training sessions, K20 students are provided with essential information about the training program, learning methods, regulations, student life, experiential activities, psychological support, career guidance, employment opportunities, and resources that the university offers to students.

But the more important value lies in the opposite direction: Students are given the opportunity to ask questions of the university. They can express what they don't understand, voice their concerns as freshmen, share their aspirations, raise issues, and engage in direct discussions with those in charge.

There are very specific questions. There are questions that seem small but are actually the real anxieties of a student entering university for the first time. And there are also questions that force administrators to re-evaluate their organizational methods, how they provide information, and how they support students. Being asked and being listened to is also an integral part of higher education.

ASK ABOUT LEARNING TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR EDUCATION

"What will studying be like at university?"

Behind that seemingly simple question lies a huge shift from the way we learn in high school to the way we learn at university.

K20 students received clarification on the training program, learning methods, resource utilization, time management, and available support resources during their studies. However, the important thing is not just for them to "know how to study."

Students need to understand that university requires proactiveness: knowing how to seek knowledge, knowing how to ask questions, knowing how to identify what they don't know, and gradually taking responsibility for their own abilities.

Therefore, following the question "How do I study at university?" comes a bigger question: "What will I do to make my university years truly create value for my future?"

ASK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES TO UNDERSTAND THAT UNIVERSITY IS MORE THAN JUST LECTURE HALLS

"What do I get out of school?"

The answer doesn't lie in a long list of activities. Clubs, competitions, community activities, extracurricular programs, or practical experiences are only meaningful when they allow students to do real work, interact with others, collaborate, handle situations, and take responsibility for their work.

A club can help students discover their interests. A competition can help them realize their abilities. A community service activity can change their perspective on responsibility. A practical experience can give students a deeper understanding of their chosen field of study.

Experience is therefore not a "marginal" part of university. It is an integral part of the competency-building process.

ASK ABOUT JOBS SO YOU DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOUR FINAL YEAR TO THINK ABOUT A CAREER

"What do businesses look for in a graduate?" This isn't just a question for the K20 cohort, but a legitimate concern for any young person entering university.

Specialized knowledge remains fundamental. However, foreign languages, digital skills, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability are increasingly crucial for entering the professional world. Therefore, job prospects cannot wait until the final year.

From their first year, students can begin with concrete actions: mastering their major, improving their foreign language skills, enhancing their technological capabilities, participating in experiential learning, exploring career paths, and gradually approaching businesses.

Ask questions about the future early enough to allow sufficient time to answer them with action.

Even if you don't know what you want, you have the right to say it.

Not every freshman enters university with a complete four-year plan. Some choose a major because they love it. Some are influenced by their families. Some still don't really know what career they want to pursue. That's perfectly normal at age 18.

A responsible university should not immediately give students an answer about their future, but rather create an environment where they can try, experience, make mistakes, adjust, and gradually understand themselves.

From there, "I don't know what I want" can gradually transform into: "What am I suited for?" "What do I need to be good at?" "What skills am I lacking?" "And where can I start today?"

BEING TALKING – BEING LISTENED TO – BEING ABLE TO CRITICIZE: PART OF UNIVERSITY CULTURE

Perhaps this is the value that needs to be preserved after Integration Week. Universities should not create students who are only accustomed to accepting what is readily available. A truly meaningful university environment should encourage learners to ask questions, express their opinions, listen to differing viewpoints, and critically analyze information with logic, data, and a constructive spirit.

Therefore, the questions from K20 students are not meant to "challenge" the instructors. On the contrary, the more genuine questions and sharing there are, the more opportunities the university has to understand its students. Some questions help students learn more about DNU, while others help DNU learn more about its students.

This is a two-way relationship necessary in a student-centered environment: the school guides but also listens; students are empowered but must also learn to take responsibility for their voices and choices. Openness does not mean saying anything at all. Critical thinking is not opposition. The values that universities need to cultivate are the ability to dare to ask – and know how to ask; to dare to speak – and know how to speak; to have independent opinions but to respect differences.

AS THE INTEGRATION WEEK CLOSES, THE CULTURE OF QUESTIONING NEEDS TO BE PRESERVED FOREVER.

A week is not enough to answer all "1001 questions" from college years. And there's no need to answer them all.

The important thing is that after the first week, K20 students know what kind of learning environment they are in, what resources are available, what opportunities are there to gain experience, and when they don't understand something, disagree with something, or need support, they have the right to ask questions and know where to turn for help.

The coming years will bring many new questions: about expertise, skills, friendships, love, internships, jobs, right and wrong choices, and even moments of self-doubt.

The school cannot provide ready-made answers to all those questions. But the school can create an environment that is open enough for students to dare to ask, respectful enough for them to dare to speak, safe enough for differing opinions to be heard, and practical enough for them to verify the answers through their own experiences.

The K20 orientation week has come to an end. What remains is not just the information students have heard, but the habit of asking questions, a critical spirit, and the belief that their voices are respected. This is also an important part of a university student's journey to maturity.