More than once, Tabetha Adkins has heard students say they never read an entire book before attending college, and she has witnessed the challenges many have faced engaging with college reading.
“I think it’s often a shock to our students — the difference and what was expected of them in high school and what’s expected of them in college,” says Adkins, senior associate vice president for student success and dean of University College at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. “It’s one of the big things we hear about with the transition and what makes it difficult.”
There are numerous ways for high school students to prepare for college-level reading, experts say.
Build Reading Stamina
It may help to read scholarly articles before college, Adkins says.
Shawn Fagan, assistant vice provost for enrollment management-student success at Temple University in Pennsylvania, recommends reading a novel.
“Maybe build your reading stamina before you get to college,” Fagan says. “Set a small goal, and say, ‘I’m going to set a goal this summer and read one book cover to cover.'”
Students should experiment to figure out their reading preferences, Adkins says.
Fagan, who was an athlete in high school, says his mother would buy him books on sports to encourage him to read.
“I was big into sports, and she would always buy me books, thinking if it were sports-related I would read it. I didn’t,” Fagan says. “I went to college not prepared to read at the college level to be able to synthesize information and to have those skill sets. I can’t remember in high school reading a book cover to cover.”
[READ: What to Do in High School to Prepare for College.]
Know Your Best Setting for Reading
Adkins says students might want to see if they read better in silence or with background noise. Do they need to go to the library? Do they read better at a table or a desk, or on a couch?
“They need to figure out some preferences and experiment with different sorts of situations to support the reading,” Adkins says. “I think they have to experiment with what’s right for them in order to find something that works because we are having to process reading a different way than we did in high school.”
Understand the Purpose of a Reading
Students should also consider why they are being assigned a specific reading, Adkins says.
“You read differently if you’re going to be tested on the material, or if you’re going to have to apply the material,” she says.
Manage Time Well
Time management is a must in successfully making the leap to college reading, experts say.
“The one thing that works is when students get out a calendar or planner or use their Google calendar and really schedule time to do the reading,” Adkins says.
[READ: 4 Tips for College Success]
Students should look at their weekly schedule, review each course’s syllabus and consider how they will set apart study time. This type of planning will allow students to complete reading assignments in sections rather than one sitting, says Keelin Yenney, associate director of student learning and success in the Tutoring & Academic Success Center at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.
“They need to remember that you don’t have to read it all at once,” Yenney says. “You can break it up in chunks and sections and honestly, for our memory and long-term retention, it’s better to break things up instead of trying to slog through 100 pages at once.”
Read Actively
Using active reading strategies such as highlighting and taking notes will help students better understand the more-complex reading they will encounter in college, experts say.
Avoid the mindset of “just trying to read these 25 or 50 pages just to get through it,” Fagan says. “Approach it with the strategy, ‘I’m looking to get something out of this.’ So, it could mean skimming it first if it’s a textbook. Looking at bold lettering, some key definitions and breaks in the text. Familiarize yourself with the landscape of what you’re about to read.”
Yenney recommends SQ3R — survey, question, read, recite and review — a strategy that includes surveying the text by looking at the title, subtitles, introduction and concluding paragraphs, and bold-type words; asking questions about your purpose for reading the text; reading actively; reciting aloud or thinking through what you read; and reviewing to see if questions posed early in the reading were answered. American educational psychologist Francis P. Robinson introduced this method of reading comprehension and retention in 1946.
“It’s really to teach students that it’s not just about having your eyes glance over all of the text and calling that reading, but really approaching reading with a strategy and with a purpose,” Yenney says.
[READ: First-Year College Students: What You Need to Know to Succeed]
Seek Help When Struggling
If students find themselves struggling with readings, they could incorporate artificial intelligence tools after consulting with their teachers and the school’s AI policy, Yenney says.
That’s important in college, as well.
“I have seen students use AI to help better understand their class content — not to do the work for them, but to engage in the material differently or have it explained to them differently,” she says.
But ultimately, if a student is struggling with a reading, it’s always best to consult the teacher, Yenney adds.
“Your instructor is the content specialist, so if you’re struggling, have a conversation. Your instructor is a human being just like you. They want you to be successful in the course.”
Use School Resources
In addition to meeting with teachers, Fagan says students should use campus resources such as writing and tutoring centers.
“One of the hardest parts for students in this environment is asking for help,” Fagan says.
Adkins says the key for new college students is to be patient with themselves.
“I don’t want them to get discouraged when they see that first complicated text, and they read the same paragraph three times and felt like they have not absorbed anything,” Adkins says. “This happens, and you just have to experiment with what works for you in order to get through that.”
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7 Tips to Prepare for College Reading Assignments originally appeared on usnews.com
