Textbooks in College

In high school, when you get a textbook, you typically don’t touch it again until the end of the school year to return it. Textbooks rot in your locker, and most students won’t use them to study. The college has a significantly different approach to textbooks because most professors teach strictly based on the book. Using the textbook might help you understand better because it gives you specific examples, and highlights important information. 3-hour lectures could get boring, and maybe you’ll lose focus–reading and studying on your own with textbooks will help you gain more of an understanding of the material.

Taking notes in a textbook isn’t easy because you’re not familiar with applying complex formulas or terms. It would help to understand the outline in the textbook in each chapter. Check which sections you should prioritize that will help you learn better. Textbooks tend to be info-dump, so try to develop a strategy. College professors typically won’t tell you to read the whole chapter, but rather specific sections, so you should be taking the initiative on your own to learn the subject. Write out keywords with their definition that can keep you on task.