What Studying Is All About

As you read the Christopher Sorrentino piece, you'll need to develop the kind of study skills that you're going to use in college. When you encounter a word you don't know, you'll need to use all your available tools to figure it out. Use contextual clues, breaking the word down into parts, your knowledge of Latin-based languages, and your familiarity with cultural references to understand the meaning of the sentences and paragraphs that you are reading. You may also need to use a dictionary. Remember: the task is to FULLY understand what you are reading, not merely to get the general gist or sense of it.

When you get to college you will be sitting next to students who read The New York Times or literature on its level on a regular basis. It is not enough to just get a sense of what is being given to you. In order to really do well, you need to make it your business to fully understand what you're reading. You cannot really talk or write about what you have read unless you fully understand it. It's that simple! So use this exercise to develop those reading skills that you're going to need in college. Do whatever it takes to understand the reading material that's given to you. It may take more time, but you'll find it's more satisfying and rewarding than skimming, skipping, and not really "getting it". You'll understand your classes better, and you'll do better in school. It's what studying is all about.