So many times students ask me what to expect in college. These discussions are usually great. We talk about life on campus vs. commuting. We talk about freedoms and responsibilities. We also talk about study habits and work load. Reading in college is sometimes different than other reading experiences. However, I must add that all of the reading strategies, such as text connections and questioning, are essential for successful college reading.

Types of College Reading

Students in college read textbooks, paperback books, library books, magazine and journal articles, lab manuals, class handouts, syllabi (an instructor’s itinerary of the course and his or her expectations and policies), and of course the dreaded test questions.

The following are some strategies that may be useful for the above types of reading. It’s important to note that these strategies are beneficial not only for college reading, but also for reading at any level! Over the past few years I have tried to incorporate many of these strategies into my own classroom. I have also discovered that my own children’s (elementary aged) teachers are also using these same strategies. That really makes me realize that good readers – no matter what age – share the same characteristics.

Pre-Reading Strategies

• Decide where to read. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Maybe not. Imagine yourself in a dorm room where one of your room mates is playing a guitar and the other is talking on the phone. Or imagine yourself at home where your kid brother is  wrestling around with his buddies or the dog keeps barking at squirrels. You MUST find a place that is quiet and free from distractions.
• Have a high-lighter and writing materials with you.
• Ask yourself what the purpose of the reading is. Is it to study for a test or because you need to read critically for an assignment? Reading critically is slower and more intense.
• Identify the subject of your reading and call up any prior knowledge that you have on that topic. You can do this in your head or jot it down in your notes.  
• Ask yourself a question that you think will be answered in the chapter or the article or manual.

As You Read

• Monitor your comprehension as you read. Do this frequently. See if you can say to yourself what you have learned.   Write in the margins of each paragraph the main idea of the section of writing.

• Twelve clues to main ideas:

1. Titles, heads and subheads announce major ideas.
2. Purpose sentences – look in the first paragraph for a sentence that states what the rest of the text will be about.
3. Pre-outline – look for lists of ideas that will be developed.
4. Topic sentences state the subject and focus for the rest of the discussion.
5. Italics is sometimes used (as well as boldface) to make ideas stand out.
6. Repetition of a key word or phrase is a signal that something is important.
7. Questions invite readers to look for answers that are often a major topic.
8. Numbering (like I’m doing here) is important to take note of.
9. Visuals like pictures, graphs, and diagrams are often used to highlight main ideas.
10. Details that use examples and statistics always signify that a main idea is being proved or developed.
11. Organizational patterns such as comparisons and cause and effect are used to develop main ideas.
12. Summaries restate the main ideas in brief form.

Okay, this is your chance to mark up the book and not get into trouble for it. After all, you own it! Make connections and ask questions as you read and write those connections and questions in the margins of your text as your read.

After You Read: How in the heck do you remember all that stuff?

Some of the things in this section are kind of embarrassing, but I am willing to share them with you – the very caring and non-judgmental reader.

I ask myself, what did I do in college to remember information for a test? Well the first thing I did was review all of my highlighting, and margin writings and ramblings. Then I reviewed all of my notes. Then I would ask others (primarily my very kind roomie) to ask me questions regarding my notes. But sometimes this was just not enough.

For example, I remember very well a science class that I took my sophomore year in college. Science was and is not my thing. Although I have a great appreciation for scientists, I always felt sort of lost. I would find it fascinating but then not be able to remember the information for the test. So, it will come as no surprise that I dreaded taking the required science class. I chose earth science thinking that this surely would be easier than any of the other sciences and this would also ensure that I would not have to dissect anything. Let me say that this class was HARD. There was so much that had to be memorized. I screamed inside – and out loud too!

Here is what I did to memorize information on all of the stratifying layers of rock. I took the theme song of the cartoon The Flintstones and changed the words to include each layer of rock. It went something like (and I apologize for all of you earth science lovers if I’m not remembering it quite correctly), “Sandstone. Meet the Sandstone. It’s a quartzite kind of family . . . ” You get the point.

It worked! I probably looked like a psycho during the test, mumbling this song to myself on that portion of the test, but I did quite well for myself! And hey, I don’t see those people anymore anyway.  

Another strategy I used to remember concepts was to relate them to people or events (again making connections!). For example, let’s say that I had learned the concept of isolationism. A good way for me to remember what isolationism means is to associate it with my Aunt Janet who always keeps herself separated from the drama and goings on of other people in the family.  

Obviously, this stuff isn’t rocket science. But these are ideas that we sometimes forget about. I guess the point is to always make connections and ask questions about the things you learn. Try to make it fun. I remember this one time my friends were helping me study for a test in my world history class. They quizzed me as if they were interrogating me and I had to defend myself. They would yell things like, “And WHY did our troops invade that country in the first place?” And then I would yell out the answer as if I were in an argument about the whole thing. It sounds incredibly geeky but it was funny at the time and it really helped me remember these facts later when I had to analyze them on the test.

My point: Have fun with it!

*This list was adapted from Nancy V. Wood, College Reading and Study Skills, 5 th ed. (Fort Worth:   Harcourt Brace, 1996).