Why does it take so long to read college textbooks?

i am reading my textbook for anatomy and physiology and omg it is oh so boring! a lot of it is....you can't read it like a regular book....( I don't really read) so i guess that also contributes.....as to why it is taking so long....all i know is that people don't really read college textbooks and rely on notes in class...from the teacher bec. there lazy and face it is much harder to understand a textbook than an instructor but for a classes like anatomy and physiology you can't do that! you really have to read and attend class to do pretty well in this class


i don't want to read the pages over and over so i try to absorb it one time..but since some stuff are getting really tedious....i am skimming through it....( i should of started reading earlier!)

Why does it take so long to read college textbooks?
I can relate. But I did devise a plan that worked for me through college, but may not work for everyone because it is a bit time consuming.





I would set up shop with my laptop and my book and type up an outline of all of the highlighted/bold heading in the section I was reading. Then I would start from the beginning and scan over the first section and type the main idea and any definitions I did not know.





This was useful because you don't have to read everything in detail, but you are essentially reading the main idea(s) once, then reading it again as you type it. This is useful for reference throughout the term and is extremely helpful when midterms and finals come along. This process actually got me through a Colonial Latin American history class --- that was amazing!





Check out http://www.millennialmentors.com/blog for more helpful hints for Millennials---people of our generation (Gen Y) who are trying to get through their education as efficiently as possible!





Good luck!
Reply:Ugh, I TOTALLY know what you mean. I used them to help make outlines for study guides. The chapters are usually divided into sections, and come test time, I would skim the text for main points to include on the outline.





Some people DO read all the way through, and I was never one of those people. It would put me to sleep. Some books, I never even OPENED. But yes, I did buy them all.





--- yeah, its easier to get away with not reading the full text in phil and hist, but when I took palynology, biological anthro, linguistic ethnography, and most of my science classes, I had to dig into the text big time. But still I never read it straight through.
Reply:I am taking 3 online classes, all of which I am responsible for reading. I have philosophy, english lit and history. It is actually hard to read and be able to interpret the material with the questions being asked.





College is hard; it is preparing you for the future and making sure you are very prepared. My best advice, since I have 2 a.m. classes, 3 online, volunteering 2 hours a week, working 8 hours a week and have 2 kids is to really try to balance your time.





Make sure you have your priorities right. Do the reading first that way it is done; ask your professor questions you have. I know my college has a tutoring center that is free to all students, look into that as well if the material is starting to blur in your head!





Just be careful not to read solid for hours and hours or it will just confuse you more!





I'm not trying to compare who's class is more competitive, try taking those 2 with Calculus 2 and Discrete math. And MY philosophy class is ONLINE so if I don't read how am I supposed to answer "Do you agree with Thomson that abortion is morally defensible weven if the fetus is a person? In her analogies does she take the presumption of the personhood of the fetus as seriously as she does the personhood of the mother? Support you answers with examples!





No wonder you're having such a hard time! People give you advice as to HELP your situation and all you do is try to act like you're better than them! I guess that explains why you have to post something that is WHINING and complaining. College is hard, involves reading, grow up! Take 3 online classes with some balls, along with 2 hard math classes and then come whining to me about not being able to get through your reading