Reading for College Classes: Different Strategies for Different Books

If you want to succeed freshman year, then you will need to develop effective habits and strategies to enable you make the most of your assigned readings.

By Connor Daniels — October 3, 2022

Tags: books, classes, college life, reading, strategy

Reading for College Classes: Different Strategies for Different Books

You probably think you don't need someone to teach you how to read—after all, you're reading this article, right? But you might be surprised to hear that half of college freshman are not proficient readers, and fewer than half of college students complete their assigned readings. That's a major problem, since some researchers have estimated that 85% of learning in college comes from independent reading. Freshman who are not accustomed to managing lengthy reading assignments and analyzing challenging texts may find their first semester more difficult than they expected, and even students who are confident in their high reading comprehension scores might find college-level reading to be a rude awakening.

If you want to succeed freshman year, then you will need to develop effective habits and strategies to enable you make the most of your assigned readings.

Setting the Stage—Environments for Focus

The first step to improving your reading comprehension in college is to find an environment that will enable you to be productive. Not every reading assignment is the same, and you shouldn't assume that you will always get your best work done in the same place. When you're struggling to get the motivation to read a dull introductory assignment, try setting up a study group with friends at a local coffee shop. It probably won't be the most productive time, but it's better to make progress than not study. On the other hand, if you're working through a detailed or complex text for a challenging course, it might be better to find a quiet, distraction-free study environment. A table in the library or an empty classroom often works well.

The Key to Productive Reading—Annotation

Once you've found your favorite study spot, make sure you have a pen or pencil in hand when you begin reading. When your high school English teacher recommended annotating while you read, she was on to something-taking notes can help to keep you actively engaged instead of passively scanning over the words. In addition, your annotations will become a valuable aid to your memory when it comes time to answer a question in class, review for an exam, or find supporting quotations for a paper.

It helps to have a few basic tools under your belt for effective annotating. The following suggestions from a Mortimer Adler's classic, How to Read a Book, should get you started:

Use underlining to highlight critical points of the text's argument.
Use vertical lines in the margin to draw attention to an important passage too lengthy to be underlined.
Use circling to indicate key terms, names, or dates.
Use an occasional star or asterisk in the margin to mark the most important statements in the text.
Use numbers in the margin to list a sequence of points made by the author.
Use page numbers in the margin to cross-reference the passage with a related passage in the same book.
Use writing in the margin to record your questions, develop your objections to the argument, or condense a more complicated passage into a simpler form.

You might also develop your symbols or color coding system to indicate information helpful for particular purposes, such as for a paper you will write. Don't be afraid to experiment with new techniques (or discard old ones) as you figure out what works best for you.

Strategy 1: PRR

Beyond these universal tools, the reading strategy you adopt should differ depending on the kind of reading you have to do. For textbooks and other secondary source handouts that offer background information, you might consider adopting a strategy called PRR.

First, preview. Before you begin reading, take some time to glance at the chapter title, table of contents, section headings, and conclusion to determine in advance what the thesis of the reading will likely be and how to organize its information. This determination will help you to remember the details of the reading by allowing you to fit them into the big picture from the beginning. If you think that a particular section of the reading is likely to be more important based on this preview, spend proportionately more time there.

Second, read the assignment from beginning to end. Take notes as you go along, and mark passages that you don't understand with a question mark so that you can re-read them later or ask your professor during class.

Third, recall. At the end of the reading, take a few moments to remember as much as you can from the passage. Then write a single-sentence summary in your own words.

Strategy 2: Close Reading

If you are assigned a particularly challenging text, like a "great book" for a core humanities class, you should expect to devote more time to unpacking the details of the text as you read. Often this requires a second or third reading of the text. Use the first reading to determine what the passage is about in general and what specific claims or observations the author is making. Then, use the second (or third or fourth) reading to drill down into the details. Ask yourself questions such as—What is the significance of this adjective? Why did the author choose this word rather than this other one? How are these ideas connected in the text?

Although it takes time and practice, such detailed attention will eventually turn insights into the passage as a whole that went unnoticed on your first reading or help you pick up on themes more rapidly when you approach a new text. If you want to learn from a complex text, reading it well will be well worth the effort.

Strategy 3: Skimming for Research

There is a season and time for everything, including the controversial practice of "skimming." While you should avoid reading without paying attention and never attempt to "skim" a great book, it is sometimes helpful to focus on only the parts of a text that serve a very narrow purpose. Effective skimming means searching for relevant data in a focused way—not reading lazily or without attention to the material. For example, skimming can be useful when seeking secondary sources for a paper or obtaining background information in an encyclopedia.

As with the PRR method, skimming starts with a preview of the author's abstract, conclusion, and section headings. If it doesn't look like the article will be helpful, move on, but if you think there might be something useful, it's time to skim. Read the beginning and end of each section and the first sentence of each paragraph to obtain the substance of the author's argument. Take special note of the author's methodology (if there is one), important source material, and relevant conclusions. Often, you may find that only a page or two is beneficial for your purposes, and once you've found the information you're looking for, you can move on to other sources.

As with most life skills, productive reading takes practice. None of these strategies fit all approaches, so taking time to figure out what helps you to read effectively will help you accomplish specific assignments and set you up for success throughout your years in college. No matter what strategy you choose, reading actively and asking questions about the text will help you to make the most of your college reading.

Connor Daniels

Connor Daniels teaches humanities to 7th through 12th grade students at Bloomfield Christian School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. In 2021, he graduated summa cum laude from Hillsdale College with a degree in history and politics.

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