14 1.0 Reading and Writing in College

Writing well is difficult. Even people who write for a living sometimes struggle to get their thoughts on the page. For people who do not like writing or do not think of themselves as good writers, college writing assignments can be stressful or intimidating.

But you cannot get through college without having to write–sometimes a lot and often at a higher level than you are used to. Educationally, you are moving into deeper waters. A good introductory writing course will help you swim.

Using this Textbook

Each chapter in this textbook is divided into sections. Each section begins with a green Preview box that lets you know what topics will be covered and ends with an orange Takeaways box that highlights important points to remember.

Red Tips boxes on the right side of the page provide interesting or helpful insights. Exercises in blue boxes will help you review the information presented. Supplemental information is available throughout the text to expand your understanding of the material:

• Blue underlined text is a link to outside materials. Click on it to view the material.
• Red text with a dotted underline is a link to a brief definition of the word.  Click on it to view the definition. (If you print this book, the full Glossary will be at the end.)
• Purple boxes contain graphics. Click on the camera icon to view a PowerPoint presentation, video, or image.

You can continue to read this text online throughout the term or you can download a PDF to your desktop for easy access. You can also print out a paper copy to read and annotate.

College vs. High School

In college, expectations change from what you may have experienced in high school. The quantity and quality of work increases. The table below summarizes some major differences between high school and college assignments.

Reading Strategies

Most discussions and writing assignments–from brief responses to in-depth research papers–will depend on your ability to understand what you read. Following are some strategies for getting the most out of assigned readings.

Planning

To handle college reading successfully, you need to manage your time and know your purpose. “Time management” includes setting aside enough time to complete work and breaking assignments into manageable chunks. If you are assigned a fifty-page chapter for next week’s class, don’t wait until the night before to start. Give yourself a few days and tackle one section at a time.

Knowing what you want to get out of a reading assignment–your purpose–helps you determine how much time to spend on it and helps you stay focused when tired or distracted. Sometimes your purpose is simply to understand the reading well enough to discuss it intelligently in class. However, your purpose will often go beyond that. You might read to compare two texts, to write a personal response, or to gather ideas for research.

When you start a reading assignment, identify your purpose and write it down somewhere such as on a sticky that you put on the first page of the book or on your computer screen. Keep that information nearby and refer to it occasionally as you read.

Improving Comprehension

In college, you will read a wide variety of materials, including textbooks, articles, and scholarly journals. Your primary goal is to identify the main point, the idea the writer wants to communicate. Finding the main point helps you understand the details–the facts and explanations that develop and clarify the main point. It also helps you relate the reading to things you learned in class or in other assignments.

Sometimes that task is relatively easy. Textbooks have headings that identify main concepts and often include comprehension questions at the end of a chapter. (This text provides information in the Preview and Takeaways boxes.) Diagrams and charts can help you understand complex information. Non-fiction books and articles may have an introduction that presents the writer’s main ideas and purpose. In long works, chapter titles give a sense of what is covered.

Regardless of what you read, stop occasionally and assess how well you understand what you are reading. If you aren’t confident, go back and read it again. Don’t just push ahead.

A good way to review and reinforce what you’ve learned is to discuss the reading with classmates. Discussions can help you determine whether your understanding is the same as that of your peers. They can also spark new ideas or insights.

Active Reading

The most successful students in college are active readers: students who engage in purposeful activities as they read. The best way to remember the information you read is to do something physical with it, something beyond just letting your eyes scan the page.  For example, use a highlighter, write notes, or discuss the information with someone.

Here is an example of what your marked-up essay should look like. You won’t say exactly the same things; your notes are for you. But they should be thorough and useful.

College Resources

If we try to handle every challenge alone, we can become frustrated and overwhelmed. Following are some resources available at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC):

• Your instructors can clarify information and give you strategies to succeed. To contact an instructor, use the college email system or Canvas inbox.
• Tutors will not write or edit your paper for you, but they can help you see, understand, and fix problems before you submit work for grading.  Contact them at Tutoring
• Tech support is available for Blackboard, Zoom, and Word. Contact them at Tech Support
• Librarians can quickly guide you to exactly the information you need. Contact them at Library Help 
• Free, confidential counseling services can help a student cope with a difficult personal situation or manage academic problems. Contact them at Personal Counseling 

Many students are reluctant to seek help. They feel like doing so marks them as slow, weak, or demanding. The truth is, every learner occasionally struggles. If you are sincerely trying to keep up but feel over your head, ask for help as early as possible. Most instructors will work hard to help students who make the effort to help themselves.