Getting your education is the main goal when you are in college. The ability to study properly in college is the first step towards getting good results in education. In fact, reading assignments can be hectic regardless of your course and being capable of studying well is highly related to your ability to write well. For instance, you will find your lecturers skipping some topics and laying the burden on you to read on your own. Being able to understand written works after about one or two readings will save your time. Additionally, comprehending your readings can also assist you to respond to them more easily and with more precision during essay writing. For you to read more effectively, it is advisable that you do the following:
Start reading early– You will find education much easier when you give yourself enough reading time. For instance, reading a whole chapter of a huge biology textbook a day before the following lesson will be tire some and time consuming. Generally, it will not be that easy. In addition, it is not worth reading an entire textbook immediately you receive your course syllabus but make sure that you complete your readings a few days in advance to allow you read the assignments instead of skimming them.
Skim– Skimming is actually a good thing to do during your studies but do not do it when you are not reading – it is highly discouraged. An effective way to read is to skim through any reading material, be it a text, an article or test paper, as you note down vital vocabulary, opinions and concepts first then read and then skim again to get a proper review.
Understand vocabulary– Generally, if you find yourself not aware of the meaning of vocabularies in a certain reading, then you could be wasting your time for nothing. For instance, there are some words, which are contradicting, and you may find yourself being confused in a reading if you do not understand there meaning. Therefore, it is advisable that when you come across a difficult word, look it up in the dictionary. If necessary, write its meaning on a notebook and let it be around you.
Take notes– In order to retain data from your readings, take notes. Do it on a separate sheet of paper or type thoughts in a new document. These notes can be of good help to you when urgently preparing yourself for exams. Instead of reading the whole textbook, the notes will make it easier and you will be able to prepare yourself well enough within the shortest time possible for the exams.
Know when to stop– If you know you have a short attention span; do not waste your time by reading for extended periods or very late at night. Also, if you are getting bored when reading, stop for a whileto be mentally fresh instead of forcing yourself to complete what you are reading and maintain the few pages that you have already absorbed. Additionally, stop thinking about other things like how to play games and such, since they will not be of good help to you.
Reading is not hard, but we all know that if you play around with your reading hours, you will miserably fail. Make a point of giving yourself a schedule of reading, resting and refreshing yourself. That way, you will have less stress as you study.
