Getting into your preferred college is one thing, but succeeding in a college is another thing.  Students from families, schools or countries where reading is not a culture or a requirement struggle very much when they start reading, especially at a college level. In fact, these struggles begin before you enter college because you will need to show your skill as a writer through college application essays and your essay will be stronger if you can support your ideas with examples from your reading.

Succeeding at a college requires an array of skills, and reading tops them. Some students retake classes, others, despite having had their letters of admission or even scholarships, end up suspending or dropout because they are unable to deal with a lot of reading materials they are required to read. Since many college classes require students to respond in writing to what they read, or discuss a book they read, reading skill at college is not optional. However, many students are unfamiliar with the content and topics addressed in various academic disciplines or the career path to which the disciplines lead. Reading extensively helps you to become a better reader and writer.  At college, it seems like the list of writing assignments is endless. Most colleges aim at equipping you with the ability to write and express yourself well.  Don’t be surprised if even your math class requires some type of regular writing assignment. You are going to read and write more and more from your classroom assignments, exams, research proposals, dissertation, to publications. For this reason, it is advisable to start reading on a variety of topics when you are younger in order to enrich your lexical resource. Remember the larger your vocabulary, the less time you will need to comprehend unfamiliar words and complete your assignments and meet the deadlines.

Students are expected to read longer, more difficult authentic readings on interesting academic topics that represent the array of interests in a classroom, so they need to have a culture of reading and develop a set of reading skills such as predicting, questioning, skimming, scanning, inferring, and evaluating how the material is organized, what and how ideas are presented and supported. They need strategies to understand difficult material, SQ3R, and understanding the author’s goals.

Benefits of regular reading:

♦Improves brain connectivity

♦Increases your vocabulary and comprehension

♦Helps to understand your own feelings, ideas, opinions and of others

♦Aids in sleep readiness

♦Reduces stress

♦Lowers blood pressure and heart rate

♦Prevents cognitive decline as you age

♦Develops your critical – thinking skills to form opinions and make value judgments

♦Heals us emotionally

♦Helps us understand society and live our life fully

Briefly,reading is a fundamental life skill. Literacy skills open our lives to opportunities and help us in acquiring skill necessary for success in work, school and life.