How Should College Students Read?

College is a time when a student’s life is overwhelmed by writing requirements and, more so, consumed by reading tasks. The ticking time bomb of deadlines is omnipresent. The hard-to-please professors are just waiting for another paper to return and another oral examinee to flunk. These are harsh realities in the life of college students, which can be made less hard and less complicated if they know how to read properly.

What is proper reading? How does one read like a professional? In what way, can college students be successful in their reading requirements? To answer these, here is a guidepost using the acronym READING.

Revisiting purposes and goals. When students are clear about the reasons why they are supposed to read a material, then they will know exactly how to treat such material. The aims they have in their minds will constantly remind them of the information they should look for. To be sure, their jobs will be easier if they just pick the necessary and remember few details. Using the 5 Ws (What, Who, When, Where and Why) and 1H (How) formula will help them in every respect of their reading activities.

Since reading is an indispensable component in language instruction at any level, college students need to understand that they are not only studying the language, using the language, and gaining content information, but also are obtaining cultural knowledge through an implicit immersion. This is especially most relevant today when the world has already become a village for educational and occupational exchanges.

Eradicating distractions. Proper reading requires the best environments for reading. A place where interruptions are at the minimal is conducive. Suitable lighting, adequate ventilation, negligible noise and an appropriate sitting position will provide ideal conditions for the serious reader. Aside from the physical obstructions, the person’s psychoemotional disturbances will also be detrimental to reading efficacy. In another vein, college readers should also be cautious about their peers or family members who may pose problems in their focus and drive. They should exert extra effort in keeping them at bay.

Assessing the text. A clever reader should know how to examine a material. College students can do this successfully by checking the dates of publication, the reputation of the publisher, the content pages and the resources available as reference. Any material that does not pass the standard of relevance, authenticity and accessibility may be readily rejected.

In evaluating, readers should get a preview and an overview of the material. They need to study the titles, the chapters, the section headings and photo captions. Illustrations and photographs also need to be scrutinized. The techniques of predicting outcomes and guessing from context will only work if these are done correctly.

Dictionary always ready. Those people with sufficient vocabulary reservoir have higher levels of reading efficacy than those with limitations in the ‘world of words.’ This indisputable fact rationalizes the use of context clues and other vocabulary enhancement strategies. No matter what, a college reader should invest in these prerequisites: a dictionary, a thesaurus and an encyclopedia. In college, the library is the holy grail, the hallowed ground and the serenest sanctum for those who seek salvation in reading.

Improving speed. Reading is, of course, not a game of speed. But, true to all of life’s endeavors, time is of utmost importance. Hence, the cliché: The battle is won by the fastest. To perk up reading cadence, experts introduced the concept of Speed Reading. It is a technique of training the eyes to move quickly across the page and to expand the word span in one fixation (4 to 5 words). So the question: If an average person reads at least 250 words per minute, how many words should a college student read with comprehension?

Preferably, however, college readers should know how to match their speed to the material they are reading. Study reading requires slower and closer reading, and re-reading, if possible. While for leisure reading, one may just breeze through the pages without worrying about an upcoming test.

Note taking. This study skill is here to stay forever. Underlining a word or highlighting an entire paragraph to mark the importance of information is extremely helpful for college readers. Some smart readers jot down ideas on a separate notebook, while others create graphic organizers (charts, diagrams, sketches, etc.) across the page they are reading. These techniques will not only actively engage the readers but also will make them have a record of their reading activities.

Grabbing anything to read. Whether it is reading for enlightenment or reading for entertainment, college students should make the habit of reading. They should establish a routine time to read. First, they will devour reading materials that stimulate their interest and satisfy their curiosity as a human being. Next, they should experiment on reading materials that would widen their cognitive horizons and would make them the so-called ‘well-read’ individuals. Lastly, they should just have to read on whatever topics related to their fields of specializations and future professions. If they know that what they are reading would be helpful to them in the future, then their reading motivation levels will rise.

Success in college entails success in reading. If success means happiness, then college students should just be happy about the opportunity given them to read a lot. Since reading should be an enjoyable experience, college students should find happiness in reading. Only then as if they are not reading at all. With this, college students are learning, traveling, loving, tasting and truly living.