Reading is a huge part of college life, whether you’re preparing for exams, writing papers, or just keeping up with class materials. Being able to read well helps you understand complex concepts, retain key information, and think critically about what you’re learning. Without strong reading skills, navigating college-level texts can quickly become overwhelming.
In college, it’s not just about reading for the sake of it – you need to actively engage with what you're reading, analyze it, and apply it to your assignments. Many of the materials you’ll encounter, like textbooks, articles, and research papers, can be dense and challenging. But with the right strategies, you can turn this challenge into an opportunity to grow and thrive academically.
Developing good reading habits makes a big difference. It helps you manage your workload, grasp difficult concepts, and retain important details, making college life a lot less stressful. With the right skills, you’ll be more confident and efficient, ready to tackle any reading challenge that comes your way.
Resources for Before and After College
What is College Level Reading?
In college, the types of reading materials are much more varied than in high school. You’ll read textbooks with complex concepts, scholarly articles diving deep into specialized topics, and research papers that require critical thinking. Each type of material demands a different approach—textbooks often cover foundational knowledge, while research papers may ask you to evaluate arguments. Adapting your reading strategies to these different formats will help you navigate your coursework more effectively.
You’ll also notice the volume of reading increases significantly in college. Unlike high school, where assignments were manageable, college reading can feel constant and overwhelming. Multiple chapters, articles, and research papers across different courses can add up quickly. Staying organized, prioritizing assignments, and breaking up your reading into manageable chunks will help you stay on track and avoid falling behind.
One of the biggest challenges is balancing speed with comprehension. In college, you need to read a lot quickly, but it’s not just about finishing—understanding is key. Speed reading can help with skimming, but for complex ideas, you’ll need to take time to process the material. Finding a balance between reading efficiently and fully grasping the content is crucial for success.
Why is Reading so Important for College Students?
Reading is crucial for college success. Unlike high school, where memorization may be emphasized, college requires deeper understanding and critical thinking. Almost every class, assignment, and exam relies on the material you read, whether it's textbooks, articles, or research papers. Strong reading skills help you engage in class, participate in discussions, and write informed papers.
Reading also enhances your analytical skills. As you analyze different viewpoints and evidence, you’ll learn to think critically and form your own conclusions. This is essential in fields like humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, where complex material is key to learning and problem-solving.
Additionally, effective reading helps with time management. With the large volume of material, reading efficiently allows you to absorb information quickly and balance multiple assignments. In college, reading isn’t just about completing tasks—it’s about gaining the knowledge and skills needed to succeed.
Are High School Graduates Prepared for College Reading?
Recent data indicates that many high school graduates are not fully prepared for the reading demands of college. In 2023, only 21% of students met all four ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores, highlighting a significant gap in preparedness.
This lack of readiness often results in students enrolling in remedial courses. Nationally, approximately 40% of students at public two-year colleges and 25% at public four-year colleges have taken remedial courses at some point in their postsecondary education.
The situation is even more challenging for underserved students, including minorities, first-generation college students, and those from low-income backgrounds. Less than 25% of these students demonstrate readiness for college-level coursework, underscoring the need for targeted support to bridge this gap.
Tips and Strategies for Improving Your Reading Skills
What Parents Can Do
Whether you went to college or not, you know that your college-bound child is going to experience a significant increase in the difficulty of their classwork. A large part of their preparation for university-level classes is in developing appropriate reading skills such as comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency.
Your child needs to be able to read well and decode what they are reading, even when it is beyond anything they’ve read before. It will help if they can read quickly, due to the volume of reading assignments they will receive. They need a vocabulary that enables them to understand, communicate well, and understand through context. Consider using some of the following tips to improve your child’s reading before they leave for college.
- You can help your child build their vocabulary by encouraging them to ask about new words they come across. Make learning fun by playing word games together and having more conversations at home using more complex language. Keep plenty of age-appropriate books and magazines around that challenge them to grow their reading skills. Encourage them to jot down unfamiliar words and look them up later. Make reading for fun a priority—whether it’s Harry Potter or classic books by Louisa May Alcott, they’ll find new words along the way. Visit the library together to make it an enjoyable outing, and explore other fun educational activities like museum exhibits, plays, and historical sites to spark their curiosity.
- Before college, it’s important that your child can fully understand what they read. They should be able to explain the main ideas and details of a passage. One great way to support them is by reading the same books, so you can discuss the chapters and what they’re learning. Encourage them to read more actively by jotting down key words or characters, especially if they’re using library books. Also, make sure they have a quiet space for reading, away from distractions like the TV or computer. A peaceful environment can really help improve reading comprehension.
- Your college-bound child should be fluent in reading, meaning they can read smoothly without stumbling over words. A great exercise for this is repeated reading—read a paragraph or page to them, then have them read it aloud back to you. Keep practicing until they can read it easily. Another fun method is “echo reading.” You read one or two lines from a favorite book, and then they repeat it, trying to mimic your expression. This helps build fluency and memorization of new words.
- You can help your child personalize what they’re reading by encouraging them to connect the material to their own life. This makes it easier to understand the content. One idea is to have them jot down connections in a notebook. Another great exercise is to think about how the material relates to current events. For example, if they’re reading about how young people have influenced society, they could compare it to what today’s youth are doing. This approach boosts comprehension and makes reading more meaningful.
- A great way for your child to build college-level reading skills is by highlighting key information as they read. Make sure this is done in a personal book, not a school or library book. They can also write notes in the margins (annotation) to stay engaged with the material and boost comprehension. If they come across a question or new word, they should jot it down to look up later. This process helps them connect more deeply with the text and understand it better.
- Encourage your child to look for themes as they read. This will help them engage more deeply with the material. Ask them to share what they found to identify the theme, so they can think more critically about it. Also, suggest breaking the reading into smaller sections. By tackling one section at a time, they'll better retain what they're learning and feel more confident about understanding complex topics.
- Reading aloud with your child can be helpful at any age. It gives them a chance to ask questions if they don’t understand a word or passage. When they come across something new, have them look it up themselves to help them remember it better. Take breaks while reading to check in on their understanding. If the book has discussion questions, work through them together to help your child practice reviewing and analyzing the text. And remind your child that it’s always okay to ask questions—they might learn something new!
- When students start college, they're likely to come across words they’ve never seen before. It’s a good idea to start adding new words to students vocabulary early. If they know their likely major, they can begin focusing on the terms they'll encounter in that field. Soon enough, they'll be reading textbooks with plenty of unfamiliar words. Whenever they find one, they should jot it down and look it up!
Reading Improvement Strategies
Improving your reading skills for college requires intentional practice and the adoption of specific strategies that help enhance both speed and comprehension. Below are some effective strategies that can help you become a more efficient and engaged reader:
- Preview the Material Before diving into a reading assignment, spend a few minutes skimming the material. Look at headings, subheadings, bolded terms, and any summaries or conclusions. This gives you a roadmap of the main ideas and structure, allowing you to read with purpose and anticipate the key points as you go.
- Use Active Reading Techniques
Active reading involves engaging with the material, not just passively absorbing it. Highlight important concepts, underline key definitions, and take notes while reading. Write down questions or thoughts in the margins to maintain focus and to help solidify your understanding of the material.
- Break Down Complex Texts
Complex texts can be overwhelming, but breaking them down into smaller, more manageable sections can make them easier to understand. Focus on reading one paragraph or section at a time. If a section is particularly challenging, reread it and summarize the main points in your own words before moving on.
- Build Vocabulary and Contextual Understanding
Expanding your vocabulary is crucial for understanding academic texts. When you come across unfamiliar words, look them up and try to understand them in context. Over time, you will become more comfortable with complex academic language and improve your overall comprehension of the material.
By consistently applying these strategies, you will not only improve your reading speed but also your ability to retain and understand the information more effectively, leading to better academic performance in college.