College and University Blog
Improving Your Reading Comprehension in College
We’ve all done it – read an article or chapter and not recall much of what we read. Scholarly reading is different than reading for enjoyment. Many students don’t recognize the difference and read everything like a novel. Scholarly reading requires critical reading skills. Critical reading means reading with the goal of finding deeper understanding of the material. It is the act of analyzing and evaluating what you are reading while you are reading it or as you reflect back on what you read.
In order to improve reading skills, you have to improve your overall knowledge. Reading comprehension is more than just understanding the words written on the page. It entails understanding the references and concepts made in the reading. This is a great reason to take a variety of classes in a variety of subject areas. The more you know, the more your reading skills will improve.
Some of your classes may require more reading than others. Regardless of the amount of reading required, stay on top of it. Don