Fall term I only took one class, which was one day a week for 3 hours. So I had plenty of time to get assignments completed. Now, in Winter Term, I am taking a full load. I just started last week, and since Monday is a holiday, I don't have classes again until Wednesday. So this give me some time to get caught up, and maybe even get ahead. But my quetion for you guys is, does reading speed increase as you get used to the ammount of reading in college? Becuse right now it is taking me forever to read stuff out of my text books.
Sort of, at least. I don't know whether reading speed in terms of words-per-minute or whatever increases that dramatically, but you learn how to skim most of it while still picking out the important stuff. So you may still be reading the same number of words per min., but you get thru the chapter or article more quickly because you don't get so bogged down reading all of the details that the prof is not likely to expect you to recall.
it really depends on the individual. i'm a rather intelligent and bright person with a vocabulary larger than your average hood rat's, but i'm still a pretty slow reader. mostly its my attention span that causes trouble, i'm easily bored or distracted. and i'll read something without comprehending sometimes, and halfway through a sentence or paragraph or something i'll realise i have no fucking clue what it's about, even if i know all the words and know what it all means, so i'll end up rereading it. my attention span can get bad enough that i may have to read a paragraph all the way through three or four times before it sinks in, if its a particularly ADD-ish day....
Yeah, nesta...that's me. :d I get all distracted by stuff going on around me, then sometimes I realize I don't know what I'm reading. I hope I learn to skim the the reading for important stuff soon...beacuse all this reading is going to drive me crazy. :d But, at least it's not super, super, boring stuff...I'd be totally screwed if there wasn't at like some little tid-bit of something to peak my interest every now and then. Maybe I should get books on tape or something.
Speed and comprehension often improve with practice. However, many students seem to be unwilling to risk it.
I dunno about it actually increasing. I had a rather good rate when I started college. I do know, however, I've learned what is important and what is just random stuff I won't ever need. That's the hard part, figuring out what is actually important... kinda like life in general...
Well...You Sure learn Something New Every Day... I Have the Most Annying Habit of Reading a Word at the End of a Sentence Over and Over For Whatever Reason... But I Could Sure Use a Boost in my Slow Reading...
for sure take a speed reading class and learn how to get a photographic memory and school will be gravy for you except in forgein language classes where those techniques do not work
Different students are going to have different reasons. I think that some people come to college without good reading skills or realistic ideas of how much reading college is going to require.
Do you think it is very important for people to be students and educate themselves in school? i'd like to have a career that i like and not worry about supporting myself or potential family. however it seems through my grades and actions that i do not care very much for my subjects. i feel unmotivated, unmotivated even to motivate myself. do you know how to change this?
okedoke - here's the scoop. Basically, it is not the speed you read at that is the issue. It's the speed at which you retain the information, and comprehend the meaning (if you catch my drift.) I guess I'm a bit of a professional here - I'm a librarian, actually. (yep, and I even look over the top of my glasses at people.) Reading because you have to, and reading because you want to - are two entirely different things. That being said, reading is a skill that can be developed, and improved upon. College is a little late to start - but better late than never. Textbooks are a chore - they're dry and boring, and often put you to sleep. The very worst thing about them - is that they're often not good writing. Now - my father's a writer (author) and I come from that kind of literary background, and as a librarian, I am constantly researching about 47 different topics of interest (all at the same time.) Here's how it's done. Supposing the topic is about as interesting as a dentist's convention (as far as the textbook is concerned.) Suppose you find an author who writes about this topic and really makes it come alive...well, then - that particular bit of writing is an important resource. The trick is knowing where to look. Professors and librarians are often helpful resources for this. If you learn how to do this yourself - you can literally research your own source material. But this might all be a complete wet blanket - if books themselves don't engage you. Think of it this way: A book is a very private and intimate conversation between an author and yourself. It is a one-on-one experience. You don't have to share it with an audience. (are they laughing, crying, screaming, booing, etc.?) You get to pick your own responses. And you are invited to call upon your own imagination (unless the book is filled with pictures.) I can tell you this.... I read a lot of economics, social sciences, politics - basic humanities stuff. And there are an absolute gazzillion boring horrible gawdawful disgusting musty old tomes filling endless library bookshelves, cluttering up the universe...on all these, and related topics. But there are also many brilliant works, written by authors who aren't afraid to entertain their readers. (I mean humor, passion, wit, charm, and no end of memorable phrases and gorgeous use of language.) The trick is to find them. My father taught me a little lesson when I was in high school. Pick up a book related to your course of study - perhaps one with an intriguing title. Open it up to any page. Read a paragraph. How does it scan? Does it make sense? Is the author speaking in a universally understandable language? Or is he (or she) writing for the comprehension level of approximately half a dozen other academic nitpickers on the planet? If it is the latter - drop it like a hot and very cranky rattlesnake. If it is the former - well then, cleave the sucker to your palpitating bosom; it is the real goods, a treasure! Believe me - books like that are not rare. I've got half a library full of them. (The other half of the library is full of...................the other kind.) Think of reading as a particular skill - like learning how to tippy-toe across a tighrope 90 feet high. Believe me - those highwire walkers didn't learn how to do that in their spare time, while downloading I-Tunes. They probably spent half their natural waking hours learning the stuff. (Of course - there is an extreme motivation - self-preservation.) Well, college is kinda like that these days, is it not? Remind yourself that somewhere in your little doggie heart is some of that natural born insatiable curiosity, left over from the days you wore a size-two shoe. When you can look at the cover of a book, and be just itchin' to find out what's inside the thing, you'll be on the right track. That's the trade-off, really. They give you the degree, diploma, certificate...and all the goodies that go along with it. In return, you wrap your brain around endless printed matter (and give up the time it takes to do that.) The rewards will be greater than you can now imagine. Best of luck to you! later-
I take 6 classes each semester. My reading speed has increased. What I do is smoke a bowl and chillax with my books in a park or relaxing place to study. it's all about the location that u pick to study. I can't study at my house because my family is on the loud side. if i do study at home it takes me longer to get through the material.
i used to buy the notes of A-students from the year before and study from those. then i didnt have to do as much textbook reading, i could concentrate on the important stuff. of course that doesnt work for writing thesis papers, but it helps a bit in some areas.
When I started uni I was heaps enthusiastic and read EVERYTHING. I got faster at reading... then I got lazy. Last year I read almost nothing, strangely it didnt seem to make a difference.
